So as I’m writing my next book—a memoir about church— I started reminiscing about youth group and all the crazy games we used to play, chief among them Chubby Bunny—a game in which several “volunteers” cram as many marshmallows as they can into their mouths and attempt to say “chubby bunny” without throwing up or choking to death. I asked on Twitter if you remember playing such games and this is what happened:
@rachelheldevans Guy has egg Saran wrapped on head, girl on shoulders holding dead fish, try to break all other eggs. For real. I won.
— Abby Walls (@craftyabby) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans I also remember having to eat an onion like an apple. I don't know why.
— Katie Krongard (@Katiekrongard) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans there were several injuries at a ELCA youth gathering when playing sardines and someone hid in the hotel elevator.
— daveilers (@daveilers) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans trying to eat a banana through panty hose on your head/face was classic
— Ty Walls (@tylerwalls) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans The broom game. Spin 30 times while staring up at a broom, then put it down & jump over it. Saw a kid break his front teeth
— Warwick (@WarWraith) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Folks ate as many jalapeno peppers as they could & the first person to vomit won. They fired the youth pastor a week later.
— Kelly Clinger (@kellyclinger) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans a game of "find the counsellor" at camp ended with a missing counsellor. Hid in a garbage can & passed out from heat stroke
— James Forde (@TheJimmyForde) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans I was nearly killed in a highly competitive round of Shuffle Your Buns in youth group!
— amanda ellen salmon (@mandaellen) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Contest to give away car, made students drink water. Had to keep hand on car, not pee pants. Potassium drop=hospital visit
— J.J. Peterson (@LifeDean) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans chicken fight with people on bottom having egg taped to head which people on other's shoulders attempt to crack with fish
— Beau P. (@beauspeakswell) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Jump rump of death was the best. 50 foot long, 5 inch thick jump rope. Everybody at once. Broken legs galore.
— David Fifer (@D_Fifer) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans suicide hacky sack. after 3 bounces you could grab it out of the air and throw it at someone. i remember a girl in tears.
— Brandon Harnish (@bkharnish) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Two-Buck Chuck. Students race to eat/chug something (like a whole gallon of milk), and if you don't throw up, you get $2.
— Small Wanderer (@smallwanderer) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans We had to pop balloons by hugging each other as hard as we could. Awesome game for teens with already raging hormones.
— BDunn (@bdunndunn) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans trying to see who could hold soap in their mouth longest. Ended up having to chew it. I had blisters in my mouth for a week
— mishgal (@mishgal) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans bucket brigade, indoors. Had to run from one end of room to other w/dripping wet sponge. It didn't end well
— Mommydom Chronicles (@craftychicky) December 3, 2013@Runaway_Writes @rachelheldevans Once, while playing "What would you do for a dollar?" a girl I knew swallowed a live goldfish.
— Connor Joel (@keepthemuse) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans We once had a contest to see how many people we could fit into a small tent. Painful memories.
— vanessa barnes (@NessaBelle09) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Strobe light, fog machine, glow-in-the-dark dodgeball. Poor Kyle broke his glasses in the first four seconds.
— Kristopher Yee (@kristofurkey) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans strobe light volleyball.
— thegaypk (@thegaypk) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans We took the smallest middle schoolers & duct taped them to a wall. Team whose child stayed on the wall the longest "won".
— Robert Lindsay (@lindsayr20) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans giant slip&slide.throw some bath soap/water on it. make kids run and slide through each other's legs. broken collar bone.
— amiefaith (@amiefaith) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Anglo SocksOn. Last person still wearing a sock wins. Saw people get teeth kicked out.
— Greg Adkins (@gregadkins) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans girls spitting cheetos through a paper towel roll at boys with shaving cream on their chests. winner shaved loser's armpit.
— amanda kie borchik (@borchikat) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Snipe Hunting - seniors take 6th graders into woods at night searching for rare bird. Lots of lost 6th graders.
— Thomas Vertrees (@ThomasVertrees) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Stool Game - Hold hands in a circle around a stool & try & throw others onto it. Couldn't break grip. Many, many injuries.
— Kelsey (@_Kels_ey_) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans how many rubber bands or clothespins you could put around your head or stick to your face in a minute
— Donnie Hazlewood (@Dn_4sty) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Ultimate Octopus. Resembled Ultimate Frisbee, but with a giant frozen slimy octopus instead of a frisbee.
— Kate Flynn (@GatorKater) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Bobbing for Baby Ruths in toilets filled with Mountain Dew.
— Jared Byas (@jbyas) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans our youth group also played a game called "suck and blow" where you had to pass a playing card around a circle using mouth
— Greg Adkins (@gregadkins) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans I once had to give myself the heimlich playing Chubby Bunny while leading a youth group overnight. Not my finest moment.
— Jenny Hallenbeck (@JennyHallenbeck) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Camp. 80 kids in pool. Throw in watermelon covered in Vaseline. 1st team to emerge with melon wins. It was like Thunderdome
— Troy Tatum (@TroyATatum) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Volleyball with a raw chicken is the worst one that comes to mind... but that was church camp, not youth group :-D
— ally clendineng (@redemptivehope) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans camp. hurricane game. everyone in pool walked in a big circle &created current. Game over when daycampers got sucked under
— Hillary Haden (@_Hillary_Marie_) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Acid Rain. Teams running putting balls in a trash can... While youth leaders sprayed us with fire hoses. Real fire hoses.
— Alyssa Bream (@AlyssaJoy22) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Had a game where goal was to pull off other's socks while everyone crawled on all fours. Saw a guy get his toenail tore off
— Chris Simpson (@innertextual) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans We fired bottle rockets at each other at a lock in. Nobody got hurt, but we had to stop when the cops showed up.
— Joy (@DrJoyP) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans I've seen people drink milkshakes made from happy meals.
— Rachel Byrd (@rbyrd10) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Oh! i once hid a 100+ year old organ for over 2 hours during a game of Sardines at a church retreat... no one found me :-(
— ally clendineng (@redemptivehope) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Competition w/2 jr high kids to see who could lick the church floor longest for 1/2 a Twinkie. Both got bloody tongues.
— Adam WC (@adamwc) December 3, 2013.@rachelheldevans Butter eating contest. Each contestant had a stick of butter. Lots of kids in the bathroom throwing up after.
— Nathan Guinn (@n_guinn) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans We filled our mouths with chocolate pudding, pulled pantyhose over our heads, and then tried to spit out the pudding.
— Mark Lepper (@thelepper) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans grease a watermelon, drop it off the raft, 1st team to get it to shore wins. Many injuries, near-drownings, ruined swimwear
— Natalia (@nterfa) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Marshmallow baseball with spatulas for bats, running on your knees in carpeted youth room. BLOOD EVERYWHERE
— Wes Willison (@weswillison) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans We also filled nylons with flour and beat each other with them. There may have been another point to that game...
— Stacey Gleddiesmith (@thinkingworship) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Played capture the flag in the Rocky Mountains. Ran into an elk. On foot. Surprise on both sides.
— Stacey Gleddiesmith (@thinkingworship) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans Ran through a dark church, avoiding a "monster" looking for parts to a flashight. Someone's arm went through a glass widow
— Matt Russ (@iamMattRuss) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans We played Savage Women, where all the guys would link arms/legs/whatever & we would pull them apart...anything goes.
— Lauren Webb Bristow (@lwebb9) December 3, 2013@rachelheldevans "steal the bacon" w/ Vaseline and watermelons. 3 students with concussions and 1 counselor had his nipple ring ripped out.
— Mike Brown (@Mikeyouth) December 3, 2013I received more than 200 responses. You can read through my Twitter feed for more.
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