Loading...

Jul 10, 2017

The Craziest Thing You'll Do This Summer

The Craziest Thing You'll Do This Summer photo
Time-travelling storm-trooper? Check! GISHWHES 2016 Item # 76    

According to an official email and status update earlier this week, The Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen will be holding its final mega-bash August 5-12 of this year. The week long event thrills tens of thousands of global participants every year, including the author of this very blog post. I've been an avid gisher for the last 4 years and I can genuinely say that the event has changed how I engage with the world around me, even living out here in Japan.

The Craziest Thing You'll Do This Summer photo
My daughter with the pad-na, a panda made entirely from feminine hygiene products. Item #98

    The hunt itself consists of a massive list of items to find, make, or perform. Pictures of these get uploaded to imgur (videos to youtube) and the resulting links submitted to the hunt. Later the judges (including event creator Misha Collins of Supernatural fame) apply points to the items submitted based on a number of factors including the quality of the image and interpretation of the item. The team with the most points wins the hunt and the grand prize, an all-expenses paid trip somewhere fabulous with Misha Collins.

The Craziest Thing You'll Do This Summer photo
Me, proclaiming "GISHWHES takes SHIOGAMA!" for item #117
    The real joy of the event has nothing to do with the official prize. The list of items includes challenges ranging from silly to charitable to almost-impossibly fun. Of course not every item appeals to every person, but that's why teams contain 15 people and the item list is around 200 items long. Anyone willing to give it a try can find at least a couple of things they would enjoy in a list that long. Just make sure to get pictures or video so you have something to submit.

The Craziest Thing You'll Do This Summer photo
That's my team from last year, including many friends and family from all over for item #117.

    If you don't know 14 other people you would want to do this crazy thing with, do not worry. The event is set up so that anyone can participate from anywhere so long as they have an internet connection and a way to get a photo and/or video. All partial teams will be consolidated, putting you together with new, exciting people from all over the world. You can even choose to participate as a serious contender or just for fun, so that the team you get put on is of similar constitution.

The Craziest Thing You'll Do This Summer photo

    There are just under 2 weeks left to register if you want in on the fun. The $21.08 charge for registration pays for the grand prize-- a trip for the entire winning team to party with Misha Collins in Hawaii as well as the cost of running the event itself. Anything left over from those goes to Random Acts, a great charity benefiting a number of causes worldwide, including recently building a school in Nicaragua
    If you don't have the money, you can also sign up for a gish-olarship and hope that some unknown benefactor pitches in for you, which can be really helpful but I recommend only doing this as early as possible and if you really can't afford it otherwise.

My daughter and I, for item #88.
    The greatest thing about GISHWHES is that it rewires your brain for fun and kindness if you let it, which makes the entirety of existence a lot more enjoyable. Engaging in something as wild as this also can be great for getting you out of your comfort zone and into a more creative brain-space. It also can help you take better advantage of your surroundings and face some fears while you're at it. I highly recommend GISHWHES to everyone I meet and for good reason.
Vending machine of feelings for Item #140
    If you're interested, sign up fast! At the time of this posting, registration is only open for another 2 weeks! In the meantime, check out last year's list here. Below you'll find the text for the items mentioned above.
    As a parting gift, here I am performing my rap regarding Vlad the Impaler, the last item from last year's list.



#76         Nobody ever talks about the fact that 250 years ago, stormtroopers who had been abandoned on planet Earth were forced to assimilate into pre-Industrial culture. Dramatically re-enact this difficult time. Show a stormtrooper getting back to basics using a spinning wheel, butter churn, or other old-fashioned tool or machine in a rural setting. Feel free to add accessories to the stormtrooper’s outfit to make their assimilation more complete—a Shaker-style hat, a musket slung over the shoulder, etc.

#88         You know those giant teacups at amusement parks that spin? Go for a ride with a friend or two. Of course, you all should be dressed appropriately for the tea party… as a spoon, a tea bag, a sugar cube or something else that one would find in a teacup.

#98         Your choice! Either a panda made of sanitary pads – a “Padna,” if you will, or a likeness of a totalitarian world leader made entirely of feminine hygiene products. – Inspired by Sarah Davison

#114         Grid image of all 15 of your team members (5 rows of 3 columns). Let’s see each member of your team dressed in some way emblematic of that member’s state, region or country. For example, if a team member is from New York, the photo might show that member of the team wearing a yankees hat while eating a slice of pizza. If a member(s) of your team is MIA, feel free to add your favorite picture of Misha in their place – Jennifer Irving

#117         Gishwhes has conquered the Great Wall, South American waterfalls, the Champs-Élysées, and even SPACE! Help gishwhes conquer new territory— take gishwhes somewhere epic that it’s never been before. – Julie Reynolds

#140         A functioning vending machine that dispenses emotions and memories. Show a customer making a purchase.
#173         You may have heard about a little show called Hamilton. Lin Manuel Miranda lit up Broadway with his innovative style, combining traditional theater and rap to engage delighted theater goers with the story of history’s hippest President. But that was just a big “win all the 2016 Tonys” ploy. We want to hear and see– in full costume a rap song about another historical figure important to you. Upload a 15 second video on the site AND send it to @Lin_Manuel.

JTsu

JTsu

A working mom/writer/teacher explores her surroundings in Miyagi-ken and Tohoku, enjoying the fun, quirky, and family friendly options the area has to offer.


0 Comments