Funny Sport: Rules & Games

Improvisational Drama Competition for Youth Groups

Based upon the popular “Comedy Sportz” improvisational competitions –
Sort of the “home version” for non-professionals.

Adapted by Glen Dawursk, Jr., 10/10/96 – www.yuthguy.com

 

 

·       With the popularity of “Whose Line is it Anyway?” and “Ask Rene,” Funny Sport can turn a youth group meeting, lock-in or retreat into an improvisational  “laugh-fest.”

 

·       The downloadable Funny Sport power point presentation helps to give this an even more “game show” look with round sound effects and the Star Spangled Banner at the beginning.

 

Rules:

 

1.  Each group will pick 2 of their most outgoing people to compete in the Funny Sports competition.  One member will be on each team.  The winning team members will get to make the “Pudgy Pies” first.

 

2.  After a flip of a coin and the singing of the national anthem, the first team will challenge the other team to one of the four two-team competitions.  Upon completion, the second team challenges the first team to a two-team competition of their choice.  Each competition is worth THREE points.

 

3.  The second round is a single-team competition chosen by the teams.  The judges will determine which team gets the FIVE points.

 

4.  The third round, each team chooses the single-team competition for the other team.  The judges determine the winner.  This round is worth SEVEN points.

 

5.  In the event of a tie, the ref can ask the audience which game(s) the teams must play.

 

6.  No vulgar or suggestive language is allowed.  If something offensive is done, the ref will call a “bagger.”  The team is dismissed from the round and must wear a paper bag over his/her head while the rest of the members continue.  If the team member refuses, the team loses that round.

 

7.  The ref can also call “WAFFELING.”  This penalty is a delay in humor and ends the team’s round.  If this happens during round one, the team loses.  If this happens during round two or more, the judges will determine the winner at the end of the round.

 

8.  The ref can also call for too many “GROANERS.”  This penalty requires the team member to ask the audience for forgiveness.

 

9.  One adult counselor should be on each team as a player coach.

 

10.  The ref will determine additional rules as are needed.  The ref and judges decisions are final.

 

                                                The Competition Options:

 

·                                                             Hand Jive (Two Team)

An initiator starts a movement.  A member of the other team must come up with a humorous dialog about the movement.  Both members must continue the conversation until the ref whistles for the initiator to go back to his/her team.  The person left must initiate a new movement.   A member from the other team must come up with a humorous dialog about the movement.  The process continues until all member of the teams finish or until the ref ends the process due to a team’s lack of humor.  The judges decide the winner.

 

·                                                             185 Anything (Two teams)

Teams line up and alternating from one team to the other, each team member recites the following line filling in the blanks.  Make it funny!!

“A ________ went into a snack bar and the waitress said we don’t serve ______________.  And the _____________ said: _________________________.”

 

·                                                             Object Freeze (Two teams)

The ref will get several objects from the audience and put them into a bag.  The teams will line up and one at a time, members from each will have their backs to the ref.  The ref will randomly take an object from the bag, drop it on the ground and say go.  The first team member to grab the object and come up with a use for the object that is totally unusual wins.

 

·                                                             What Are You Doing? (Two Teams)

The initiator from one team starts a random series of motions.  The next person in line from the other team comes up to the side of the person and says, “What Are You Doing?”  The person doing the motion then describes an absurd definition for what he/she is doing.  Then the initiator goes back to his/her team.  The new person must now do the motion that the previous person described.  The next team member on the opposite team will come up and ask the same question.  The process will continue either until someone makes a mistake or a team finishes.  The object is to make the process seamless.

 

·                                                             Story (One Team)

The ref will direct the audience in giving an emotion and occupation for each member of the team and a title for the story.  The story title must be of a book or movie or TV show that has never been seen, read or acted before.  The ref says “Chapter One of the “Title and the action begins by the ref pointing to the first person on the team.  The member must begin the story in character and emotion until the ref points at someone else.  The object is to stop precisely when the ref’s hand does up.  This will require the next person to continue at exactly the part where the story ended.  The new person must continue the story in his/her character or emotion.

 

·                                                             Forward-Reverse (One Team)

The ref can either take an occupation for each member, a theme and an object from the audience or the ref can simply choose an existing fairy tale.  The team begins acting out the story until the ref yells, “reverse.”  The team must now re-enact the entire story backwards from the point they left off.  The ref may call “reverse” again and the action will then go forward from that point.  This is a timed and judged activity.

 

·                                                             Chain Link Murder (One Team)

Three people leave the room.  The audience then chooses a murder weapon, a location, and the occupation of the murderer.  When done, the ref calls:  “First Person” and one of the three-team members is brought back.  A Fourth Person must communicate using only pantomime the murder weapon, location and the occupation of the murderer.  Neither can talk.  When the Fourth Person has finished, he/she will go back to the team and the First Person now must do the same to the Second Person.  The process continues until all three people have finished.  The ref will then ask the Third Person what the murder weapon was.  If he/she is correct, the team gets 4 points.  If not, then the Second Person is asked.  If he/she is correct, the team gets 2 points.  If not, then the First Person is asked.  If he/she is correct, the team gets 1 point.  Next, the Third Person must tell the location of the murder.  The same progression and scoring apply.  Finally, the Third Person is asked the occupation of the murderer. Points are the same.  Each Person can be timed.

 

·                                                             Hitch Hiker (One Team)

You need four chairs facing the office, two in front, and two behind like “car.”  Choose four people from your team.  A fifth person (“The Hitchhiker”) from the team sits on the driver side back seat and the driver goes back to the team.  The “hitchhiker” person creates a personality and all members of the car must take on the personality.  The ref will point when the next team member to become the hitchhiker and the process continues until all members of the team are finished or until there is a lull in the game.

 

·                                                             Instant Replay (One Team)

The audience can be asked for details or the ref can choose a fairy tale.  The group acts out the fairy tale then stops.  The ref then asks the audience to choose three different styles or personality types.  The same team must now act out the entire story but use the new style.  The judges will rate their success.

 

·                                                             Interpreter (One Team)

Two team members are to simulate an argument but speak in total gibberish.  A third member of the team stands between them and acts as the English interpreter for the audience.  Allow only one team member to speak gibberish at a time, and then have the third person interpret it.  Then the second person responds followed by the interpretation.  The game continues for a set time or until the ref calls it off due to a lack of humor.

 

·                                                             Handy Talk (One Team)

Two team members are to sit in a conversation with their hands behind their back.  Two other team members are to crouch behind them with their hands made visible to the audience around the other player.  It should look like the hidden players’ arms and hands are actually those of the player sitting.  The audience will give the two sitting team members a topic, occupations and problem to talk about.  The hidden team members will gesture according to what the sitting members are talking about.  The ref may call for a switch of members.  The game is timed or ended when the ref finds the improv no longer funny.