Design Squad is an American reality competition television series targeted towards children ages 10–13. Contestants are high school students who design and build machines to compete for a $10,000 college scholarship from Intel.
The series aired on PBS Kids and PBS Kids Go! from February 21, 2007 to December 9, 2009. It was produced by WGBH, a PBS member station in Boston.
Synopsis
In each episode, contestants are separated into two color-coded teams to complete engineering projects for real-life clients. These are the Red Team and Blue Team in season 1 and the Green Team and Purple Team in seasons 2 and 3.
Engineers Nate Ball and Deanne Bell hosted season 1. After season 1, Bell departed for the Discovery Channel program Smash Lab, leaving Ball as the sole host of seasons 2 and 3.
Season 1 (2007)
Contestants
Giselle
Joey
Kim
Krishana
Michael
Natasha
Noah
Tom
Episodes
"The Need for Speed" – A professional racecar builder challenges the teams to convert kiddie toys into motorized dragsters. "Rock On" – The teams compete to create original musical instruments-one stringed and one percussive-for Off White Noise, a local band. The instruments are put to the test when Off White Noise rocks out at the Middle East nightclub. "Skunk'd" – When a guy named Skunk comes looking for a bike bizarre enough to impress the members of SCUL (Subversive Choppers Urban Legion), well, you give him what he wants. The rubber really hits the road when DS parades their newly created choppers (bikes) on a SCUL mission. "DS Unplugged" – The teams take a crash course in pre-industrial building techniques, as they compete to build 20-foot bridges—without the aid of power tools, forklifts, or ... flushable toilets. It's a show for the (Middle) Ages! "Got Game" – Challenged to come up with a way to cover all the angles of a basketball game via remote-controlled cameras, the teams dive into action and compete to prove who's got (the whole) game! "A Collective Collaboration" – The teams set their sights on designing the most durable, portable and low cost peanut butter making machines for a women's collective in Haiti. Powered by human hands and inspiring to the human heart, DS shows that engineering really can change lives. "Just For Kicks" – The challenge: design a REVOLUTIONary device that automatically feeds a stream of balls to Michael Parkhurst, a professional soccer player with the New England Revolution. Here's one Design Squad's episode that's sure to be a ball. "Functional Fashion" – It's a marriage of high tech and haute couture (well, sort of!) as the teams compete to see who can design the best dual-purpose clothing. Join DS on the runway as the garments/gadgets make their fashion debut. "Batter Up" – How to make a perfect pancake? The DS teams seek the right ingredients for a machine that will cook, flip, and serve up delicious flapjacks at the flick of a switch. The winning machine is put to the (taste) test at a busy diner. "Pumped" – An 11-foot tall water slide will be a cool addition to the community pool—once there's a pump to deliver the water. See which invention makes the biggest splash with YMCA campers. "Blowin' In The Wind" – The teams tap into their inner artists as they compete to design and build wind-powered kinetic art from recycled materials. The winning sculpture is put on display at the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln, Massachusetts. "Bodies Electric" – Design Squad-ers take a shine to hip-hop artist Wyatt Jackson when they try to create a sound-and-light show triggered by Jackson's moves and grooves. In a live performance, it's DS night at the Strand Theatre. "Winner Takes All" – The season concludes when Continuum (a design consultancy) asks the DS teams to develop and test a "summer sled" for retail giant L.L.Bean. It's a bumpy, downhill slide to the finish line!
Points
In most challenges, each person in the winning team would receive 100 points, the other team 0 points.
In Week 2, there were 3 band members that picked 3 out of 4 instruments. Each instrument picked was 50 points. In Week 3, the Judges thought both teams made excellent bikes and gave both teams 100 points. In Week 4, the Judges thought both teams worked very hard and didn't want winner take all. Because the Red Team needed extra help to finish they split the points 30(red)/70(blue). In Week 12, Wyatt Jackson (Judge) enjoyed Blue team's performance. However, he also enjoyed Red Team's Light Show, so they split the points 30(blue)/70(red). In most challenges, each person in the winning team would receive 100 points, the other team 0 points.
Season 2 (2008)