| The Imperial Purple Robe of Empress Theodora | |
|---|---|
 The robe on the hollow box around where the elevator lands. | |
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Production Number |
2-10 (50) |
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Airdate |
September 2, 1994 |
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Team |
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Winning Contestants |
Ashley & Joshua |
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Artifact Location |
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2 | |
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Temple Layout |
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Previous Episode |
The Mush Pot Hat of Johnny Appleseed (Production Order) |
|
Next Episode |
The Mush Pot Hat of Johnny Appleseed (Broadcast Order) |
The Imperial Purple Robe of Empress Theodora is the 50th episode of Legends of the Hidden Temple.
Moat Crossing
In this extraordinarily difficult moat crossing, one player holds a long wooden plank steady as the other crosses it. After one teammate is across, he or she holds the board for the other partner to do the same.
| Moat Results | ||
|---|---|---|
| Place | Team | Time |
| 1st | Silver Snakes | 0:38 |
| 2nd | Red Jaguars | 0:47 |
| 3rd | Orange Iguanas | 0:51 |
| 4th | Green Monkeys | 1:33 |
Steps of Knowledge
One of the most powerful women in history was Empress Theodora. She was the wife of Emperor Justinian, who ruled Constantinople in the early 500s. She passed many laws which helped the common people, and some say she wore the pants in the Royal Family. When a rebellion threatened to topple the Emperor, legend has it that Justinian's generals found him in a panic.
"You must flee, my Lord.", said one.
"A fast galley awaits you at the harbor.", said another. But the Emperor just ran from window to window saying.
"Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh.", Empress Theodora said. "Justinian, we're not going anywhere. I'd rather be buried in my Imperial Purple Robe than be run out of this town by those rats. Now pull yourself together before they pull you apart."
According to legend, Theodora rallied the generals, and with Justinian in the lead, they conquered the rebels. Theodora's brave words were credited with saving the empire, not to mention her Imperial Purple Robe.
| Steps of Knowledge Results | ||
|---|---|---|
| Question | Answers | Team |
| According to legend, did Theodora convince Justinian to stay in Constantinople to take care of…? |
|
Red Jaguars (2 steps left) |
| Justinian produced what is considered one of the greatest Roman contributions to civilization. Was it…? |
|
Green Monkeys (2 steps left) |
| Was the Justinian Code a collection of…? |
|
Green Monkeys (1 step left) |
| Theodora was born on Cyprus. Is Cyprus in the…? |
|
Orange Iguanas (2 steps left) |
| Istanbul is located on a channel that separates Europe from which of these continents? |
|
Red Jaguars (1 step left) |
| Which of these men founded Constantinople? |
|
Green Monkeys (Advanced to Temple Games) |
| Is the capital of Turkey today…? |
|
Red Jaguars (Wrong Answer) |
| Orange Iguanas (1 step left) | ||
| When expanding their empire, did Theodora and Justinian conquer…? |
|
Silver Snakes (Wrong Answer) |
| Orange Iguanas (Advanced to Temple Games) | ||
Temple Games
The Green Monkeys are Joshua and Ashley. The Orange Iguanas are Laura and Stephen.
Byzantine Empire (Mountain)
While Theodora was empress, the Byzantine Empire expanded by conquering other countries. Before Stephen and Joshua stood a mountain with many holes into which their pegs fit, and is divided into four sections, each named after a part of the Byzantine Empire: Alexandria, Córdoba, Rome, and Carthage. Each territory can be won by either player placing his peg in the secret hole that sets off the victory salute. When Kirk gave the signal, both players had to start putting their pegs into as many holes as possible. For each territory won, they had to move on to the next one. The player to win all four territories or the player furthest along in 60 seconds won. Both players tied with two territories, awarding each of them a half pendant of life.
Gold for Corn (Zip-line)
Byzantium was an important link for trade between Europe and Asia, and Laura and Ashley's task was to re-establish that trade. When Kirk gave the signal, they each had to pick up a golden object, place it in their pouch, grab the hanger above them and swoop down to the opposite platform. Once there, they had to place the golden object in their bucket, grab an ear of corn, grab the next handle, and zip-line back with the corn. Once back at the starting point, they had to place the corn on their back board. The player to complete the most trades in 60 seconds won. Both players tied with three pieces of corn, awarding each of them a half pendant of life.
Rebels to Rubble (Slingshot Bowling)
Empress Theodora smashed the rebels and saved the city of Byzantium. The teams' task was to defend Byzantium by smashing the rebel army. When Kirk gave the signal, one player had to load his/her team's slingshot and launch a ball at the enemy troops on the wall. Then, it was his/her partner's turn. The team to knock over four rebel statues or the team furthest along in 60 seconds won. The Green Monkeys beat the Orange Iguanas 2-0, sending the Green Monkeys to Olmec's Temple with two full pendants.
| Temple Games Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Pendants Won |
| Green Monkeys | Tied | Tied | Won | 2 Pendants |
| Orange Iguanas | Tied | Tied | Lost | 1 Pendant |
Temple Run
This was another heartbreaking loss. Ashley went into the Temple first, starting in the Crypt and going directly into the Pit of Despair. From there, she stuck to the bottom floor— through the Throne Room and the Swamp, and then entering the Dark Forest. Things looked good at this point— she had not run into a single Temple Guard, and now she was only one room away from the Imperial Purple Robe! All she had to do was bust through the wall, grab the robe in the Mine Shaft and just come back along the lower route to record the win.
She pushed on the wall, but nothing happened, it did not break down. Looks like she would have to go up from the Dark Forest and find another way to enter the Mine Shaft. So she looked for the key, and not only did she find it, but a temple spirit found her! She put the pendant in the tree, unlocked the gold door leading upward, and got taken out in the Shrine of the Silver Monkey with 1:23 on the clock.
Joshua went in next and precisely followed Ashley's path up to the Shrine of the Silver Monkey. He put the monkey together, entered the Viper's Nest and beelined straight for the elevator. Down, down it went, slooooooooooowly but surely, stalling way too many times. With the last seconds coming, he crouched down in the elevator and reached downward as the elevator got caught up again.
Joshua Almost grabbed the purple robe.
Unfortunately, he was only about a foot away from making contact with the Robe before time expired. If the elevator did not get stopped up so many times during the descent, Joshua would've had a close encounter with the Imperial Purple Robe. Too bad.
| Temple Run Results | |
|---|---|
| Victory | No |
| Reached the Artifact | No (But Nearly) |
| Method of Loss | Failed Acquisition |
| Temple Guard Locations | |
Watch Episode
Trivia
- This was the second time that the Stone Wall did not break down, presumably to prevent an easy win. The first was The Keys to the Alhambra.
- Production error: While Joshua was riding the elevator down into the Mine Shaft, the elevator stopped moving as he was reaching for imperial purple robe from in the elevator. It is speculated that the producers gave him the second prize (the Singalodeon), because they knew he would have grabbed the robe, but not bringing it out of the temple.
- One of the prizes was a Disney Home video of The Return of Jafar. Despite this, Disney is known to be a rival to Nickelodeon.
- This was the only two pendant Green Monkey run with an artifact hidden in the bottom corner.
- In one of the square-shaped holes at the back of the pit, a temple guard can be seen walking to a room where he was going to hide in.