1. Snoot Shoot 
   The youth shoot Trix, Kix, or Cocoa Puffs out of their noses. The team whose Puff goes the farthest wins. Chariots of Fire or Rocky theme adds cheesiness.
   
    
2. Rice Krispy Marble Dig 
   Fill a small swimming pool full of Rice Krispies & marbles. Add water (milk is better, use the powdered kind to save $$$). A representative from each team takes off their shoes and socks and digs the marbles out with their toes.
    
3. Cereal Art 
   Give each team various kinds of cereal, glue, paper, and scissors. No leaders are allowed to help. Tell students the only rule: BE CREATIVE! Fun photo op here. Leaders may judge.
   
    
4. Shredded Wheat Toss 
   This involves two representatives from each team playing. One is at one end of the room holding an upright bucket on their head. The other is at the other end with a bucket of water and boxes of Large Shredded Wheat. The representatives dunk the shredded wheat one by one and then attempt to throw them across the room in the buckets on their team member's head.
   
    
5. Cereal Eating Relay 
   Five members from each team line up. One at a time they race to a table where they fix  themselves a bowl of cereal and eat it, go back, and tag the next team member.

*A Young Life Extra:  Cereal Box Puzzle
Cut off the front panel of several cereal boxes — one for each group you've formed.  Then cut up each panel into puzzle shapes- one for each person in the group. Mix together all the pieces and give one to each person and have them compete to find their cereal.

Also see Cereal Box Puzzle (Click Here) Snoot Shoot, featuring jelly beans (Click Here).

Added by Jason Huddleston

Cheerio Face-Off
Items Needed: Cheerios (or generic substitute), soft butter or margarine, face cleanser, hand towels, card table

Directions: 
Choose one volunteer from each grade.
Spread Cheerios all over card table.
One volunteer covers their own face with butter and has ten seconds to stick Cheerios to face, without hands. Repeat with other three volunteers. Have another leader start counting the Cheerios stuck to face.

Take digital pics and show on screen afterward!

See also Attack of the Fish (Click Here), Whiteheads (Click Here), and Cheeto Face (Click Here).

Cheerios on a Noodle
Split the group into partners. Give one person an uncooked spaghetti noodle and the other person a cup of cheerios. On “go” the person with cup of cheerios will place them in his/her mouth and then without using their hands try to position them on the spaghetti noodle.

The team with the most cheerios on a noodle wins. This is a fun game to watch because of the odd facial expressions.

Idea Submitted by Michael Stinnett

Cheeto Face
Arrange several pairs of students up front.  One partner gets whipped cream spread (or sprayed) all over his or her face.  The other partner stands back about 5 feet and throws Cheetos on the whipped creamed partner's face (they stick!) in a given amount of time. Whoever ends up with the most Cheetos on his or her face wins.

Added by Julie Ohara

See also Attack of the Fish (Click Here), Whiteheads (Click Here), and Chee-toes (Click Here).

Chee-toes
Bring up three pairs of people. Have one person in each pair sit in a chair and take off one shoe and sock. Now have the other person in the team lay on the ground. Place a napkin next to them, with around 10 - 15 cheetos cheese snacks. 

The object of the game is to have the person with the bare foot try to feed cheetos to the person lying on the ground by picking them up with their toes and putting them in the other person's mouth. The first team done wins a prize (whatever you want to give them.)

Tip: Have them put a rubber or latex glove on the bare foot (for sanitary purposes!)

Added by Jason Fullmore

Also see Cheeto Face (Click Here).

Chocolate Drop
Prepare beforehand by spreading out plastic on your stage area. Find a place where everyone can see someone laying down.

Get several pairs of students to come up front. Have one partner lay down on the plastic and the other around the edge of the plastic.  Have the "dropper" stand over the head of the partner with a small cup of chocolate syrup. The "dropper," standing straight up (no bending to get a better aim), dunks marshmallows into the chocolate syrup and with his or her arm straight out, drops it into the mouth of the person on the floor. Points are awarded by the number of marshmallows eaten.

Added by Michael Boyd

Choice Combos
Introduce this gross game by saying you want 3 volunteers to test a new product: explain that Starbucks gives you lots of alternative drinks and Jamba Juice uses those cool huge blenders (if your area doesn’t have a Jamba Juice, you can refer to it or a similar store).  If you combine these two, it will be a franchise called "Choices".  

Before the meeting prepare 12 bags and set up a blender. Keep them covered with a sheet until it is time for the game. After the intro, uncover the bags and the blender. 

1. Prepare a set of 4 bags for each kid, for a total of 12 bags in all. 
2. On the outside of each bag, write a "choice". Let the kid decide which he wants. 
3. Make the first bag for each kid be a choice of liquids. For example, offer the first student either coffee or tea, the second student, grape juice or orange juice, and the third, chocolate milk or strawberry milk. 
4. After they have selected their "base", give them 3 more choices. Put it all in the blender and juice it up. Give it to them in a clear glass so the disgusting color is obvious. 
5. No need to wash the blender between drinks, just pour out any extra. (Tell the kids the labor cost is really low for this product because you didn't have to wash the blender after each customer.) 
5. Have each kid hold their drink until all 3 have had their drinks. Then they chug them down. The first kid to drink the whole glass (or last one not puking in some cases), wins. 

I used stuff I had around the house or church kitchen for the 3 other choices. The two items in each group should be related and, in and of themselves, not disgusting. I did at one point ask the kid if he wanted cat food or dog food, but I then said, "just joking" and gave another choice. Here are some ideas: 
a) ketchup or mustard
b) maple syrup or blueberry syrup
c) Thousand Island or Caesar salad dressing 
d) sour cream or cottage cheese
e) jello or pudding 
f) hot sauce or A-1 sauce 
g) brown sugar or powdered sugar

Added by Kristin Clark

Also see Blend-O-Rama (Click Here).

Christmas 12 Bags of Doom
This is a messy "thank you" or Christmas gift to your staff (or interns). Lay tarp down (a large vinyl table cloth works, too). Staff wear old clothes and get ready to be icky!

Students get to dump 12 items of gross stuff on the staff, one at a time. The twelve days of Christmas gives a nice outline for the event:

On the twelfth day of Christmas our students give to you (the interns)..... 

12 raw eggs 
11 cups of oatmeal 
10 squirts of syrup
9 cups of popcorn 
8 squirts of green ketchup 
7 cups of applesauce 
6 bags of cornmeal 
5 packages of swiss miss 
4 frozen mixed vegetables 
3 cans of whipped cream 
2 cups of canola oil
1 betty crocker cake mix 

A great gross event as long as you're not the dumpee.... 

Micah McCarty NEWCHURCH, OKC

Funny idea from Tonya Berry:
Have the group actually sing the song and dump each item every time a new item's added!

See Human Christmas Tree (Click Here) & Ten Bags of Doom! (Click Here).

Clothespin Slime
Fill two kiddie pools with slime (mix flour, water, and green food coloring). Drop in a ton of clothespins. Have contestants pull clothespins out with their feet and pin them somewhere on themselves. 

Use a tarp under the pools if indoors.

from Fear Factor/Faith Factor on  our EVENT IDEAS page (CLICK HERE)

Coke Chug
Select 3 students to be in a Coke drinking contest. Have them leave the room to get a drink of water to clear their pipes. (I told my students it makes a bigger burp.) Fill up a 12 oz. glass with Coke and have the three students chug it. They all burp and you vote for the best one.  

If you do this with two sets of three, have the two winners face-off. When they leave the room to get a drink of water, fill their glasses with soy sauce.

Added by Mike

Also see Milk Chug (Click Here).

Cold Toe Dogs
Fill large bowls with freezing ice water. Add small round hot dog slices. Call three teams of two up front.

One player needs to sit in a chair with a bowl on the ground directly in front of them. The same player also needs to remove the shoe and sock from one of their feet. The second team member kneels down in front of the bowl. 

The sitting player removes the hotdog slices from the freezing water with their foot and then the kneeling member removes the hotdogs only using their mouth. 

Optional gross factor: The kneeling team member has to eat the hotdogs. We have even replaced the hotdogs with sardines or spam.

Added by Meri Clark

Also see Frozen Marbles (Click Here).

Condiment Twister
Exactly like Twister, only you spread a condiment over each of the color circles. Lay a big tarp down under the Twister mat.

Grape Jelly for blue, mustard for yellow, ketchup for red, and relish on the green circles. Make sure that you have plastic bags and masking tape to cover the volunteers with, so clothes aren't ruined. Have their faces, hands, and feet (shoes and socks off) exposed. Then change the places on the spinning board to right/left cheek, right/left ear, nose, right/left hand, right/left foot. When you spin, you call out which body part goes where. i.e right cheek to blue, left leg to green, right hand to yellow. It is a mess and a riot. It does get slippery, so make sure you have staff there to help when people start flying around. Have a place for students to clean up after. 

Added by Brian Carpenter

Also see Mess Mix (Click Here), Messy Message (Click Here), and Messy Plexi (Click Here).

Crab Walk
This one is for you crazy…I mean brave…youth leaders out there! 

Put a large plastic tarp down on the ground and ask for 8 volunteers (girls work best here). Tell them they are merely going to race across the tarp; fastest one wins. 

Line them up and say, “Ready, set, oh wait a minute! I forgot the most important part.” Have a couple of youth leaders (who are ALREADY prepared) scatter live crawdads or crabs down on the tarp. 15-20 is a good number to have. Then say, “Ready, set, go!” The 8 girls race all at once. Cut the slowest 4 girls from the competition.

Take the 4 fastest girls and bring them back to the starting line. Blindfold them and tell them that this is the championship round. The winner of this round gets a cool prize. They will each get a friend to help them navigate the crawdads/crabs. The friend must stand off to the side and yell directions to the contestant. Let them choose their friend/navigator. 

After the 4 contestants are blindfolded, have several adult leaders VERY quickly remove the crawdads/crabs and replace them with pre-opened bags of Doritos. You will probably have to cover this process with some live music. (You can also distract the 4 contestants with crowd pumpers like, “Who thinks Ashley is gonna win!?”) 

When everything is in place, say ready, set, go and watch the contestants hop, skip, and shriek their way across the tarp. After the game is over, let the 4 contestants in on the joke. Keep your word and give a cool prize to the winner.

NOTE: It is imperative that you not let the cat out of the bag concerning the “second round.” Use live music, some hype, and maybe even PowerPoint screens to give directions to the crowd.  


Cricket Spit
Go to your local pet store and buy a bunch of live crickets before your event.
Ask for volunteers before you reveal the game.  Each victim (I mean
contestant) reaches in to the container of crickets and pulls out one at a time and pops the live cricket into their mouth.  The object is to spit the cricket into their bucket,which is placed several feet away.  This is a timed event.
When the time runs out, the person with the most crickets in the bucket is the winner.  We usually give the winner a prize and all contestants are given mouthwash.

Supplies Needed:
Two buckets
Live crickets in a container
Prize for the winner
Mouthwash


Cupid
Make a heart-shaped target and fasten it to a guy’s back (be sure to choose a "solid" couple who sets a good example of dating in your group; pick married sponsors, if nothing else). Give his girlfriend a bow and arrow (with suction cups on arrows) and she stands about 20 feet away, and is given 6 arrows. 

The idea is that she must hit the heart on her boyfriend’s back, if she loves him. Every time she misses, the boy gets a pie in the face. 

Note: Bow and arrow should be the toy store variety. You can use toy pistols with suction-cup darts, also. 

Idea from Young Life

Variation: If you don't have any really good examples of couples in your group (of you just plain want to get away from the romance part of it), you can just have a few pairs of students (one boy, one girl) compete in the same game.  The pair who is punished with the fewest number of pies gets a really great prize.

Deal or No Deal
Ask for several volunteers to come up to the front to participate in a game called DEAL OR NO DEAL, but don't tell them what it involves. Introduce each volunteer to the rest of the crowd and have them cheer for the contestants.  You can allow as many people as you'd like to be involved, but to save time and space, you should probably keep it under ten or so.
Explain to the volunteers that they can stop at anytime during the game, but they will lose out on some cool (valuable prizes...$$$). Explain that there will be three rounds, and anyone who passes the first two can go on to the third round, which will determine who the winner is.  

Round 1: The first round have everyone hold out both arms and stand on one foot for five minutes. Ask them beforehand... DEAL OR NO DEAL? If they succeed they go on to the next round. If they fail they are out! 

Round 2: The second round is tougher. Explain it to them beforehand and ask again, "DEAL OR NO DEAL?" I had them eat mushed up spam with chocolate sauce. (Make up your own "meal"). The ones who complete go onto the final round, which is the toughest. 

Round 3: Usually there are only 3 or 4 left at this point. [Have the following prepared ahead of time in a separate area of the room: a large tarp spread out with hand towels placed on top in a row (1 for each contestant). Bring out pre-frozen blocks of ice (you can make them yourself or buy them at the local grocery store) and place them under the towels (good size is 12x12x6). Have the remaining contestants remove their shoes and socks and stand barefoot on the iceblock (be sure the towels are always under their feet, so they don't get frostbite or frozen to the ice. At this point, it is who can stay on the longest. Try to bribe them off with a lesser valuable prize. Of course if they fall off, they lose. No pushing or touching among the contestants. I had three that stood on for more than 20 minutes! The winner lasted over 35 minutes. His feet and toes were almost frozen, but ok! Award the winner(s) the cool prize(s)... (maybe a pass to a waterpark, amusement park or GC to a music store).

Variation: Use your hands instead!

Added by Kevin Flores

Also see Fear Factor, More (Click Here).

Diving For The Prize!
Bring 3 volunteers up front. Have a table set up in front with 3 large bowls filled with whipped cream. Tell all that each bowl is filled with whipped cream and has chocolate hidden inside. The volunteers have to find the chocolate without using their hands, and eat it. The first one to finish eating the chocolate wins. 

The twist is, instead of it being a piece of chocolate, its an olive!

Added by Becky

See Diving For Dollars (Click Here).

Drip Drip Drop
This game is played just like Duck Duck Goose, but slightly messier. Here’s what you do.

Get everyone in a circle and have one person walking around the outside of the circle. Instead of tapping someone on the head and saying “duck,” he walks around the outside of the circle POURING some sort of liquid on the person’s head and saying “drip.” When he gets to the person of his choosing, he just dumps the entire container on him/her and says, “drop.” At that point, the person who just got “dropped” on gets up and chases the “dropper.”

Everybody in this game will get sloppy, even if they never get picked to run around the circle. Warn them ahead of time.

Some really good items to use for this include:
Milk
Tomato sauce
Water
Ketchup/Mayo/Mustard

Idea by Kurt 

Duck, Duck, Goose With a Twist
Outdoor or Indoor game. Play this childhood favorite just like Duck-Duck-Goose.  Only, instead of just touching someone's head and saying "goose," you’ll crack an egg on their head. Gross, but good for the hair! 

NOTE: Either forewarn your students to wear grubby clothes, provide wet washcloths and/or towels, or have garbage bags with holes to pull over their heads.

Added by Kyle Connell

Also see Duck, Duck, Drip (Click Here).

Eat Slime Through Pantyhose
Prepare some oatmeal, warmed, not too hot. Buy two packages of pantyhoses and cut them in half so you have four individual legs.

Ask the crowd who’s hungry. Bring up 3 or 4 volunteers and inform them that they’ll be able to eat something in a moment . . . but first they have to put on their “eating apparel.” Place the pantyhose leg over their head and then put a bowl of oatmeal in front of them. Yell “Go!” No spoon, no straw, no lifting the pantyhose- just pure mess. First one to eat the bowl wins. 

Provide plenty of moist paper towels and a trash can.

Added by Dylan McDaniel

Also see Banana Barf (Click Here).

Eat That Food
Have two students add one ingredient at a time to a cracker trying to outbid each other to eat the cracker. They can pick up to 10 gross ingredients. "I can eat that cracker with sardines." "I can eat that cracker with sardines and jalapenos…."

A great "game show host" can really spice this up along with some fun sound effects from a CD. You may even do two pairs and then a championship round with different foods. Have a bucket or a bag just in case there is a surprise ending. Keep moist paper towels handy.

Added by Young Life

Also see Blend-O-Rama (Click Here) and Choice Combos (Click Here).

Egg Blow
This game is played up front with a few people while the crowd watches.

Put the inside of an egg inside a large surgical tubing. Have two students on opposite ends blow into the tubing until the egg blows onto someone's face.

Safety Note: Use an egg substitute (like Eggbeater's) to avoid bacteria or chance of salmonella. Have moist washcloths and towels handy.

Variation: Jello Blow
Just like Egg Blow, but with Jell-O. Safer and not as nasty if you get a mouthful!

Added by Theresa

See also Egg Bop (Click Here).

Egg Bop
Have at least four teams of two and have the stronger team member wear knee-high pantyhose on their head with an egg inside, held against their head--tight enough so the egg stays up.  

The member without the egg attached to his head is carried by the one with the egg (piggy back).  He carries a rolled-up newspaper or magazine.  The member with the egg runs around while his partner tries to smash other people's eggs with the newspaper, without letting their own egg get smashed.

Last team with unbroken egg wins.

Added by Jennifer

See also Egg Swing (Click Here).

Note: You can also use those soft Nerf “noodles” and just cut them in half or thirds if you don’t want to use newspaper.

Egg Roulette (Yoke's on You!)
Get 2 dozen eggs. 

Round One: (4 raw, 8 hard-boiled). Two people alternate picking an egg and smashing it on the other person’s head. You may want to choose 4 people and have two rounds and a final round.

Final Round: have 6 eggs (5 hard-boiled and 1 raw) and hold them in a bowl above their heads to pick. 

Variation: Put your finger on the raw egg and before club explain the game to all 4 contestants (because you don’t know who will be in the finals). Play the first round for real (possibly girl versus girl, guy versus guy, and battle of sexes for the final round) and in final round they pick the hard-boiled eggs 5 in a row (because you told them not to pick the one with your finger on it till last). 

Each time you are really in their faces to nail one another, when the final egg is up in the final round you are going crazy only to have the finalist smash it on your head! Make a kid a hero! 

Added by Young Life

See Egg Bop (Click Here) and Egg Swing (Click Here).

Egg Swing
See Flour Swing (Click Here), only instead of flour, use an egg. Imagine the possibilities! 

Added by Jennifer Spaeth

Also see Egg Bop (Click Here).

Egg Tic Tac Toe
Grab 9 staff or students prepared to get messy. Have the people get into a tic-tac-toe formation with plastic bags covering them as much as possible. (Use a tarp if indoors.)

* Break students into 2 teams (one team Xs and one team Os).
* Find a place where you can elevate the students way above the 9 volunteers (rooftops[careful],balconies, etc.)
* Have the teams take turns trying to hit one of the 9 with an egg and mark that square accordingly.  If the student misses, they miss their opportunity to claim a square.
* First team to get 3 in a row, wins!!

Added by Brian Esola

Also see Egg Obstacle Course (Click Here) on Sick & Twisted page.

Face Decorating
Have guys lie on their backs or sit on a chair with their head leaning back on a table and let girls decorate their faces with icing, candy sprinkles and candles. Have someone hold a big mirror so the audience can see the artwork or use a video camera linked to a big screen.  Let the crowd choose the best face.

Added by Young Life

Also see Beautiful Boys (Click Here) and Beauty Both Ways (Click Here).

Fear Factor Box
Build a plexi glass box and frame it out - put legs on it (so it looks like a spider) with a clear lid. The bottom is made so you can put your head through it. Contestants put their head in and are told to put as many bolts and nuts together in 2 min. You have a small table next to them (or a chair or simply the ground, if the box is low enough), and that is what you put the nuts and bolts on (the nuts and bolts are not in the box). However, we dump 300 roaches and 300 crickets in the box with their head. The roaches make the crickets jump all over the place. We bring this game out for our big events or the beginning of the school year.

Added by Sterling Lynn

Also see Fear Factor, More (Click Here) and Radioactive Spew (Click Here).

Fear Factor Cuisine
Fill a large bowl with your choice of sardines, pigs feet, or frog legs (purchased at most supermarkets).  We recommend a certain amount, like 10.  Place another empty container at the other side of the stage or the other end of the room.  

The student has a designated amount of time to grab a sardine (or whatever you choose to use) in their mouth, run across the room or stage and drop it into the empty container. They must transfer as many food items as possible in the amount of time given but can only transfer one at a time. 

from Fear Factor/Faith Factor on our EVENT IDEAS page (CLICK HERE)

Also see Radioactive Spew (Click Here).

Fear Factor, More
Outdoor or Indoor. More Fear Factor! Have good prizes to motivate the contestants - they'll need it! (We used gift cards from popular restaurants, hang-out spots, and movie theaters.)

Set up approx. 10 stations of contest in increasing stages of scariness or grossness.
  
Suggestions:
Free Fall: Contestant stands on raised platform and falls backwards into arms of catchers. (eeeaasssy)

Proof is in the pudding: Contestants dig sardines out of chocolate pudding with their toes.  Use time limit for elimination. (kinda gross)

Pickled-Pigs-Feet poker: Make several of each of the following playing cards: 0, 1/4, 1/2, 1, and 2 (i.e. 3 0's, 6 1/4'S, 3 1/2's, 3 1's, and 2 2's). Have the players sit around a card table and play poker.  At the end of the play, each contestant adds up the amount on his/her cards- these amounts are the number of pigs’ feet they have to eat. Those who finish theirs advance.(haarrd)

Supplies to keep in mind:
 

 

• Anything crawly (bugs, worms, etc)
   
• Stinkbait, chicken livers, raw hamburger, sardines, anchovies, vienna sausages, etc.
   
• Mud, pudding
   
• Blindfolds
   
• Vary methods of elimination, i.e. timed, achievement, etc.
   
• Have food and drinks, and towels for those who get soaked.

Added by Liz Harris

Also see Fear Factor Box (Click Here) and Radioactive Spew (Click Here).

Fish Bat (Tilapia Home Run Derby)
Choose 5 contestants to be batters. Make everyone else bunch up in a group about ten yards away from your batters. Pitch a whole  fish. The batter who hits it the farthest wins a prize. 

The guts and a lot of other gross stuff go all over the group. The person who catches the fish in the group also wins a prize. Absolutely hilarious.

Safety Note: Have hand sanitizer or a sink close by for those who touch the fish. Or, provide latex gloves which can be purchased 100/box at beauty supply stores.

Added by Justin Chapman

Fish Pass Through
Outdoor or Indoor - preferably a big group for teams of at least 10 each. 

Run a long piece of rope (like clothesline) through a dead fish. Make sure the end of the rope is pretty secure. Line up your volunteers shoulder to shoulder. Two teams facing each other. Volunteers must have t-shirts on. No spaghetti straps or long sleeves. 

Players pass the loose end of the rope and then the fish through their shirts, in one sleeve out the other. First one to make it through all shirts wins.  

Safety Note: Have hand sanitizer or a sink close by. Or, use latex gloves which can be purchased 100/box at beauty supply stores.

Added by J. Bucolo

Also see Fish Bat (Click Here).

Gold Fish Snag
This game can be played as an upfront game for big groups, or an all-play for smaller groups.

Throw about 50 gold fish into a kiddie or regular pool (If indoors, put plastic down and have towels available).

Whoever catches the most fish with their bare hands wins! For added fun, add some other bigger fish or try it in the dark! Use a tarp if indoors.

Added by Eben in South Africa

Goldfish Gauntlet, The
This upfront game works best if you choose 2-3 girls, preferably middle school aged.  Have them come up front and show them the bag/bowl of goldfish, yes, real live goldfish!  Tell them that they are about to walk through the Goldfish Gauntlet.  Fastest time wins!  

On the floor, down front where everyone can see, have a plastic tarp spread out.  Explain that the adult leaders are going to place the goldfish on the tarp and they must walk through it without stepping on and killing any of the goldfish.  Further explain that the difficulty factor will go up because the adult leaders are going to blindfold the contestants.  Because this is a timed event, you need to share with them that for every goldfish they kill, you are going to tack on 10 seconds to their time.  

Have an adult leader begin to take out goldfish and place them on the tarp.  At the very same time, have another adult leader begin to blindfold all three participants.  Note: IT IS CRUCIAL THAT THIS HAPPENS VERY CLOSE TOGETHER AND IN THIS ORDER, SO AS TO NOT GIVE THE GAME AWAY, NOR KILL GOLDFISH.  

As soon as you have the participants blindfolded, SILENTLY direct the crowd’s attention to the power point screen(s).  Have instructions pointing out the fact that you are playing a joke on the contestants, AND you need their help.  The pre-made screens will prompt them with phrases and directions like, “Whole crowd GASP!”  “Oh my gosh!!”  “Eeeewwwww!”  “Ooooohhhhh!!  Ahhhhhhh!!”  Etc.  

While the crowd is being given instructions, adult leaders are placing the live goldfish back in the bowl and replacing them with LOTS of canned mandarin oranges.  

Have the first contestant step up to the start of the gauntlet.  On your command, the participant begins to walk the gauntlet.  Have music playing on the sound system.  Have the crowd really hamming it up based on your slides.  But most importantly, have adult leaders tossing/throwing mandarin oranges at the participants’ feet, simulating jumping goldfish.  This is so much fun to watch.  

A Few Notes:

1. You may want to give the goldfish away at the end of the game.  Ask parents first!
   
    
2. Adult leaders REALLY make or break this game!  You may even want to rehearse the timing and roles of this game to ensure that it comes off hilariously.  
   
    
3. This game should not end until someone is crying!  Just kidding!!

Grab Bag Scarf
This can be a relay, but I play it as an up front game involving 6-8 people.  Great game for a guys against girls night. 

Put together 2 bags of miscellaneous food items. They must have the same amount of items in each bag. Some items could be: package of unsweetened Kool Aid, a candy bar, soda, a can of sardines, a dill pickle, an onion slice, a clove of garlic, etc. Each bag should have 12-15 items in it. The object of the game is that the first team to eat the entire contents of the bag wins! 

Note: Some kids might vomit after a game like this so give them the bag.

Items needed: 2 bags, lots of food items.

Grape Juice Contest
Put 3 pounds of grapes in each of two coolers with plastic underneath. Let two students crush the grapes with their bare feet for two minutes. See who makes the most juice. 

For a tie-breaker, have them drink the juice. Have a measuring cup and big glasses.

Added by Young Life

Green Oatmeal
Get 3 or 4 brave volunteers with strong stomachs who race to eat a bowl of green oatmeal the fastest.  This is best if recorded on camera and projected on the big screen.  Award a first, second and third place so all contestants keep eating til done.

When they finish have one of your staff ask, "Hey ‘Jonathan,' where do you get green oatmeal?"  You answer, "That's a good question, and show them.

Play a pre-recorded video of you and another staff member in your office, home, wherever, with a large (very large) pan or bowl of oatmeal.  Drop green food coloring in it and then dialogue about how to stir it.  "Do you have a big spoon?"  "No.  Do you?"  "No."  "Then what are we going to use?"  "HEY!  I got an idea!"

Each person in the video takes off his shoes and socks.  This is a great opportunity to show close-ups of your feet when the socks come off. (pre-dirty your feet with some grease - Pam - between each toe).  Then stick your feet in the oatmeal and start sloshing around in it to mix it up.  As the camera tilts up to your faces, both can say, "That's how you make green oatmeal!"

Note: For obvious health reasons, don't use that oatmeal as the oatmeal they eat! The look on their faces and reaction from the audience is priceless.
  
Thanks to Rux down in Southern CA for this idea!

Gross Domestic Product
This takes quite a bit of setup and some baking skills.  Create six desserts: one real, five gross. The key is to make each dessert LOOK appetizing.  We made a ketchup smoothie ("berry milkshake"), whipped mayo and strawberries ("strawberries and cream"), avocado pie ("key lime pie"), cookies with LOTS of salt and pepper with sour cream in the middle ("cookie sandwiches"), whipped mayo with sprinkles ("vanilla pudding"), and our real dessert was brownies with Twix in them ("chunky brownies").  

The students must choose only ONE to eat by smelling and looking ONLY. They cannot touch the stuff or talk about their choices. Once everyone has reached a decision, they must eat a handful/spoonful and see if they were right.

The Point: There are many choices of how to live your life and what gods to follow, but only one is real: Jesus. We also taught that you don't have to taste everything under the sun to know when you have the real answer...the kid who picked the brownies KNOWS he's right without tasting the other gross stuff.

Added by Dustin Perkins

Gummy Worms/Chocolate Pudding
3 or 4  students each have a pan with chocolate pudding or Reddi Whip and 15 gummy worms mixed in. Have them go face first into the chocolate pudding and pick the gummy worms out with their teeth and drop them on a plate. First one to get all 15 or the person who gets the most in a designated amount of time is the winner. 

Added by Susie

Variation: Make huge bowls of chocolate pudding and put regular gummy worms and sour gummy worms in the bowls.  Tell the students that there are some “special worms” in the buckets and they will know when they get those special worms. (The kids think they are real worms; when they ask if they’re real, don't answer them!)  They get 1 point for every gummy worm they find and 5 points for every “special” (sour) worm they find.
  
Variation added by Angela Nuckles

Also see Bobbing For Worms (Click Here) and Worm Fest (Click Here).

Happy Shake
File this in the "fun with a blender" category! 

Go to McDonalds and pick up 3 Happy Meals (the manager may even donate them if he appreciates youth work).  Pre-pick 3 willing contestants and bring them up front.  (Make sure you follow "Jonathan's Seven Sins of Game Leading" tips here- especially #2- being prepared and #7- making sure the entire crowd can see clearly.)

Blend the Happy Meals together (burger, fries and drink) in front of them. Then, fill up equal CLEAR cups for each person. The rest is a race to see who can drink their "happy shake" the fastest. 

You might want one or two trash cans near the front for participants who don't like the shakes.

Also see Blend-O-Rama (Click Here) and Gross Domestic Product (Click Here).

Hawaiian Punch
Choose 3 two-person teams. Each team is given a bag of fruit, a clear drinking cup that has a line drawn across it to indicate a minimum amount of juice to be squeezed into the cup, and a chair. 

The object of the game is to squeeze enough juice from the fruit into the cup to reach the line and for one team member to drink it. The gross out factor is that the only way that fruit can be squeezed is either in the armpit, the back of the knee or with the feet. 

One person sits in the chair and does the squeezing (with the help of the drinker) while the other team member catches the juice. Once predetermined level is reached, the drinker has to run up front and drink it. 

Award either dumb or good prizes (like a can of bean dip, an old soccer trophy, or a cd or devo from your local Christian bookstore). 

Tips:
Cut the fruit in half before the teams get it because it juices easier. Grapefruits are good because they have tons of juice, so are tomatoes because they are gross and have a ton of juice. Plastic cups are safest to use. We used tape on the cup to indicate the level of juice. Be sure and keep the level low enough and use tons of fruit because each piece yields very little juice.

Added by Chris Chamberlain

Head Paint
Bring three guys with really short hair up front. Have them dip their heads in tins filled with chocolate sauce. Others hold large pieces of cardboard for them to draw or write on. Write words. Draw pictures. Use your imagination.  You can have the crowd guess what the pictures are, vote on whoever drew the best picture, or turn it into a game of Win, Lose, or Draw.

Variation: Use bare feet (standing, sitting, or lying down).

Idea from Young Life

Hot Potato With a Twist
You need spoons or forks for everyone participating, something gross to eat (baby food, Vienna sausages in a can or something that can be easily passed, yet not gladly eaten).

The concept is the same as Hot Potato. When the high energy music starts you pass your object. When the music stops the person(s) with the object(s) must take a spoon/fork full. 

Try to have them do this as quickly as possible, so you don’t loose the momentum of the game. Start the music back up and go again. The amount of objects you have circulating should correspond with the amount of participants (i.e. 50 - 100 teens to 5 - 10 bottles of baby food circulating). Participants should be either sitting on the floor or in chairs in a circle. Have paper towels on hand for messes. 

Added by B

Also see Hot Potato and Oven Mitt Pass (Click Here).

Human Sundae
Choose four contestants to come to the front.  The 4 people decide who's bravest amongst them. They will make their brave member into a human ice cream sundae! They'll pour ice cream, chocolate syrup, whip cream, and caramel on that person's head. 

Make sure the ice cream is slightly melted. Can also be done with two teams up-front;  whichever team's human sundae looks messier wins.

Added by Bob

Also see Cake Head (Click Here).

Ice Cream Feed
Lay plastic on the floor for this gross up-front game and set up so every one can see.

Have pairs lie down head to head and feed ice cream to the person behind them. The first team to empty their bowls wins. This gets messy only on the fed person's face…and neck…and chest. 

You may want to make sure you've got live video feed for this one, since it may be hard for the audience to see what's going on.  This can be done with a video projector, a video camera, and a really long RCA video cable.

Added by Young Life

See Ice Cream Stuff (Click Here), Human Sundae (Click Here), and Ice Cream Mayo Surprise (Click Here).

Ice Cream Mayo Surprise
Ahead of time buy cheap vanilla ice cream and a jar of cheap Mayonnaise.  Put the mayo in a Tupperware dish and freeze. (Mayonnaise, when frozen, looks exactly like vanilla ice cream.) 

Before the contest, scoop out some ice cream into a couple bowls and scoop some mayo into one bowl. Keep frozen until the last minute. 

Set the contest up as just a typical ice cream eating contest, hands behind their backs, etc. The look on the person who eats the frozen mayo is priceless.  The best part is when that student looks at the other contestants who are eating without any problems, so he continues anyway.  Hilarious!

Have towels & a small bucket ready.

Added by Randy

Also see Ice Cream Feed (Click Here).

Jello Twister
Best done when it’s warm outside so people can hose down after.  

Get a square of cheap plastic and attach pie tins in a 4 x 4 grid by pushing a pull clip through the bottom of both the pans and plastic.  Then spread out the clips under the plastic to hold them down.  Fill the pie tins with already-made jello right before youth group.  Be sure that you've got different colors of jello for the spinner.  Have a good spinner and kids who will go for it.  Play in bare feet! 

Suggestion: Tell the kids beforehand to bring clothes they don't mind getting stained.

Added by Young Life

Also see Slime Twister (Click Here) and Slop-stacle Course (Click Here).

Jello Belly Flop
In the winter, have a belly flop contest in a baby pool full of Jello. Lay a tarp over a big old mattress under the baby pool.

Idea by Young Life

Also see Jello Twister (Click Here).

Jello Slurp
Choose several contestants, and set a a bowl of jello in front of each of them.  You can give them each a straw, or put their hands behind their back and have them bury their face in it.  First one done is the winner.

Also see Jello Scull (Click Here) and Jellow Slurp and Spit (Click Here).

Jello Slurp and Spit
Have a huge bowl of Jello up front, 3  students, and 3 small jars.  Each student gets a straw.  The object is to see which student can get the most Jello into their personal jar by slurping it out of the mother bowl and spitting it into their jar.  Give them a certain amount of time, then compare jars to see who has the most. 

Added by Young Life

Also see Jello Slurp (Click Here).

Joust : Sick & Twisted
Just like Joust (Click Here), only played outside over a baby pool filled with gross ingredients (oatmeal, instant potatoes, etc.). You can either use buckets or a 4x4 plank of sturdy wood long enough to reach across your pool. (Prop up the ends of your plank so the pool is not crushed).  

Two contestants with Nerf joust sticks (or pool noodles) and helmets battle on the plank to knock each other off into the pool. 

Lots of preparation required and safety consciousness on this one. Make sure the board doesn’t get too slippery. You might even want gymnastic mats around the pool. 

Play near a bathroom and have towels (or a hose) handy for clean-up.

Added by Young Life

Ketchup Covered M & Ms
Place a bowl of M&Ms in front of three contestants and explain that all they have to do is eat the most in 60secs (or first one done).  Before you say, "Go," tell them you forgot one thing: the ketchup.  Pour some ketchup over the M&Ms, and even eat a couple if you've got the stomach for it.  
The contestants may not use their hands.  Have both moist and dry towels ready for clean up.

Added by Kevin Brown

Also see M & M Scarf (Click Here).

Lemonade Machine
Bring at least two volunteers up front.  Announce them as, "The Lemonade Machine".  Have them each bring up a friend from the crowd to be their partner.  Each "Lemonade Machine" sits in a chair with his or her head leaning backwards and with their mouth open.  

At "Go!", their friend proceeds to squeeze one lemon, 1 spoon of sugar and 1 cup of water into "Lemonade Machine's" mouth.  The "Lemonade Machine" stands up and jumps up and down three times and spits the contents of his or her mouth into a glass (make it a clear one for good visual).  Repeat until the glass is full.

Note: Make sure you've got enough lemons.  Students will tend to go through them rather quickly.

Added by Michael Boyd

Also see Lemonade Eating Contest (Click Here)

Lifesavers On the Face
Choose 3 guy-girl teams.  Each girl gets three rolls of lifesavers and 2 minutes to lick, stick, and arrange them on the guy’s face. 

Have the audience vote for the winning team.  You may make a lifesaver hat out of a foam circle, spray-painted to add to the decor.  You may also consider having 2 girls per guy decorate. 

Added by Young Life

Also see Attack of the Fish (Click Here) and Cheeto Face (Click Here).

Marbles In Jello
Put marbles in a roasting type pan (use a dark-colored Jello). Have paper towels handy and some plastic to protect the floor. Have 2 people for each pan of Jello. Using only 1 foot, they race to find the marbles.

Added by Young Life

Also see Frozen Marbles (Click Here).

Marshmallow Drop
Need:
 

 

• 1 bag large marshmallows
   
• chocolate syrup
   
• 2 bowls
   
• 2 chairs or step ladders

You will also need 3 students: one to hold the bowl, one to stand on the chair/ladder, one to lay down on floor. The object of the game is to see how many chocolate marshmallows can be dropped into the mouth of the person lying on the floor. The person on the chair/ladder dips a marshmallow into the chocolate and tries to drop it into the mouth of the person lying on the floor. Person on the chair can not bend over but must stay in upright position. The person on the floor should spit the marshmallow out of their mouth, to catch the next marshmallow. 

The winners are the group that catches the most marshmallows in a given amount of time. You set the time.

Added by Stan Bell

Variation: Use mustard instead of chocolate syrup.

Taken from Fear Factor/Faith Factor on our EVENT IDEAS page (CLICK HERE) 

Also see Banana Splits in the Mouth (Click Here).

Marshmallow Splat Ball
Outdoor or Indoor. Have students wear grubby clothes that can be thrown away. Divide into 4 or more teams and arm each person with a small Styrofoam plate and 4 marshmallows. 

Give each team captain (adult) a different color dipping sauce (we used Mustard, Red, & Green Catsup, and Chocolate Syrup, but you can use your imagination). Then map out the boundaries, and send each team to a corner of the playing field as a designated area to load up. Fill each plate with the splat substance. Then tell them to dip and on your signal begin throwing them at the other teams. The team with the most hits wins, but once the slime pellets start to fly no one cares.  

When they run out of marshmallows they can either pick one up from the ground, and re-dip, or run back to the supply station until the ammo runs out. When the fun was done we had a contest to see which team could pick up the most marshmallows. The prize was dumping a bottle of maple syrup over a leader's head (stolen from the 'Ten Bags of Doom'). We serve a fun God!

Added by Jon Nowlin

Also see Ten Bags of Doom! (Click Here).

Mess Mix
Get 30 cut-up pieces of paper.  Have 10 blank and on the other 20 put different types of “Mess” (examples: Pie in face, Syrup on head, etc.). Be prepared for a big mess by telling kids to wear old clothes, and be ready to hose them off after. 

Put the papers in a bucket.  Pass the bucket around and tell people to get 1 piece out.  Ask one person what their paper says.  Whatever it says, they have to do it.  Go around until everyone has been called on.  The 10 with the blank pieces win a “big prize.”  What’s the prize, you ask?  Why, its a Big Ol' Bucket of Green Pudding over their heads! 

Suggested Mess items:
2 eggs smashed on head
Choco Syrup on head
Pie in Face
Pudding on Head
Cake on Head
Shaving cream Hairdo
Ranch Dressing Hairdo
Water and Flour Slime
Wild Card (Your choice)
Mix of all the stuff in a slime form
Peanut Butter (Gets real sticky!)
Apple sauce
PB and J Sandwich on head
Coca Cola
Butter
Water
Mud
Honey
Toothpaste
Pizza Sauce
Ice Cream
Mayonnaise
Spaghetti
Syrup
Ketchup
Pancake Batter

Added by Aaron Headly

Also see Messy Message (Click Here), Messy Plexi (Click Here), and Slime Twister (Click Here).

Messy Message
This game works well if you have a laminator, buy the laminating pages, or use clear mailing tape. Print or write a phrase or scripture out on a piece of paper. Then cut it into separate words. Laminate it or figure out some way to protect the paper from the elements it will be exposed to. 

Then put the words into balloons and fill the balloons with gross things like ketchup, salad dressing, salsa, etc. The object of the game is to pop the balloon with your feet, find the words, and spell out the scripture or phrase.
  
Added by Chad (Big Daddy) Deetz

Also see Mess Mix (Click Here), Messy Plexi (Click Here), and Slime Twister (Click Here).

Messy Plexi
Prep:  Buy or get a 4'x8' sheet of plexi glass donated. 

You will need:  Oreos, Cheese in a can, Crackers

Call up two teams of two. Tell the students that they need to draw someone using the Oreos, cheese in a can, and crackers. When they finish hold up the plexi glass to show the audience and let them vote by applause. 
Then tell them the game is just starting. The team that can eat their creation the fastest wins. It's great to see tounges, lips, hair, ears and whatever press up against the glass and the audience will roar with laughter.

You will need to pressure wash the glass each time you use it.

Added by Sterling Lynn

Also see Messy Message (Click Here).

Milk The Latex Glove
2-4 students race to see who’s the best at milking rubber gloves. Dangle the gloves from the undersides of saw horses, to give the effect of milking a cow.  Make very small pin holes in the tips of the fingers of the gloves.  Have a measuring cup to see who wins and a container for each to milk into.  Play cow sound effects and country music in the background.

Added by Young Life

Also see Milk Chug (Click Here).

Mock Spelling Bee
This is designed to get you, the leader.  It begins by having someone challenge you to a spelling bee.  Four kids come up front to challenge you one at a time to a power spelling bee.  The game goes as follows: one kid at a time steps up and is given an object (for example, an egg) and your leader asks them to spell egg.  If they do it correctly, they get to put the object on you.  If incorrectly, they do not (obviously by now you will have an egg on your head).

Then it is your chance to spell and put something on them, only you are set up each time.  For example, your leader may hold up a can of coke to which you excitedly blurt out "Coke…c-o-k-e…Coke" only to have your leader tell you that is not the word.  Instead, they read the toughest ingredient on the can (phenylcarbonhydronate acid or whatever) you miss.  The next kid steps up and spells another object (oatmeal, syrup, bananas all work).  Each time you get drilled and each time you spell back you lose. 

Whoever is running the game may trick you in other ways, for example, silent "p's" or whatever. A good ender is for them to give you one that you can get right, you in disbelief stare and take a minute to try to guess the catch…then you slowly spell the easy word…on the second to last letter your leader looks at their watch, interrupts saying "whoop, your time has expired, but thanks for playing" and takes off. Your reactions, facial expressions, and acting ability will make or break this one!

Added by Young Life

Mud-O-War
This gross game is played up front or in the middle of your room with 5-10 people on each team while the crowd watches. Tug-of-War in mud or through a Jello kiddy pool . . . you name it!

Added by Naomi

Also see Tug-O-Fish (Click Here).

Musical Baby Food
Have your group sit in a circle.  If you have a small group, you only need 1 can of the worst baby food you can find.  If you have a large group, 3 or 4. 

Play upbeat music as the cans of food are being passed around, but when the music stops, whoever is holding the can of food has to take a big spoonful!  (Supply a clean spoon for each person - no double dipping, ew!)

Added by Krystle

See also Musical Food (Click Here).

Musical Chair Squat
Put enough chairs in a circle facing outward so that each person has one.  On several chairs place a wet sponge or shaving cream.  Play music!  When the music stops, the students sit.  

We have the students sitting on a sponge eliminated and more students waiting to play come in.  

Added by Theresa

See Musical Squirt Guns (Click Here).

Mustard Tanks
Each team needs 7 people.  Six of the team members will form two lines of three, the two lines facing each other.  The students will lock arms with the person in front of them, creating a sort of "bridge."  The 7th person (needs to be the smallest person in the group) will then lay across the groups’ arms and will be handed a big plastic or squeezable container of mustard. They will then move around like tanks and shoot other tanks.  

Added by Stephen Dervan

Mystery Bag
Upfront and messy, this game can last as long as you want, with as many people playing as you like. 

You need one bag per contestant, in which ahead of time you’ll put both gross and tasty food items into.

Suggestions for gross edibles: sardines, spam, peppers, dry decaffeinated coffee, etc. 

Suggestions for good edibles: marshmallows, peanuts, M&Ms, Skittles, chocolate Kisses.  

With all of the contents, cut them up into different sizes so students cannot easily figure out what it is.

With you holding the bag so that the student can’t see its contents, volunteers grab a handful of whatever is in the bag, not looking, feeling the bag, or smelling it. They can’t look at what’s in their hand (use a blindfold if you don’t trust your kids!).  Not a game for the weak!  

Added by Monty Lasseter

Also see Grab Bag Scarf on Sick & Twisted page.

Oil Ball
Get a big plastic tarp, about 20' x 25', and lay it down. Pour and smear about 5 to 6 bottles of baby oil all over the tarp. Make the outline of an oval track with about 6 cans of shaving cream. Now the goal is to "wheelbarrow" (this is when one kid stands while holding another kid's feet in the air) with the kid on the ground pushing a tennis ball with his/her head around the track twice. The first one done wins! 

This game does have a cost, but everyone who plays is covered when done and you'll see some great wipe-outs! Take pictures!  Just make sure your church has insurance *wink*

Added by Paul Butler

Also see Jello Twister (Click Here).

One-Footed, Blindfolded, Peanut Butter...
You gotta try game out!

One volunteer hops around on one foot while blindfolded, picking up at least one of each flavor of lifesaver in the area. To begin, they must dip their foot in peanut-butter, then hop around an area where three different stations of different colored lifesavers are set up. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the audience, or several dozen members, surround the chosen one, but do not touch him/her. For the first round, the audience insults and deceives the blind-folded volunteer to keep them from completing their task. For the second round, the audience encourages and helps the volunteer successfully pick up at least one of each flavor.

The Point: This was specifically designed for a class on encouragement.

Added by Jason Eppink, Jenna Eppink, Natalie Maddux

Oreos on Plexiglass
Put Oreos open-faced on separate sheets of plexiglass.  Choose 2-4 kids (as many as you have pieces of plexiglass for) and blindfold them.  They must race to smash their face up against the glass and lick off the Oreos. 

A few helpful notes: Have extra open-faced Oreos ready for when they knock them off.  It helps to have the plexiglass framed so that it does not wobble too much.  Also, be sure to keep the Oreos toward the center of the plexiglass, so that they don't lick the edges and risk cutting their tongues/mouths.  

Variation: Peanut butter on crackers works as well and may be a little stickier!

Added by Young Life

Also see Oreo Head (Click Here).

Packed Lunch
Here is a great game that we did that was perfect for the students going back to school.  Before the game remind students about how their Mamas used to pack their lunchs for them and they would never know what they would get until they opened the bag at lunch time.  Then tell them that you have packed some school lunches for them in honor of those days. 

How to Play: Split your kids into two groups and have them form two single-file lines. If you have a large group of students, you can make this an up-front game by selecting two teams of 3-5 students.  You will have as many lunch bags as you have students playing.  Each lunch bag will contain one piece of food in it.  On "go" the first student from each team grabs a lunch bag and eats its contents.  The second student must wait until the first has eaten the contents entirely (or until they get sick... use discretion to keep the game going).  This goes on until all members of one team have had a turn.  The first team to finish wins.
Note to Youth Leader: Make sure to have a garbage can close to the tables because it will get nasty fast.  The first team to eat all thier bag lunches wins!

Some bag lunch ideas that we used were:
Sardines
Pickled Onions
Snickers Candy Bars
Peanut Butter
Milk (Fomula Kind)
Hot Peppers
--Of course, possibilities are limitless, so be creative!  Just don't forget to have a couple good foods in there too!

Advice, don't put too much into the bags.  This will avoid the audience and contestants from getting bored. 

Added by Brandon Swonger

Also see Blend-O-Rama (Click Here), Eat That Food (Click Here), and Lemonade Machine (Click Here).


Pantyhose Jello Slurp
This gross game is played up front with 3-5 people while the crowd watches.  Place a drop cloth or tarp down.

Each contestant places a knee high pantyhose over their head, which is funny in its own right.  Have them kneel on the tarp.  Give each one a bowl of especially runny Jello in the most seasonal color (green around St. Patrick's Day, red for Valentine's, orange for Halloween, etc.). 

Place something seasonal in the Jello (peeled grapes for eyeballs at Halloween, Lucky Charms for St. Pat's) and give bonus points for those that can slurp seasonal items through their pantyhose. Winner gets a dumb prize.

Also, the crowd and contestants will have an added surprise when you pull the pantyhose off the contestants' heads, and it smears the Jello up their faces!

Added by Benny

Also see Jello Slurp (Click Here) and Pantyhose Stuff (Click Here).

Pass the Brains
Here's a Halloween variation of the 'Pass the Parcel' game we typically play at kid's parties in Australia. 

Scoop out a pumpkin as you would to make a jack-o-lantern. Carve out a face, but don't make the holes too big otherwise the 'brains' will fall out too quickly. (Alternatively, you could just draw a face on the pumpkin with a black marker pen.) Fill the pumpkin with cold, cooked spaghetti hiding wrapped candy in amongst the 'brains'. 

There should be one candy for each student playing.  Play fun music as the pumpkin head is passed around.  When the music stops, the student holding the head feels through its 'brains to find some candy.

See Pass the Spam (Click Here), Musical Food (Click Here), and Musical Baby Food (Click Here).

Pass the Spam
Divide students into teams (however many you want) and form a line.  Give each team a can of Spam.  Have the first person in each line open the can and place the Spam under his chin, holding it against their chest. When you say "Go" they pass it to the next person's chin. (No hands allowed, except to pick it up off the floor!).  A simple relay, but have fun adding creative twists...like "last person eats it!", etc.

Added by Purple Chris

Also see Pass the Brains (Click Here).

Pass the Worms
What you need:
3 pots of live fishing worms
one bucket

How to play:
For this nasty game you need to recruit six volunteers and have them remove their shoes and socks. Place them in pairs and have them seated. There is one live worm pot for each pair. The first person in the pair is to dunk their bare feet into the live worm pot and grab as many worms with their toes as possible. They must then spin carefully around and hold the worms up for their partner to take them.  The partner now must grab the worms with his toes and place the worms in the bucket. The first pair to complete the process is the winning pair. 

Added by Stephen Max

Also see Bobbing for Worms (Click Here).

Pickle Spitting Contest
Buy a large container of dill pickles. You can go with whole pickles, you can cut them . . . the size is up to you! Roll out  plastic on the floor! Categorize your crowd by age, grade, gender, whatever you feel like, and go to it. Anything from distance, bullseye, goal posts, target, (skies the limit) and have fun with lots of recognition. We have done this in our harvest party and had takers of all ages.

Added by Dean Bohl

Pie Eating Contest
This game is played up front with 2-4 students (who won't mind getting messy) while the crowd watches.  The students race, sitting at a table with a pie and a fork.  Say, "On your marks, get set…" then stop and take away the forks.  Repeat and add whipped cream.  The last time, have them put their hands behind their back.  Have a drop cloth and towels to clean up. Upbeat "pie-eating" music in background is a must! 

Idea from Young Life

Also see Chocolate Tower (Click Here) and Pie Roulette (Click Here).

Pie Pan Bubble Blow
Bring three people up front to sit in chairs at a table. Put three pie pans that are full of whip cream in front of them. At the bottom of each pie plate is a piece of bubble gum. The race is to see who can eat all the whip cream, find the gum and be the first person to blow a bubble. The first person done is the winner. 

They can stand or sit, but can't use their hands 

Added by Stephanie

See Pie Eating Contest (Click Here) and Gum in Flour (Click Here).

Pie Roulette
Six kids in a circle pass a pie around.  When the music stops, the kid with the pie has the choice of pieing the person on their right or himself.  If the kid pies another kid he’s out.  If he pies himself, he stays in.  If they all pie themselves add honey to the pie, or Spam, or chocolate syrup, or whatever it takes.  Use marshmallow fluff or whip cream for the pies.

Added by Young Life

See also Pie Pan Bubble Blow (Click Here).

Pin The Tail
This gross game is played up front with a few people while the crowd watches.  Announce that you're playing "Pin The Tail On the Donkey" but you forgot the tails, so students will use their finger.  Play as normal, only after a few seconds hold a jar of peanut butter in front of wherever the student puts his/her finger. 

Added by Young Life

Plead For Mercy
Bring 2 or 3 guy/girl teams up front (works great with dating couples).  Have each guy kneel in front of a girl and try to talk her out of putting a pie in his face.  Clue each girl ahead of time to let him go for a while. 

Get the audience to egg each girl on.

Also see Pie Roulette (Click Here).

Porridge Pants
This game can either be played as an up-front game or as an all-play game. Either bring 4 people up front or break your group up into even teams of 4-6. Each team nominates one volunteer. Each volunteer puts on a very large pair of overalls or pants (way too big for them). Duct tape the bottom of the pant legs to their ankles. 

The remaining group members are given a quiz. For each correct answer, nothing happens. Each incorrect answer results in the volunteers getting a bowl full of cold porridge (or oatmeal) poured down their pants. 

When all the quiz questions are finished or all the porridge is poured, have the volunteers run around an obstacle course with their squelching porridge filled pants on. You may like to include things like “star jumps” to make it even more fun.  Memories.

Added by Jono Bleakley, Cairns, Australia

Pudding Fling
This gross game is played up front with a few people while the crowd watches. Make a "Bulls Eye" hole in a large (door size) piece of cardboard or plywood (think refrigerator box). Provide sungglasses for the one who volunteers to stick their head in the "Bulls Eye" to protect their eyes. 

Have a mixing bowl full of pudding for students to spoon from. They will fling a pudding-filled spoon at their target.

Added by Elise Hawke

Radioactive Spew
This "Fear Factor" type game is played up front with a few people while the crowd watches. Set up a drinking area with black lights ahead of time. Use Tonic Water (not 7-UP. (Tonic glows in a black light!) For added Fear Factor effect, rim the glass with clam juice and garlic powder (I think we used fish oil in there somewhere too)!

Added by Brett

Also see Fear Factor Cuisine (Click Here).

Sardine Sliders
OK…this one is gross and messy! That should have gotten the Junior High pastors’ attention.

First, get a LONG (rectangle) folding table and cover it with paper or plastic. Then, put a tarp or plastic sheet under the table because it will definitely get messy! Next, put two lines of tape at both ends of the table for a Start and Finish line.

Finally, squirt every kind of condiment on the table that your heart desires. Just go to the church fridge and get the stuff that’s almost empty or out of date and use that. (Mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, chocolate syrup, maple syrup, ranch dressing, salsa, jelly, peanut butter, butter, etc.) Make sure there isn’t a clean spot on the table. 

Pick two (brave) contestants to come up front. When they get there, give each of them a sardine. The object of the game is for each of them to push the sardine from the Start line to the Finish line (on the table) using nothing but their noses! (Have plenty of sardines because they will break and blend in with all the junk on the table!)

The first one across the Finish line wins! You better give them a GREAT prize for this!

NOTE: If you really want to provide your students with a memorable moment, you might think about allowing a couple of adult leaders to do this after the students have done it. The kids won’t forget it.

Idea by Chad D.

Shaving Cream Hair-do
This gross game is played up front with a few people while the crowd watches. Have several guys come up and have each of them select a "beautician" from the audience. Give the beautician beauty supplies: shaving cream, and other items if you wish (sprinkles, chocolate syrup, etc.). Have the beautician put the shaving cream in the guy's hair and try to beautify him as much as possible.

You may want to give some hints to a few kids ahead of time in secret, such as:

Abe Lincoln look
Punk rocker spiked do
Mickey Mouse ears
Roman headgear

Background hair-doing music is a must!
Have the crowd applaud for the best job to determine the winner.

Also see Beauty Both Ways (Click Here) and Spaghetti Hair-do (Click Here).

Slime Twister
This is a MESSY twist (pun intended) on the classic board game Twister. Play this version using pea soup, blue pudding, ketchup, and mustard.

Added by Elise Hawke

Also see Messy Message & Messy Mix, both on Sick & Twisted page.

Slop-stacle Course
Let students know ahead of time that they are going to get disgusting and to bring a change of clothes!

Be creative. Make one course and time people going through or make it for two people, with two of each part of the course so it can be a race or relay. Either way, video tape for great viewing later.

EXAMPLE COURSE:
 

 

1. Have them start by jumping off something into a tub/baby pool of a couple dozen eggs. Then, dripping with egg goo, they run over a broken down cardboard box covered with French fries with ketchup on them. (Just spread out a few SuperSize fries and squirt Ketchup all over.)
   
    
2. Next, have them go through a box maze that you set up with a few refrigerator/dishwasher (large) boxes. Sprinkle in your favorite item for them to slide through (we did flour). You can have "squirters" on the sides of these boxes with bottles of syrup. Have the "squirters" squirt syrup at the people going through the box maze, just like a car wash!
   
    
3. Then have them crawl through the Tunnel O' Goo. The Tunnel O- Goo is simply a plastic bag tunnel that you make, filled with yucky stuff. Peg a large sheet of plastic - preferably black so it warms in the sun - and peg it to the ground. Get a whole lot of scraps, sauce, anything you like. This is good for camps because you collect the leftovers from the week! Then place another sheet of plastic over it all- don't peg this one down. It's kind of like a slip and slide with a lid! Have a couple people on each side holding the ends up for air flow.
   
    
4. They then proceed to a table(s) filled with party hats. Fill them up with powdered sugar or the like. They obviously put these on for the rest of the course.
   
    
5. Next will be more cardboard covered with finger paint- or something colorful for them to walk through.
   
    
6. From there they go to a plate of whipped cream to find buried gummy bears . . . without their hands- of course!
   
    
7. Last comes the "Dirty Diapers" on a table. These have 2 different types of pudding inside each diaper - Butterscotch & Chocolate. (note from Jonathan - if you ask me about this . . . I'm taking the 5th amendment!) They must lick the contents inside - top to bottom. That would end any race!

The people that watch the SLOP-STACLE course have as much fun as the people that do it (if not more)!

Also see Banana Split & Slide on Outdoor page, as well as our Events Page for other “gross” events like Jello Wrestling, Mud Bowl, Oatmeal Wrestling, and Slime Night

Snoot Shoot
This game is played up front with 3 or 4 people while the crowd watches. Give them each a certain number of Jelly Bellies; they're smaller than normal jelly beans  (Good and Plenty's or Skittles work as well). 

Place a bucket a good 5 feet away from each contestant. Contestants shoot the Jelly Bellys candies (or Cheerios) from their NOSE into the bucket. A riot to watch - and not much fun to count the candy in the bucket.

If you want to stretch the game out, and kill some time, have the contestants compete one at a time.  If you want the game to be very short, have the contestants compete all at once.  

Also see Cereal Mania on Upfront page.

Spaghetti Hair-do
This gross game is played up front with a few people while the crowd watches. Have 3 guys give 3 girls (or vice versa) a "haircut" by dumping (cooled) spaghetti on their heads. Give them scissors and a comb and let them create a hair-do. You may use a chef's uniforms and have background music (Italian, songs with “Respect” in them, etc.). 

Added by Young Life

Also see Shaving Cream Hair-do & Beauty Both Ways

Spelling Bee
This is designed to get you, the leader. You can use it as an excuse to let the kids have a good laugh at your expense, or offer it as a prize for a fundraiser (e.g., “Only those who raise $50 can challenge me to the Power Spelling Bee!”). Your reactions, facial expressions, and acting ability will make or break this one!  

Begin by having someone challenge you to a spelling bee. Four students come up front to challenge you one at a time to a power spelling bee. 

One student at a time steps up and is given an object - for example, an egg. The leader asks them to spell egg. If they do it correctly, they get to put the object on you. If incorrectly, they do not (obviously, by now you will have an egg on your head). Then it is your chance to spell and put something on them, only you are set up each time. For example, your leader may hold up a can of coke to which you excitedly blurt out "coke…c-o-k-e…coke" only to have your leader tell you that is not the word, instead, they read the toughest ingredient on the can (phenylcarbonhydronate acid or whatever) you miss. 

The next Student steps up and spells another object (oatmeal, syrup, bananas all work). Each time you get drilled and each time you spell back you lose. 

Whoever is running the game may trick you in other ways, for example, silent "p’s" whatever. A good ender is for them to give you one that you can get right, you in disbelief stare and take a minute to try to guess the catch…then you slowly spell the easy word…on the second to last letter your leader looks at their watch, interrupts saying "whoop, your time has expired, but thanks for playing" and takes off. 

Idea from Young Life

Stinky Coke Swig
This game is played up front with 8-10 people while the crowd watches. Give each a can of Coke and have them open it. Then say that you forgot that they need to take off their sock and put it over the now open can. (You will usually lose a few kids here.) Whoever drinks it the fastest wins the prize.

Added by Jenn Kernya

Tim Tam Slurp
Another game from our friends in Australia. Lisa says, “I don’t know if you have Tim Tams in America. They are a chocolate biscuit with a cream centre, then covered in chocolate. If you don’t have them, you should. Any biscuit with a cream centre and covered in chocolate should work.” In America, Hostess Ding Dongs or similar goo-filled cupcakes should work.

You also need lemon juice or something similar (if you’re in Australia, lemon cordial).

The aim of this game is to suck as much lemon cordial/flavor through the Tim Tam (or chocolate covered biscuit of your choice) as possible in the specified time.

Added by Lisa from Australia

See Jello Scull, also added by Lisa to our Sick & Twisted page.

Toast
For this game you will need 2 or more teams competing against each other. Each team has 2 people and gets a piece of toast, some butter (the little square slabs are best), and some vegemite; for those outside Australia who don’t have the wonder that is vegemite, you can use any spread.

The aim is for the first person to spread on the butter, the second person the vegemite (or other spread) - using only noses. It looks very funny. If you want to be really gross, put a third person on each team who has the job of eating the toast. The first team to finish is the winner!

Added by Lisa in Australia

Tug-O-Fish
Just like tug-o-war, but a one-on-one competition with fish. Buy a bunch of dead fish (at least 6 to 8 inches long) from the local fish market and pair people up (use everyone if your group is small, but 5-10 pairs UP FRONT if you have a large group). 

At "Go!" everyone starts tugging. The first person to let go (whose hands slip off) is out or if the fish breaks, the person with the smallest half of the fish in their hands is out. Do this until there are only 2 people left. Then break out the largest fish you could find for a finale competition.

Safety Note: Have hand sanitizer or a sink close by. Or, use latex gloves which can be purchased 100/box at beauty supply stores.

Added by Tony Douglas

Also see Mud-O-War on Sick & Twisted page.

Turkey Hunt
If you are looking for something to do with that extra turkey left over from Thanksgiving, play this game and every one of your students will have a blast! 

Buy a frozen turkey and thaw it “some.” Buy a cheap box of rubber gloves, so that every student gets a pair (just in case). Before the game, hide the turkey somewhere on the church property (inside or outside). 

To start the game, form teams of 3-5 by counting the kids off (we did NOT let them pick their own teams to keep it fair). When you say go, each team runs out of the “barn” (youth room) with their arms linked together. They must keep their arms linked during the WHOLE game, or else they are out. In other words, they are not allowed to split up. 

When a team finds the turkey, a RUBBER-GLOVED MEMBER of the team picks it up and runs back to the “barn” gobbling all the way. If another team intercepts them, that team gets the turkey and wins the prize.

Have a cool group prize for the winning team. 

NOTE: If you have a really, really big group, you may want to use several turkeys. If that is the case, you will need to tell them how many turkeys there are.

Ultimate Octopus
This game is just like Ultimate Frisbee,  but . . . you guessed it - played with an octopus.  

Purchase an octopus at your local grocery store or fish market.  Divide into two teams and play ULTIMATE FRISBEE, with the octopus. If you haven't played ULTIMATE FRISBEE, check it out on the Outdoor page. 

Divide into two teams, each trying to get to the opposite end zone. One team kicks (throws actually) off and the other team receives. When a player catches the octopus they can take only 3 steps then they must throw it. Team work their way down the field, passing to each other until a team scores. If the team hits the ground it's the other team's ball (octopus actually). If a defensive player knocks the octopus to the ground possession switches as well. Defensive players must give any person already holding an octopus at least 3 feet clearance.

Send everyone to wash their hands or have hand sanitizer on hand right afterward!

See Ultimate Frisbee & Ultimate Wet Soccer, both on Outdoor page.

Un-Banana
This gross game is played up front with two people while the crowd watches. Give each person a banana and a bottle of 7-Up. Tell them they must eat the banana first then drink the bottle of 7-Up as fast as possible. The first one finished wins. 

Sounds easy. But watch what happens when the 7-Up mixes with the half-chewed banana. Have paper towels and bags handy.

Added by Young Life

Whiteheads
This gross game is played up front with 2-4 teams of 3 people each while the crowd watches. You’ll need one large tub of creamy peanut butter and several bags of mini-marshmallows.

One team member must smear peanut butter over their entire face. The other two team members will then throw mini-marshmallows at them. The throwers should stand 7-10 feet away and should not begin throwing until all teams are ready and the signal to start is given. After a designated time limit (3-5 minutes is best), teams must stop and have a leader count the number of marshmallows stuck to the peanut butter. The team with the most marshmallows wins.

Added by Nate Pena

See Attack of the Fish and Cheeto Face for variations of this game, boh on Upfront page.

Wild Card Musical Chairs
This game is played like the classic Musical Chairs with one exception. Rather than removing a chair each round, designate a particular chair be the "Wild Card Chair". Whoever lands in that chair has to select a card from the “Wild Card Deck” and complete the task. Tasks can include: Do the Chicken Dance, get hit with a whipped cream pie, chug a MT. Dew, do 25 push-ups, etc.

Worm Fest
This gross game is played up front with a few people while the crowd watches. Have volunteers put one hand in a pot of live fishing worms in moist dirt, while eating gummy worms from a bowl with the other hand. The first one to eat 10 gummy worms without taking their other hand out of the real worm pot is the winner.

Added by Brooke Pulling

*Also see Gummy Worms/Chocolate Pudding

Worms & Pennies
Contestants must place their hands in a bucket of live worms and find as many pennies (pre-placed) at the bottom as they can.  

from Fear Factor/Faith Factor on our EVENT IDEAS page (CLICK HERE)

Wrestling In Creamed Corn
Just how it sounds! Get a kiddie pool, fill it with can after can after can of creamed corn...and then have a wrestling match. It is now legendary at our church!

NOTE:  If you do this game inside, make sure to lay down a tarp to protect the carpet.  Also have towels ready to give to contestants.

Yoke’s On You, The: Leader vs. Student
Outdoor or indoor, this Upfront game can be used as a motivator for bringing the most friends, raising a certain amount for missions, or just for gross fun. Make sure to do it over a garbage can or a large tarp.

Bring a handful of students (ones who are  good sports) up front.

Once students are up front tell them that they’re going to have a chance to crack a raw egg over the head of any leader they choose (warn leaders before hand) with no repercussions… other than the fact that they also have a chance of being the one egged.  

You will need 6 raw eggs and 6 hard boiled eggs (or as many as you have students). Separate them and make sure you know which is which. Each student picks a leader to challenge. The MC of the game holds one of each egg in his hands (1 raw, 1 hardboiled) and lets them pick. The leader and student stand face to face and, on the count of three, smack the egg on its side on the forehead of the other person. 

For a fun ending have two leaders or two married leaders go for it but, without them knowing, give them both raw eggs.

Also a great game at a retreat or early in the year as students are trying to get to know their leaders. Have fun and get cracking!

SAFETY NOTE: As with any game involving raw eggs, meat, or fish, sent participants to wash their hands right away! Provide towels for yoked up hair.

Added by Mark Janzen