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The Belly Button of Buddha
Belly Button of Buddha
The belly button on the sundial.

Production Number

1-23 (23)

Airdate

December 25, 1993

Team

Blue Barracudas

Contestants

Jennifer (aka "Ricochet") & Anthony Carboni

Artifact Location

The Observatory

Pendants of Life

2

Temple Layout

VI

Previous Episode

The Golden Chains of Zenobia (Production Order)
Alexander and the Gordian Knot (Broadcast Order)

Next Episode

The Stolen Arm of Shiva (Production Order)
The Dragon Lady and the Blue Pearl (Broadcast Order)

The Belly Button of Buddha is the 23rd episode of Legends of the Hidden Temple. It was the 23rd episode to air.

Moat Crossing

One player of each team paddled across the moat on a raft. Once across, he would tie the rope (which was connected to the raft) off to a post; the second player would then use that rope and the higher, knotted rope to traverse the moat. Once both players were across, they could hit the gong.

Moat Results
Finish Team Time
First Blue Barracudas 0:36
Second Green Monkeys 0:39
Third Silver Snakes 1:10
Fourth Red Jaguars 1:14

Steps of Knowledge

Towering over Rangoon, the capital city of ancient Burma, is a great temple called the Shwedagon Pagoda. The pagoda is covered with over two tons of gold and over six thousand jewels, including a giant 73-karat diamond at the top of its tower. It also has thousands of bells: tiny tinkling ones, and one that weighs twenty-three tons. Inside the pagoda was a giant statue of Buddha, with a large jade belly button. In 1824, the British stormed the pagoda, and the English soldiers made off with the Belly Button of Buddha and the great bell. The bell sank in the river as they tried to float it away. The Burmese later lifted it out of the river, but the Belly Button of Buddha vanished completely…until now.

Steps of Knowledge Results
Question Answers Team
Is the Shwedagon Pagoda in…?
  • Saigon
  • Rangoon
  • Raccoon
Blue Barracudas (Correct - Two steps left)
Is the Shwedagon Pagoda dedicated to…?
  • Druidism
  • Buddhism
  • Catholicism
Green Monkeys (Correct - Two steps left)
Is the Shwedagon Pagoda covered with…?
  • Silver
  • Plutonium
  • Gold
Blue Barracudas (Correct - One step left)
Is a pagoda…?
  • A Temple
  • A Theater
  • A Museum
Red Jaguars (Correct - Two steps left)
Which of these tops the Shwedagon Pagoda?
  • A Pearl
  • A Ruby
  • A Diamond
Blue Barracudas (Correct - Advanced to the Temple Games)
Which of these European countries invaded Burma in the 1800s?
  • England
  • Russia
Green Monkeys (Correct - One step left)
The Burmese floated the great bell by attaching a huge number of poles to it. Were they made of…?
  • Maple
  • Redwood
  • Bamboo
Red Jaguars (Correct - One step left)
If you lived in Rangoon, Would you most be affected by…?
  • Blizzards
  • Dust storms
  • Monsoons
Red Jaguars (Correct - Advanced to the Temple Games)

Temple Games

The Blue Barracudas are 11-year-old Jennifer, who is nicknamed "Ricochet" as she bounces all over the place (she is a gymnast), and 12-year-old Anthony Carboni, who goes by "Tony" and wants to be a cartoonist as he likes to draw. The Red Jaguars are 13-year-old Ramey, who collects sports cards (has 2000 of them), and 11-year-old Katherine, who collects porcelain dolls (Madame Alexanders - has 13).

Bells of the Stupa (Climbing Wall)[]

The Shwedagon Pagoda has thousands of bells. They only had five. When Kirk said "Go," one player from each team climbed up to the first spots and attached bells. Then they climbed back down, or swung around on their ropes, to the their other sides of their walls, attached the next bells, and then so on. The first one to place all five bells and to come back down, or the one that's furthest along in 60 seconds, won. Ramey took the early lead, with some nice transitions from side to side, but wound up in a tie with Jennifer, so both teams received a half pendant.

Pilgrims to the Shwedagon Pagoda (Bungee Soap Ramp)[]

Pilgrims to the Shwedagon Pagoda buy pieces of gold foil and stick them to the steeple, which was just what the two Pilgrims did. Before the teams were ramps with their Pagodas at the top. Below them, they had bunches of gold foil. When Kirk said "Go," One player from each team grabbed pieces of foil, climbed up their ramps, stuck them on their stupas, then they slid back down, grabbed the next gold foils, and tried again. The player with the most gold foil on the stupa at the end of 60 seconds won. The event started off neck and neck to the top of the ramp. When the bungee cords finally began to get taut, both Tony and Katherine began to have trouble. With much effort, Tony managed to stretch his cord out enough to reach the top hand grip. He then made a dive and managed to stick one piece of gold cloth on the pad. Katherine is still struggling to pull herself up and suddenly lost her grip and slid back down. By that point, Tony was almost back up. Unfortunately, the soap on his knee pads and the ramp plus the bungee cord and being tired from the first trip up all take their toll and he was unable to get up to the second to last hand grip strap. He began to slide backward and wound up on his back. He struggled to get back on his knees, but eventually gave up and slid down the ramp. Katherine had caught up but gets hung up on the third to last hand grip. She eventually gives up and slides back down as time runs out. Tony gets the half pendant for the Blue Barracudas.

Shrine to the Buddha (Pulley Pillar)[]

The Shwedagon Pagoda has thousands of jewels, and the worshippers today still bring jewels to honor the Buddha. Before the teams were shrines to the Buddha, and the players added jewels to it. When Kirk said "Go," one player from each team grabbed a jewel, jumped up while their partners on their other end of their ropes pulled down. They placed jewels on their shrines and dropped to the ground, while their partners grabbed the next jewels, and jumped up to place them. They kept alternating like that, and the team with the most jewels on the shrine in the end of 60 seconds won. Ultimately the Blue Barracudas won game the full pendant after attaching seven jewels while the Jaguars was only able to attach four.

Temple Games Results
Team Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Pendants Won
Red Jaguars Tied Lost Lost ½ Pendant
Blue Barracudas Tied Won Won 2 Pendants

Temple Run

Jennifer went into the Temple first, and while she may not have been the fastest contestant, she had a strategy that was very innovative, considering how early in the show this episode was. Choosing the Cave of Sighs as her starting point, she confidently made it across the bottom floor to the Bamboo Forest and did not try to proceed upward until she was beyond the central shaft. She hesitated a little in the Bamboo Forest, however, and tried to go up into the Treasure Room via one of the corner doors. When that did not work, she passed into the Tomb of the Ancient Kings, quickly found the key and progressed upward into the Shrine of the Silver Monkey.

After assembling the monkey, Jennifer accidentally went into the Room of Three Torches, but realized her mistake and went into the Treasure Room, where a Temple Guard finally captured her with less than a minute to go. A bit distracted, she stalled a little while until she realized she did not need to open the treasure chest to open any doors leading out of the room.
Jennifer Picks up the Belly Button
She made it up the final set of stairs to the Belly Button in the Observatory, grabbed it with twenty-seven seconds to go and made it out of the Temple sixteen seconds later with eleven seconds left. 
Temple Run Results
Victory Yes (Solo - 0:11 left)
Grabbed the Artifact Yes
Reached the Artifact's Room Yes
Temple Guard Locations The Treasure Room (black mask)
The Well (gold mask)
The Room of the Three Gargoyles (blue mask)

Prize Plugs

  • Original Run
    • Moat Crossing: Fashion Bug
    • Steps of Knowledge: Laguna Sportswear
    • Temple Games: Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade's Revenge for Sega Genesis
  • Alternate Version
    • Moat Crossing: Nestle Quik
    • Steps of Knowledge: Nerds from The Willy Wonka Candy Factory
    • Temple Games: Duncan Yoyo

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