Spectrum #16: Order these fitness crazes by when they started — the solution
The Spectrum puzzle from August 30, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, earliest to latest, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.
The puzzle
Order these fitness crazes by when they started, earliest at the top and latest at the bottom. The board opened in this order:
- Tae Bo
- Peloton founded
- P90X
- Jazzercise
- Pickleball invented
- CrossFit
Nothing was in its place; Peloton founded opened 4 places from home.
The walkthrough
The ends first. Pickleball invented is the earliest of the six at 1965 and Peloton founded the latest at 2012. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.
Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between Jazzercise (1969) and Tae Bo (1998) — 29 years apart. Everything above that line belongs on the earliest side and everything below it on the latest side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.
The closest call. Tae Bo (1998) and CrossFit (2000) are only 2 years apart — the pair that is a coin flip without the figures, and the place to spend a check: a check locks whatever is already right and leaves only the wrong tiles to swap.
The answer
| # | Earliest to Latest | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pickleball invented | 1965 |
| 2 | Jazzercise | 1969 |
| 3 | Tae Bo | 1998 |
| 4 | CrossFit | 2000 |
| 5 | P90X | 2005 |
| 6 | Peloton founded | 2012 |
Previous: Spectrum #15 (Sat, Aug 29) · Next: Spectrum #17 (Mon, Aug 31)
About Spectrum
Spectrum is Noggin’s daily ordering puzzle: six things, one hidden scale, three checks. Tiles in the right place lock green; the figures turn over when the board is done. How to play Spectrum, or play today’s.