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hsifengOK, so ages ago some of us online folks (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
harmanhay, claughter713, and a few hundred others that I don't know the LJ handles for) all participated in this wacky little piece of mayhem.
What was it?
The short answer is - never challenge Misha Collins to anything (*anything*).
Unless you want him to actually do it.
The long answer is - GISHWHES is a consciousness expanding, art inspiring, friendship inducing, world-peace producing, ten-day-long mad dash into perfection.
I shit you not.
GISHWHES (which stands for the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt The World Has Ever Known) is/was the brainchild of Misha Collins (actor, baker, candlestick maker) and his sidekick Jean Louis. The plan was to use Collin's well known sway over his online fandom (known as his Minions) to utterly smash the Guinness World Record for largest internet organized scavenger hunt held across multiple continents.
The prior record was for around 120 teams participating in a hunt in Singapore.
To say we beat them bloody would be an understatement.
The final totals for the GISHWHES hunt included more than 600 teams, of 10 people each. To qualify as a team, your group had to 'find' and submit at least 5 items from a list of 219 choices. These choices includes pictures, videos and web based projects.
Each item is beautiful and ridiculous in it's own way. Also beautiful and ridiculous were the list of rules that all participants were expected to follow during the course of the hunt. These ranged from not shaving your legs for the duration of the event to matters concerning 'creative interpretation' of items and the possible consequences thereof (they also include my favorite rule - NO WHINING).
Despite our best efforts, the Holy Trinity Of LJ Costume Freaks (that would be myself,claughter713harmanhay) got split up early on. While ![[info]](https://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=90.5)
claughter713 and I managed to cling to the same bit of internet driftwood through the registrations process, the general hi-jinks of the Minion Nation set harmanhay and the lovely D adrift.
*shakes fist in mock frustration at Minions everywhere*
Even so, we all forged ahead.claughter713 and I quickly discovered that the eight other folks we'd been teamed with were...in a word...AWESOME. Not just inspired and creative and driven - but supportive and encouraging and nice (right down to the very core of the word).
Over the course of ten days we drove ourselves harshly to finish as many items from the list as possible. See, the team winners of this little game got an all expense paid trip to Rome to have dinner together (and meet some guy named Misha ) and I have to say that our team ("Team High-Five Seven One /Top Gun style double high-five here) wanted that trip something fierce; not to see some TV star or because we all had some burning desire to visit Rome (although it would be cool!) but because we all realized pretty quickly that we had stumbled into a corner of the universe with nine of the coolest folks we'd ever meet were hanging out.
Seriously.
So, what did we accomplish over 10 days? Not as much as the winners did (*sigh*), but more than enough to have us all grinning like fools and promising (with actual follow through!) to keep in touch with each other for the long haul.
Oh, and we made some art too...here's a sample:
#50 - Wear 50 pairs of socks at the same time. (29 points)
#62 - A woman wearing a dress (and only the dress) made entirely from bacon. (43 points) (Yes, that is me. No, you may not place this picture in your wallet and claim it is some girl you met in Belgium who was, "Totally into you!")
#14 - A laptop made entirely of felt. Image must show the screen and keyboard. (21 points)
#24 - A world-renowned landmark recreated entirely of gummy bears. (31 points)
#107 - An accurate watercolor painting of the future. With the phrase, "GISHWHES is everywhere" painted somewhere on it. (24 points)
#83 - A person holding up a sign that says, "DOWN WITH GISHWHES! GISHWHES IS THE 1%!" at an Occupy Wall Street encampment or any Occupy encampment or rally. (31 points)
#12 - Ballroom dance with a partner in formal wear in a port-a-john. (15 points) (PS: thanks for the modelingbedpimp!)
#91 - Carve a scale model of the Uragh Stone Circle from potatoes. (17 points)
#147 - Show true love. (44 points)
And some of the videos:
Needless to say, I can't wait for next years event! :D
harmanhay, claughter713, and a few hundred others that I don't know the LJ handles for) all participated in this wacky little piece of mayhem. What was it?
The short answer is - never challenge Misha Collins to anything (*anything*).
Unless you want him to actually do it.
The long answer is - GISHWHES is a consciousness expanding, art inspiring, friendship inducing, world-peace producing, ten-day-long mad dash into perfection.
I shit you not.
GISHWHES (which stands for the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt The World Has Ever Known) is/was the brainchild of Misha Collins (actor, baker, candlestick maker) and his sidekick Jean Louis. The plan was to use Collin's well known sway over his online fandom (known as his Minions) to utterly smash the Guinness World Record for largest internet organized scavenger hunt held across multiple continents.
The prior record was for around 120 teams participating in a hunt in Singapore.
To say we beat them bloody would be an understatement.
The final totals for the GISHWHES hunt included more than 600 teams, of 10 people each. To qualify as a team, your group had to 'find' and submit at least 5 items from a list of 219 choices. These choices includes pictures, videos and web based projects.
Each item is beautiful and ridiculous in it's own way. Also beautiful and ridiculous were the list of rules that all participants were expected to follow during the course of the hunt. These ranged from not shaving your legs for the duration of the event to matters concerning 'creative interpretation' of items and the possible consequences thereof (they also include my favorite rule - NO WHINING).
Despite our best efforts, the Holy Trinity Of LJ Costume Freaks (that would be myself,
claughter713harmanhay) got split up early on. While claughter713 and I managed to cling to the same bit of internet driftwood through the registrations process, the general hi-jinks of the Minion Nation set harmanhay and the lovely D adrift. *shakes fist in mock frustration at Minions everywhere*
Even so, we all forged ahead.
claughter713 and I quickly discovered that the eight other folks we'd been teamed with were...in a word...AWESOME. Not just inspired and creative and driven - but supportive and encouraging and nice (right down to the very core of the word). Over the course of ten days we drove ourselves harshly to finish as many items from the list as possible. See, the team winners of this little game got an all expense paid trip to Rome to have dinner together (and meet some guy named Misha ) and I have to say that our team ("Team High-Five Seven One /Top Gun style double high-five here) wanted that trip something fierce; not to see some TV star or because we all had some burning desire to visit Rome (although it would be cool!) but because we all realized pretty quickly that we had stumbled into a corner of the universe with nine of the coolest folks we'd ever meet were hanging out.
Seriously.
So, what did we accomplish over 10 days? Not as much as the winners did (*sigh*), but more than enough to have us all grinning like fools and promising (with actual follow through!) to keep in touch with each other for the long haul.
Oh, and we made some art too...here's a sample:
#50 - Wear 50 pairs of socks at the same time. (29 points)
#62 - A woman wearing a dress (and only the dress) made entirely from bacon. (43 points) (Yes, that is me. No, you may not place this picture in your wallet and claim it is some girl you met in Belgium who was, "Totally into you!")
#14 - A laptop made entirely of felt. Image must show the screen and keyboard. (21 points)
#24 - A world-renowned landmark recreated entirely of gummy bears. (31 points)
#107 - An accurate watercolor painting of the future. With the phrase, "GISHWHES is everywhere" painted somewhere on it. (24 points)
#83 - A person holding up a sign that says, "DOWN WITH GISHWHES! GISHWHES IS THE 1%!" at an Occupy Wall Street encampment or any Occupy encampment or rally. (31 points)
#12 - Ballroom dance with a partner in formal wear in a port-a-john. (15 points) (PS: thanks for the modeling
bedpimp!)#91 - Carve a scale model of the Uragh Stone Circle from potatoes. (17 points)
#147 - Show true love. (44 points)
And some of the videos:
#172 – A one-minute unedited speed play of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy played by 4 characters with costume changes. We must hear the line “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” And we must see the audience. (26 points)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTjVzGgHwOk
#198 – Obey a very strange, arcane law. And quickly explain what the law is. The law must be real and must apply in the geographical location in which you are obeying it. (16 points)
#165 – Raise the roof. Then, either cut a rug or cut the mustard. (17 points)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWEptLqC4fA&feature=youtu.be
Needless to say, I can't wait for next years event! :D
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-29 12:48 am (UTC)And then probably wet themselves thinking about all you crazy people actually doing stuff on the list.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-29 03:24 am (UTC)I can say this because I have been randomly jotting down item ideas ever since the event ended. Things like, "Come up with a believable exorcism (in Latin). Must not be any current or known exorcism. Must reference the Muppets at least once." and "Photographic proof of a piece of your art hanging in a gallery. It cannot be a gallery where you currently have a show on display."
*evil grin*
I can only hope that the GISHWHES team does a call for suggestions for this coming years hunt. I am going to Rock Their World.
And honestly, coming up with these items was a total blast for Team 571 as well: I mean, I was trolling around Berkeley at 8:00 AM on a Sunday morning trying to find a spa that would let me eat ice cream in their sauna and was OK with there being photographic evidence of this fact (needless to say - SUCCESS! *grin*) Then there are the stories of people harassing their relatives into really unfortunate choices over the Thanksgiving break (when this all took place) and even a few folks in the mid-West who almost got smote by the mighty hand of the FAA when their balloon powered Christmas Tree got away from them and into air traffic lanes (that one even ended up on the news!).
*shakes head in complete bemusement* I am still not sure what the hell this thing is that Misha has wrought, but I do know it is GOOD.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-29 03:29 am (UTC)And in showing it to Rob, he says, "Everything goes better with Bacon!"
:-D
(no subject)
Date: 2012-03-29 03:39 am (UTC)*grin*
And just an FYI, if you ever decide to make a dress out of bacon? Spring for the nicer stuff. Because the cheap ass crap that reeks of fake 'hickory smoke' flavor? They pass that smell off right into/onto your skin.
It took me five showers to get that stench off. And the dog was still following me around looking curious...
*makes a face*
PS: Bacon is also cold and slimy. Two things that equal Not Hot.
*chortle*
(no subject)
Date: 2012-04-02 12:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-04-02 07:39 pm (UTC);)
(no subject)
Date: 2012-04-02 07:54 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-04-02 08:03 pm (UTC)What?!?
PS: you should make harmanhay show the photo of her in her bacon dress - she got into the Bacon Calendar and everything (no lie!)!
(no subject)
Date: 2012-04-03 08:10 pm (UTC)