Wait, if all you're doing is this...
HenryRichard wrote:make a project that would be composed of 8-bit remakes of various levels from well-known games (and maybe even a few well-known SMBX ones) that would put some kind of twist on them - like having to take an alternate route through the level, changing up the enemies, or requiring some sort of challenges to complete.
why are you asking for this?
HenryRichard wrote:several people who would be willing to actually contribute to this project
Based on your description of what the episode would be made of, it seems like something you could easily accomplish by yourself in a reasonable amount of time (assuming you don't have any side-projects you're working on along with it). Also, I've never been a fan of episodes that reuse level designs from other games, and if you'd be willing to put forth the effort to make the level different enough that it would be fresh even for people who've already played the original level, you might as well spend that effort making something original.