5-4-3-2-Run was one of many copycats of the successful U.S. children's game show, Double Dare. The program was taped at BCTV studios in Burnaby, and aired across Canada on the CTV networks on Saturdays beginning in September, 1988.

In the show, kids competed to be first to complete a series of physical tests in order to answer a question. Correct answers led to prizes, but contestants whose answers were incorrect ran the risk of being showered with an array of projectiles including "blue goo," ping-pong balls, confetti and popcorn, or any combination of the above.

More than 1,500 Vancouver children were interviewed for the show and about 200 were "pre-selected" as possible contestants.