It’s all about "dares.

Monday, December 13, 1999

It’s all about "dares."

Chris and Connie Weis were walking through East Side Lake Park last July, enjoying the SPAM Jamboree with thousands of others in Austin when they noticed that Nickelodeon was there among hundreds of other food and fun attractions.

The couple had their sons, Michael, 9, and Marcus, almost 8, with them.

Neither Chris nor Connie have a history of being "wild and crazy" people in front of an audience. They are not normally the life of any party.

But, something happened that day in the park along East Side Lake with the scent of the world’s most famous luncheon meat in the air.

"It was spontaneous," said Chris. "Real spontaneous."

In the true fashion of husbands,he now blames his wife. "It was Connie’s idea; not mine," he said.

Connie was chosen from the audience watching a Nickelodeon crew perform their popular cable television show’s stunts and she got the opportunity to get "slimed."

That experience inspired Connie to go a step further and she and her husband registered for the opportunity to compete in Nickelodeon’s new "Double Dare 2000" television show.

"I dared him," Connie said.

Families at the SPAM Jamboree celebration, sponsored by Hormel Foods Corp., last July 3 in Austin were asked to perform a skit in front of a video camera. The Nickelodeon staff would review the tapes and select families to compete on television.

"There were families doing pyramids and one-act plays and everything, but all we could do is a short skit about our family. We had about 15 seconds in front of the camera," Chris said.

Last week, a Nickelodeon producer called Chris and Connie and dared them to accept an invitation to appear on television.

The Austin family was the only family chosen to be on the new version of the popular family show.

"All we could come up with was to sing the Nickelodeon theme song and introduce ourselves," said Connie.

"I said ‘Hi’! We’re from SPAMTOWN USA and that’s Austin, Minn., for all you vegetarians’," Chris said.

The family was given their choice of 11 dates in January to come to Nickelodeon studios near Universal Studios at Orlando, Fla.

They will compete against another family in the show’s taping of 65 new "Double Dare" shows.

The show’s format includes a trivia quiz and games or stunts that usually involved getting slimed or a pie in the face.

It’s all for fun and the Weis sons said they are looking forward to it.

"Yup!" said Marcus, the youngest, "I’m excited" and his older brother, Michael agreed. "it’s going to be fun," he said.

The Weis boys watch the hugely-popular "Rugrats" cartoon show and other Nickelodeon shows, including "Keenan and Kel."

Michael so admires the art work on Nickelodeon cartoons that he wants to be a cartoonist someday.

Chris is an agent/recruiter/recovery specialist for Absolute Bail Bond Co., which has area offices at Austin, Albert Lea, Faribault and Owatonna.

Arguably, he could make an all-expense-paid trip to Florida next month a part-business trip if his business dictates that.

But, that’s something else. For now, Chris and his wife, Connie, and their sons are preparing for their television appearance on Nickelodeon.

How does one do that? Who know? A food fight at the dinner table, perhaps.