Some people will do anything for 15 minutes of fame, and the internet makes it even easier to make a fool of yourself in the name of likes. Phenomena like the Ice Bucket Challenge are harmless and raise money for good causes, but others have proven to be incredibly dangerous. Some have resulted in disfigurement, jail, and even death for those foolish enough to perform them.

WARNING: The videos on this list contain footage that is disturbing, stupid, or dangerous. Please use discretion so young people or stupid people won’t be exposed to the content.

Top 10 Problematic Mukbangers On YouTube (And Why We Can’t Stop Watching Them)

10 The Fire Challenge

The Fire Challenge was an internet fad where people poured a flammable liquid over parts of their body and set it on fire. They were supposed to quickly put it out, but naturally, such a feat landed several children in the hospital with second and third degree burns. One 12 year old girl was engulfed in flames when the rubbing alcohol she smeared over herself got out of control (possibly due to flammable perfume she was wearing.) Aside from the grave bodily harm the “challenge” can inflict on those who attempt it, it has also landed at least one woman in jail for contributing to the delinquency of a minor when she helped her son film his own Fire Challenge.^[1]

9 The Condom-snorting Challenge

The Condom-snorting challenge is exactly what it sounds like—snorting an extended condom through your nose. The idea is that it will come out of the back of the nasal cavity, where it can then be pulled out of the mouth. Youtubers have been doing this for laughs, but it is actually very dangerous. The nasal cavity is sensitive, and you can do long term damage both with the condom and the chemical lubricants it might have on it. More importantly, since you are snorting a long piece of stretchy plastic into your airway, it can easily keep going past your nasal cavity into your lungs. This has happened during at least one condom-snorting challenge, which resulted in the snorter having to endure surgery, and suffer through months of illness.^[2]

8 Banana Sprite Challenge

The Banana Sprite Challenge is based on the (extremely unscientific) claim that your body cannot digest bananas and Sprite at the same time. The claim, baseless as it may be, says that since your body cannot digest these two substances together, it will reject both, causing you to vomit. There are several Youtube videos (that we don’t recommend watching) of people attempting the challenge, and then vomiting everything back up.

To be clear, the vomiting is less likely caused by the indigestibility of the banana-Sprite mix, and more likely the sheer volume of food and drink the challenge requires. The challenge is to eat two bananas as quickly as you can, then chug a liter of Sprite. Eating and drinking that much so quickly could easily produce vomiting, regardless of the combination.^[3]

7 Salt and Ice Challenge

The Salt and Ice Challenge is a very dangerous internet phenomena where people (including children) have been putting salt and ice together on their bodies. Mixing salt and ice causes a chemical reaction that induces frostbite, and the challenge involves seeing how long you can withstand keeping it on your body. The internet is brimming with pictures of second and third degree burns suffered by those who attempted the challenge.^[4]

Unfortunately, and probably because of the ease of acquiring the ingredients for the challenge, several young children have been rushed to the emergency room with severe burns on their arms after giving themselves frostbite. One child even said that he left it on for so long because it “didn’t even hurt” when they burned themselves.^[5]

6 Cinnamon Challenge

The Cinnamon Challenge is to eat a tablespoon of cinnamon in 60 seconds without drinking anything. It sounds easy, but is actually extremely hard—and dangerous, according to doctors. The problem isn’t actually eating and digesting the cinnamon itself, which is, after all, a common spice. The problem is that trying to eat that much cinnamon will trigger the gag reflex, which causes you to inadvertently inhale cinnamon dust.

Cinnamon dust can be extremely harmful to the lungs. It is caustic, meaning that it can burn or corrode tissue. This is not a problem for your stomach, but getting a caustic compound in your lungs can be damaging. The cellulose matrix of cinnamon also cannot be metabolized, which means that getting it out of your lungs can be a nightmare. Doing the challenge once probably won’t give you “cinnamon lung,” but it can trigger an asthma attack, which can be fatal for some people.^[6]

10 Of The Most Bizarre Modern Internet Trends

5 Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge

Kylie Jenner is a reality TV star known for her plump lips. Some teens have taken to temporarily enlarging their own lips with the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge, in which they put their lips and mouths inside a container, and then suck the air out to create a vacuum. The lack of air pressure inside the container caused by the sucking causes their lips to temporarily plump, creating the short-term appearance of large lips.

Unfortunately, this not only looks ridiculous, but can be painful, damaging, and cause permanent damage. The swelling expands blood vessels and can tear the sensitive skin of the lips, and make them bleed. Some who attempted the challenge sucked for so long that stitches were needed to repair the damage to their inflated lips.^[7]

4 Hot Pepper Challenge

While hot pepper eating competitions are not uncommon, some Youtubers had their own private challenges to see if they could down some of the hottest peppers in the world. “Monkey see, monkey do” unfortunately applies to middle schoolers who wanted to test their own pepper-eating mettle during their school lunch. A middle schooler brought in a Carolina reaper pepper to school to attempt the challenge with their friends.^[8]

Eating such hot peppers straight, though, can result in vomiting, breathing problems, and other complications—which is exactly what happened to the 30 middle schoolers who tried to down them in their cafeteria. The principle had to call emergency services, just like another principle the very next day when 40 students put ghost peppers in their lunches.

In another challenge at a restaurant, one man ate a ghost pepper-topped burger and began vomiting uncontrollably. It caused Boerhaave’s syndrome, a tear in his esophagus that led to a collapsed lung. The condition is potentially fatal, and landed him in the hospital for almost a month. (We assume that he also lost the restaurant’s challenge.)^[9]

3 24 Hour Fort Challenge

The 24 Hour Fort Challenge is where someone creates a “fort” in a large store where they can hide out for 24 hours, avoiding security, and ultimately spending the night until opening. The challenge seems rather harmless to those who participate, so there are hundreds of posts on youtube from those who have accepted it. Hiding out in a store after it closes, though, is essentially trespassing. It can and has led to criminal charges being filed against individuals who have undertaken it.^[10] And while some people are potentially ruining their futures for the sparse fame of uploading a youtube video, younger children are taking the challenge and causing large-scale searches when their parents call the police to report them missing.^[11]

2 Hot Coil Challenge

Thanks to the power of the internet, anyone can create any kind of challenge they want, no matter how dangerous or dumb. A pair of Youtubers created the Hot Coil Challenge, where they turn on their stove and press their forearm over the red-hot coils to withstand the burn as long as they can. Naturally, the member of the pair that pressed his arm to hot coils gave himself 3rd degree burns, which he showed off on the expletive-ridden video.^[12]

This challenge was so absurd that it was restricted on Youtube for viewers over 18. And perhaps because of its obvious danger and consequences, the challenge has fortunately failed to gain traction among teenagers seeking to permanently disfigure themselves.^[13] Still, there are always people willing to do anything for views, and a few copycats exist.

1 Blue Whale Challenge

The most horrible of internet “challenges” was perhaps the Blue Whale Challenge. It was allegedly the brainchild of Philipp Budeikin, who pleaded guilty to creating the challenge in 2017. His challenge consisted of inciting those he called “biological waste” to ultimately commit suicide.^[14]

The “challenge” involved getting those who accepted to do 50 days of increasingly horrifying self-harming activities that culminated in suicide. It also had those who participated delete all evidence of the “Blue Whale Challenge” from their computers before commiting the final act.

Budeikin was caught after one of his participants gave up near the last stages of the challenge and told the police. He was held on charges of inciting 16 teenage girls to commit suicide, and ultimately found guilty on two counts. Unfortunately, he is believed to be only one of many administrators of the challenge. Due to the challenge’s nature, it is difficult to verify exactly how much of it is actually taking place and how much of it is just an internet rumor. But at least two american teenage suicides are suspected of being linked to it.^[15]

Top 10 Shocking Things Your Child Sees On Youtube

About The Author: Mike has a lot more time to write lists recently.

Some wars seem important and inevitable. Like World War II or the American Civil War. Others, not so much. Turns out, humans just love to fight. And we’ll use almost anything as an excuse to do it. From wooden buckets to stray dogs, and even one centuries long war that everyone forgot they were supposed to be fighting, these are just a few of the silliest, most face-palmingly dumb wars ever fought. May we immediately forget. 

10. Emu War (1932)

The term “war” often conjures up images of intense battles, strategic planning, and significant outcomes. But when it comes to the Emu War, the stakes were… a bit different. Taking place in Australia in 1932, this conflict pitted humans against, of all things, flightless birds.

After World War I, many Australian veterans were given land by the government to take up farming. By 1932, these farmers had a problem on their hands: around 20,000 emus, large native birds of Australia, began migrating inland from coastal areas, trampling fences and ravaging the newly cultivated lands in the process. To combat this feathery menace, the government dispatched soldiers equipped with two Lewis machine guns and 10,000 rounds of ammunition. What could go wrong?

Well, as it turned out, a lot. The emus confounded the soldiers by running in erratic patterns, making them tough to hit. In one “battle,” only a dozen birds were killed out of a thousand, and the machine guns jammed. After several attempts, the soldiers admitted defeat in the Emu War. It’s yet more proof that people only live in Australia because the wildlife permits it. 

9. War of the Oaken Bucket (1325-1328)

Wars have been fought for a multitude of reasons – land, power, honor, or sometimes, just a simple wooden bucket. Enter the War of the Oaken Bucket, which was not an SNL skit but exactly what it sounds like: a war fought over a bucket between the rival Italian city-states of Modena and Bologna.

Let us explain. The tensions between the two cities had been simmering for years due to political and territorial disputes. However, the straw that broke the camel’s back was an audacious act by Modenese soldiers. During a raid on Bologna, instead of going for something valuable or strategic, they brazenly stole an oaken bucket from a city well. This seemingly trivial theft was taken as a grave insult by the Bolognese, who demanded the bucket’s return. When Modena refused, the situation escalated to a full-scale battle, known as the Battle of Zappolino. The Modenese emerged victorious and, adding insult to injury, kept the bucket as a war trophy. To this day, the infamous oaken bucket is displayed in Modena, a reminder of one of history’s stupidest conflicts. And that’s saying a lot. 

8. War of Jenkins’ Ear (1739-1748)

Now, while the name might sound like a quirky tale from a children’s book, the War of Jenkins’ Ear was a deadly serious conflict between Britain and Spain during the 18th century. The strange name derives from the incident that became the catalyst for tensions that had been building between the two naval powers.

In 1731, Captain Robert Jenkins, a British merchant seaman, claimed that while his ship was boarded by Spanish coastguards, they had severed one of his ears, warning that the same would happen to King George II. This story might have remained a sailor’s tale, but it gained political traction in 1738 when Jenkins reportedly displayed his preserved, severed ear to the British Parliament, fueling the fires of anti-Spanish sentiments. Although there were deeper issues at play, such as trading rights in the Caribbean and territorial ambitions, this ear-centric incident played a significant role in rallying public and parliamentary opinion against Spain. By 1739, the nations were at war. 

7. Pastry War (1838-1839)

No, it wasn’t a food fight. This was an actual war fought between France and Mexico, and it all started with a disgruntled French pastry chef named Remontel.

In the early 1830s, Remontel’s shop in Tacubaya (now part of Mexico City) was looted by Mexican officers. Outraged by the damages which amounted to 60,000 pesos and unable to get compensation from the Mexican government, Remontel took his grievances all the way to King Louis-Philippe of France. The pastry chef’s complaints coincided with broader concerns the French had over Mexican debts and unpaid reparations following the Mexican War of Independence.

Seizing on the pastry incident as the last straw, France decided to take action. In 1838, French forces blockaded Mexico’s eastern seaboard, aiming to force a resolution. This military pressure led to skirmishes, including a significant naval battle at Veracruz.

The conflict came to a close in early 1839 when British diplomat Sir Charles Elliot mediated between the two nations. Mexico agreed to repay the 600,000 pesos debt, including Remontel’s pastry-related damages. The Pastry War serves as a deliciously odd reminder of how seemingly trivial incidents can escalate in the context of larger international tensions.

6. Toledo War (1835-1836)

If two states are going to fight over who gets possession of a city, you’d think it’d be something like Chicago or New York. Not freaking Toledo, Ohio. And yet, there was the Toledo War. The “war” was “fought” from 1835-1836 between Ohio and Michigan, over which state got to control the 468-square-mile Toledo Strip. Both states claimed the area as their own, citing conflicting surveys and interpretations of old territorial laws, and hoping to capitalize on its potential as a rising trade hub due to the Erie Canal.

Both sides mustered militias and rattled sabers. Thankfully, though, nobody was killed. This border spat escalated to the federal level and was eventually settled without a battle. In 1836, as a condition for its statehood, Michigan was “persuaded” to cede the Toledo Strip to Ohio. In return, Michigan was granted the western portion of the Upper Peninsula, an area rich in timber and minerals. At the time, many Michiganders felt shortchanged, but in the long run, the vast resources of the Upper Peninsula proved to be a boon for the state. 

5. The Soccer War (1969)

Everyone knows Latin America takes soccer very seriously. But Honduras and El Salvador went a little overboard in 1969. To be fair, while the Soccer War is nicknamed after the sport, attributing the war solely to soccer is an oversimplification. The matches were more the spark than the sole cause. Still, they played an embarrassingly large role. 

Both countries had longstanding tensions over land and immigration issues. By the 1960s, many Salvadorans had migrated to Honduras in search of better opportunities. However, these migrants often faced discrimination and hostility. Matters came to a head in June 1969 during a three-game soccer series between the two countries as part of the World Cup qualifiers. Each game was accompanied by violent incidents and media-fueled nationalistic fervor.

After the final game, diplomatic relations were severed, and by July 14, military conflict had erupted. Over the next four days, the Salvadoran air force launched attacks on targets in Honduras, while the Honduran air force retaliated. Both nations suffered, with thousands killed and even more displaced. Fortunately, a ceasefire went into effect before things got nastier. 

4. The Pig War (1859)

As its name suggests, the Pig War of 1859, which nearly triggered a third conflict between the United States and Great Britain, was all over a single hungry pig. 

Both sides laid claim to San Juan Island, located between the mainland United States and Vancouver Island. Simmering tensions boiled over when an American settler named Lyman Cutlar shot and killed a pig, which belonged to the British Hudson’s Bay Company, for repeatedly raiding his garden.

This incident escalated rapidly. The British threatened to arrest Cutlar. The Americans called in the military. Before anyone could catch their breath, the island was garrisoned with US and British soldiers. 

For months, the two sides engaged in a tense standoff, with warships anchored menacingly nearby. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed. Negotiations ensued, and a deal was struck to maintain a joint military occupation of the island until a final agreement could be reached. That agreement came 12 years later in 1871, when the Treaty of Washington awarded San Juan Island to the US. Remarkably, the only casualty in the whole affair was the pig itself.

3. War of the Stray Dog (1925)

Borders have always been a source of tension, but rarely have they been as explosively touchy as the Greco-Bulgarian border in 1925. The bizarre conflict that ensued was known as the War of the Stray Dog. 

It all began when a Greek border guard soldier reportedly crossed into Bulgaria while chasing after his runaway dog. Bulgarian border guards, perhaps mistaking his intentions, shot and killed him. This incident, set against a backdrop of existing tensions between the two countries, quickly escalated.

Greece, angered by the death of their soldier, demanded an apology from Bulgaria and also sought compensation for the incident. When Bulgaria didn’t immediately comply, Greece took a more aggressive stance and invaded, capturing the town of Petrich and its surrounding areas. In a matter of days, skirmishes broke out, leading to the deaths of several dozen people.

Before the situation could further deteriorate, the League of Nations (the precursor to the United Nations) stepped in. The League mandated a ceasefire, called for Greece to withdraw from the occupied areas, and ordered Greece to pay compensation to Bulgaria for the damages. Both nations agreed to these terms, and the potential for a full-scale war was averted.

2. Three Hundred and Thirty-Five Years’ War (1651-1986)

When you think of “war,” you imagine battles, strategy, and casualties. Yet, the Three Hundred and Thirty-Five Years’ War stands out for a completely different reason—there was not a single shot fired, and no casualties reported whatsoever. 

Here’s the backstory: The war allegedly began in 1651 during the English Civil War. The Isles of Scilly, located off the southwest coast of England, were occupied by the Royalist navy. The Dutch, having been previously attacked by this navy and being at the time allied with the Parliamentarians, declared war on the Isles.

Sounds like the precursor to a fierce conflict, right? Wrong. After the initial declaration, there’s no record of any military action, and the whole issue was seemingly forgotten by both sides. Fast forward to 1985, and historians in Scilly and the Netherlands realized that a state of war technically still existed between them, as no peace treaty had been signed.

In a move filled with goodwill and a sense of humor, the Dutch ambassador visited the Isles of Scilly in 1986 to finally sign a peace treaty and declare an end to the 335-year “war.” 

1. The War of 1812

Spanning from 1812 to 1814, The War of 1812 is one of the most senseless conflicts in history. It was characterized by laughably poor military leadership, unclear objectives. Contrary to the simplistic narratives often presented in seventh grade, the war wasn’t about “good guys” versus “bad guys.” It was far too stupid for that. 

In the early 1800s, American Republicans were fuming at Britain for trade disputes and impressing American sailors into the British Navy. But they were looking for a fight anyway, and used these issues as an excuse to try to take over British-ruled Canada. It didn’t go well. U.S. Federalists believed the real threat was Napoleonic France, not Britain. Furthermore, many Americans who had migrated to Canada, lured by the promise of free land, still held affection for their homeland and might have preferred an American victory in the war. Native populations were dragged into the war, facing internal divisions and ultimately gaining nothing but betrayal and loss at the hands of the Americans. Attempts to commemorate this war today risk distorting its messy reality, possibly turning it into a tool of nationalistic propaganda. There’s just not a lot to praise, and few figures to root for.

Since 2009, ABC’s Shark Tank has given hopeful entrepreneurs a shot at landing the venture capitalist backing of their dreams. The “sharks,” or investors, have essentially been the same throughout the show’s entire run, and to say they’ve “seen it all” is an understatement. They’ve backed products that have turned out to be wildly successful post-production, like the Scrub Daddy.

The sharks have missed opportunities to invest in products that have become successful, like the Ring Doorbell. And, of course, they’ve seen some pretty dumb products, too—like the 10 we’re about to jump into.

Here are 10 of the dumbest products on Shark Tank.

Related: 10 Inventions That People Really Regretted Inventing

10 Morninghead (Not as Exciting as It Sounds)

What is a scam? In this case, it would be a product that is entirely ordinary, more straightforward than a DIY project, and can make a lot of money off unsuspecting consumers. It’s essentially a dumb idea with good marketing behind it.

Morninghead is that perfect scam. It was developed as a solution for people who wake up with bedhead but who are too lazy to take a shower and wash their hair. It doesn’t use dry shampoo; it isn’t a special brush or comb. It is a shower cap that you pour water into.

After pouring water into the shower cap, you put the shower cap on your head and agitate it with your hands. Miraculously, your hair is damp when you take the shower cap off! Not clean, just damp. This anytime, anywhere bedhead antidote not only incited laughter from the sharks but also left the entrepreneur empty-handed.

If only Morninghead was more promising than it sounds.

9Sticky Note Holder

The demand in homes and traditional offices for organizational tools will always be around, and some manufacturer or entrepreneur will be there to answer the call.

The problem is that computer technology has virtually eliminated the need for sticky notes, so looking at this particular presentation is a bit painful. It’s not so much that the entrepreneur’s product is dumb—she just had a stupid idea for a pitch. (Okay, and the product itself is a little dumb.)

Mary Ellen Simonsen created a “sticky pad” for sticky notes that attaches to the side of the computer monitor. She showed how it worked by sticking what looks like a cardboard pad to the side of a home laptop screen; not a very good showcase. She asked for a million-dollar investment and claimed that each holder would sell for $9.50. When asked by the sharks how she knew that people would pay this price for it, she replied, “I conducted surveys.”

Additionally, after revealing that she doesn’t have a patent for the product, one shark, Daymond John, summed up the problem with Mary Ellen’s product perfectly: “I wouldn’t waste your money or time on the patent. I think no sales, a useless idea–I’m totally out.”

8Licki Brush

This product is pretty dumb, but it’s also pretty genius. If it weren’t for the fact that these guys were serious about making money off of it, we could call them the biggest trolls of the pet grooming industry ever.

The entrepreneurial duo’s company, PDX Pet Design, is all for grooming your cat. Tara, the company’s co-founder, begins the sales pitch with some anecdotal claims about how cats may view humans as big cats—not a different species. Tara then presents the problem her product solves, “So why should you be left out of their intimate bonding ritual?”

Red flag right there.

Tara’s husband and the other half of the company, Jason, brings out a cat. Tara brings out a big, silicone-spikey tongue. This isn’t a setup for The Aristocrats. Okay, so what’s this weird tongue lookin’ thing doing near this cat? Oh no, you mean to tell me… “You’re not going to put that in your mouth, are you?” Oh, yes. Tara puts the tongue brush in her mouth and then licks the cat “just like a momma cat licks her young.”

The reaction from the sharks is priceless. Tara reassures them that she is not joking; this is a serious product. And guess what, you can still buy them today!

7No Fly Cone

One entrepreneur named Bruce, driven by the fact that flies haunt his office (his barn), presented to the sharks the No Fly Cone, a cone-shaped fly trap that you place over a dog poop scooper. In an attempt to boost the product’s viability, Seth MacFarlane comes walking out and acts as a “spokesperson” for the product. (Seth takes horseback riding lessons from Bruce.) Unfortunately, Seth doesn’t live in a barn, nor does he have a dog. Flies aren’t an issue for him.

So is the product dumb for the majority of people? Yeah, kind of, seeing as the pitch states that you need to have residual dog poop for this to work properly. But, if you, too, worked in a barn and wanted to round up some flies, this could be the perfect thing for you!

6Fish FrenZ

Let’s see what Shark Tank Australia is doing! Lourens Badenhorst, that’s what.

Lourens backed himself into a corner with his pitch. His invention could have potentially served fishers well; it’s a container that releases bait as it floats in the water current. But he really took the product’s usefulness out of the spotlight when he decided to drop the “it’s good for women” marketing trick.

As a fishing tool to give women the “competitive edge” in fishing, the product is pretty dumb. Janine and Naomi, the two women serving as sharks on the show, ask him repeatedly why the product is good for women. Even the rest of the sharks want to know, “Is this only for female fisherpeople or male fisherpeople?” Lourens says, “no,” and repeats that the percentage of women fisherpeople are looking for the edge. Then when Janine asks if men want the edge, Lourens says no, because men know everything about fishing, which implies that women do not.

That aside, Lourens hasn’t sold any of his Fish Frenz bait release containers, and his pitch sucked. He left without a backer. Guess you don’t know how to hook a shark; why don’t you go home and feed your goldfish, Lourens?

5UroClub

Guys, have you ever been on the golf course and really needed to pee? Well, don’t worry if there are no trees or bushes in sight because this guy has got a whole new solution to your urination problems. It’s the UroClub!

The UroClub is designed to look like a seven iron, but it is a pee receptacle. Attach the privacy towel to the front, open the UroClub near the handle, put your bro in the hole and let it fly. The design isn’t half bad, and the idea behind it is well-meaning and good, but it’s not very practical. Obviously, you’re not golfing under that privacy towel, and because we need to look at the lead and audience potential for the product, it’s not a unisex solution.

For that, it ends up on the dumb list.

4BareEASE

I wish I didn’t have to put a woman on this list after that Lourens pitch, but I don’t like this product. The entrepreneurial mind behind it is Dr. Edna Ma, an anesthesiologist. BareEASE is a numbing kit that people use in preparation for bikini waxing. The user puts on a pair of BareEASE underwear (complete with the numbing cream) about an hour before the bikini area grooming appointment happens, whether it’s laser or wax.

The sharks had mixed feelings about the product and ultimately turned Dr. Ma away, citing not enough sales, too much competition, etc.

But I don’t have mixed feelings about it. I wouldn’t want to wear underwear that numbs my naughty bits, not for a bikini wax. Then again, I have zero interest in getting a bikini wax.

3 I Want to Draw a Cat For You

Someone hand me BareEASE to numb the pain I have in my head – because I don’t understand how the I Want to Draw a Cat for You guy is making money off of this, and I’m still struggling to pay the rent with my 9-5 job.

Steve is a quirky entrepreneur with an idea that doesn’t make any sense—and yet it works. People send him specifications for a custom-drawn cat, and Steve draws it and sends it back. That’s the entire concept. These aren’t even fine art cats—these are like NFT garbage cats. Ironically, they’re cool? But to hell with what I think, because prior to going on Shark Tank, Steve landed a Black Friday deal with Groupon, and he makes legitimate money off of this (not a lot, but enough).

Mark Cuban gave him $25,000 for 33% ownership in the company and promised to help draw a cat for every 1,000 cat drawings.

It’s a dumb idea. But it’s a bloody brilliant business plan.

2 Kook’n Kap

*sigh* The Kook’n Kap.

Don’t you hate it when your hair smells like what you’ve just cooked? Founders Juli Deveau and Ozma Khan sure do. They presented to sharks another product that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get (a fancy hair cover). Like a shower cap, you put it over your hair when you’re cooking so that smell doesn’t get trapped in your hair. Juli and Ozma refer to it as the modern version of the chef hat.

Watching the pitch is wasted brain cells—and so is considering purchasing this product. Next!

1 Pet Paint

I don’t even have to explain the product for you to get it. It is colored hairspray for your pet. That’s it. The spraypaint even comes with stencils. Stop thinking this is cool—it’s not. You know why? Because every time you paint your dog, you’re going to have to wash your dog.

So many things in this world need to be fixed; the lack of paint on your pet is not one of them.

Stupid concepts, stupid costumes, stupid contestants. TV game shows are often guilty of more than one of these inane infractions. Save for reality shows (and perhaps cable “news”), no genre of television has contributed to the dumbing down of culture more. And while there are certainly a few great ones—Jeopardy first and foremost—there are many, many more mind-numbing ones.

Here are the ten dumbest TV game shows ever. When you”re done reading, our parting gift is an all-expenses-paid trip to the comment thread.

Related: Top 10 TV Shows That Wasted Great Concepts

10 Press Your Luck

“No Whammies, no Whammies… STOP!”

Press Your Luck could also make a list of the ten best TV game shows—for the simple reason that Whammies are friggin’ awesome. The pleasure derived from watching those little animated devils wipe away a player’s cash and prizes is some truly satisfying schadenfreude.

Still, the show—which, despite its pop culture legacy, only ran from 1983-1986—was idiotic on two levels. One was that the reward for answering questions was more spins… which may or may not be advantageous. Sure, someone with earned spins could pass them to a competitor, but that, too, could backfire based solely on luck. The problem with Press Your Luck was that champions were determined purely by… well, luck.

That is until one guy figured it out. A computerized board in the mid-1980s? There’s probably a pattern there. Sure enough, Michael Larson avoided the Whammy for a seemingly miraculous 45 spins, winning over $110,000 ($323,500 today). Larson noticed only five board patterns that, once recognized, dropped the chances of a Whammy wipeout to near nil. This assessment did not take a rocket scientist; Larson was an ice cream truck driver.

Press Your Luck was rebooted in 2019, with actress Elizabeth Banks as host. The board’s programming has become more sophisticated. The contestants, not so much. And, of course, Whammies still kick a** and take cash.^[1]

9 Family Feud

Survey says: Stupid!

Every family has a dullard black sheep. Family Feud proves that, often, there are actually four or five of them.

Granted, this doesn’t shine through in the bonus round, where two members from the winning family are asked the same series of questions in a time crunch. Anyone can get a little nervous and give a dumb answer in that situation. Recently, a contestant almost blew it after her adult daughter racked up 193 points—just 7 shy of the 200 needed to win. She gave just one viable answer and squeaked out a victory.

No, the idiocy on Family Feud comes when the contestants have ample time to consider a question with several viable answers… and respond with guesses that leave viewers wondering how on Earth they function in society. Lowlights:

Host Steve Harvey: “We asked 100 women to name something of Leonardo DiCaprio’s that you’d like to hold.”
Contestant: “The Mona Lisa. His painting.” (His family then claps and yells, “Good answer!”)

Harvey: “Name a kind of suit this isn’t appropriate for the office.”
Contestant: “Chicken noodle.”

Harvey: “Name something a man might be willing to go to prison to get away from.”
Contestant: “The police.”

And of course, because ‘murica:
Harvey: “Name a country whose men women find sexier than American men.”
Contestant: “The United States of America.”^[2]

8 Pitfall

Going broke, eh?

Before he became the most beloved and esteemed game show host in television history, Jeopardy mainstay Alex Trebek was the emcee of a Canadian program he later called “one of the greatest tragedies of my life.” That’s saying a lot, considering his tough task of beating back eye-rolls and laughing fits during rounds of Celebrity Jeopardy (more on that later).

Trebek is Canadian, as is Pitfall, which aired from 1981-1982. But unlike Trebek, Pitfall was ridiculous and moronic. And as we’ll see, it’s also infamous.

In Pitfall, contestants guessed at studio audience responses to questions about lifestyle and personal preferences. So basically, they tried to guess the likes and dislikes of folks attending the taping of a stupid game show.

Anyway, the winner continued to the Pitfall round. Or rather, they ascended there—literally taking an elevator with Trebek to a bridge with a series of stages called “pitfall zones.” They answer questions to advance to the next zone… except that some are “pitfalls” that take them down a level. It’s basically both stupid and complicated.

The show was… well, just awful. It was also expensive. Unable to keep up with the costs of maintaining what passed for a high-tech set in the early 1980s, the show’s production company went bankrupt and most contestants never received their cash or prizes. Even Trebek was stiffed of his salary.^[3]

7 Hurl!

Airing for just 11 episodes in 2008 on America’s G4 Network, Hurl! answers the urgent question of what would happen if contestants in the July 4th Coney Island hot dog eating contest were then shaken violently for several minutes. It’s basically a half-hour long recreation of the pie-eating contest scene from Stand By Me.

Hurl!’s premise is simple: extreme eating + extreme activities = extreme nausea. Its first round is a five-minute feast in which five contestants must choke down as much grub as possible. The three biggest chowhounds advance to the next round, while the other two escape with some sliver of dignity intact.

The next round involves a physical activity that, importantly, entails a whole lot of spinning. This lasts another five minutes—or until one contestants pukes. Crucially, only vomit that leaves the mouth counts, meaning you can gag as long as you swallow it again. The fact that this is an actual rule to an actual game should be red flag enough.

Regardless, the two finalists than gorge themselves for several more minutes before the final sloppy showdown: a sudden-death hurl-off. The first one to lose his lunch loses. Often, contestants are blindfolded for that extra equilibrium-robbing touch.^[4]

6 Red or Black?

For the better part of two decades, a friend and I had a running $10 bet: coin flip of the Super Bowl, heads or tails. At one point, my friend beat me 15 times in a row. The chance of that happening is 0.0000305176%, or 1 in 32,768.

There was, of course, no skill involved. It was dumb luck—just like the UK game show Red or Black?

Named for the colors of a roulette wheel, the show—which lasted only 14 episodes—drew over 100,000 applicants seeking a chance to win the grand prize of a million pounds. Each show featured huge groups of people with the mindless task of guessing between the two colors, with a wrong answer meaning elimination.

Cue gimmicky, random stunts like guessing which of two skydivers—one with a red parachute, the other a black one—would hit the ground first, or which color-coated motorcyclist could jump through an ever-narrowing space. Or which golfer would hit a bullseye first from 100 yards out.

The most mindless of these guessing games might have been the car joust, which combined the childishness of Medieval Times with the revved-up idiocy of bro culture. Contestants chose between the red and black knights, while viewers at home likely rooted for a high-speed bloodbath, which (I think?) would have meant red wins.^[5]

5 Candy or Not Candy?

Perhaps even more vexing than the choice between two hues is the all-important assessment of whether something is—or is not—a confectionary.

There’s some crazy stuff (literally—see the next entry) on Japanese television, where many game shows revolve around personal injury or humiliation. In fact, the inspiration behind the American obstacle course-centric show Wipeout is a Japanese program called Takeshi’s Castle, where contestants are challenged to storm a fortress-like structure by overcoming a series of intimidating and potentially injurious pitfalls.

But hey, at least those folks are getting bruised for a purpose. Such is not the case with another program. Aptly named Candy or Not Candy?, the show invites contestants to chomp down on a random, potentially tooth-chipping item… which may or may not actually be a sculpted piece of candy. Doorknobs, picture frame, table corners, shoes… could be chocolate or could be a trip to the dentist.

For a final flourish, those contestants wrapping their mouths around a non-candy item also get blasted in the face with something white, a parting shot reminiscent of… well, never mind.^[6]

4 Be Cute or Get Pie

We’re not done with Japan just yet, because it’s a game show nightmare over there.

For one, Japanese game shows are often revoltingly misogynistic. In The Bum Game, men are asked to identify their significant female others from a set of three—you guessed it—naked rear-ends. To help narrow it down, they’re allowed not only to look but also touch, grope, lick, and kiss the bare bottoms. The game is seldom fun for those fondled; it is even less enjoyable for those doing the fondling when, as sometimes happens, the rump they’re smacking and smooching belongs to another guy.

But one show is even creepier—and more moronic. Be Cute or Get Pie starts with a bunch of attractive women sleeping on mats on the floor. Then, one by one, some weirdo in a wig startles each from her slumber—sometimes by doing something rape-y like ripping the buttons off her pajama blouse.

Immediately upon waking up, the girl has about a millisecond to look or do something cute. If not, she gets a pie in the face, which given the show’s creep factor, is actually preferable to whatever seemed likely to happen next.^[7]

3 The Price Is Right

Come on down! You’re the next contestant on a completely moronic show! For one, the long-running daytime program is second only to Wheel of Fortune in knowing its audience—let’s kindly call them “average Americans”—and tailoring its contestants accordingly.

Structurally, the stupidity starts right from the first round, where four contestants, freshly drafted from a drooling studio audience, guess the retail price of some mid-range appliance or gadget. However, contestants can’t go OVER the price, meaning that a previous guess can be blocked by adding $1 to it. It’s basically the original game show d*ck move.

Whoever emerges from this sh*tshow plays their own game, which may or may not involve any skill whatsoever. While some require a smidge of savvy, many rely almost exclusively on dumb luck. In Plinko, contestants drop a chip that meanders through pegs en route to columns marked with various cash prizes, which is akin to a blind person throwing darts. In One Away, contestants are given five numbers representing the price of a car. Each digit is either one above or below the right column… as if anyone can know whether a Ford F150 costs, for example, $25,176 or $25,354. Random=dumb.

Then, three geniuses spin a big, uncontrollable wheel twice a show to see who advances to the finals. It’s all just luck—a dumbed-down game for a dumbed-down audience.^[8]

2 Celebrity Jeopardy

Answer: “This show confirms what you long suspected about many famous people—that they’re total dummies.”

Question: “What is Celebrity Jeopardy?”

At first pass, Celebrity Jeopardy is straightforward, perhaps even inevitable. Three celebrities (albeit typically of the B-List variety) play the most beloved quiz game in television history, with winnings going to charity. It started innocently enough when, in 2009, Jeopardy hosted the Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational. While not quite as cerebral as the typical game, the questions were no joke. Michael McKean, later of Better Call Saul fame, took top honors.

The problem, of course, is that most celebrities aren’t anywhere near as bright as an average Jeopardy contestant. Nor are they as smart as the average Jeopardy College Tournament contestant… or even Teen Tournament participants.

For a decade running, then, the result has been a brand of Jeopardy so dumbed down that it was persistently satirized on Saturday Night Live. Will Ferrell, playing the uber-dignified host Alex Trebek, is unable to contain himself amid a multitude of morons like Burt Reynolds, Keanu Reeves, Catherine Zeta-Jones and, of course, the late great Sean Connery. “Suck it, Trebek.”

Good news for fans of foolishness: Later this year, Celebrity Jeopardy will be launched as a standalone program. The show will air on Sunday nights on ABC, sandwiched between the intelligence-challenged America’s Funniest Home Videos and—God help us—Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.^[9]

1 Wheel of Fortune

Wheel of Fortune is the stupidest game show in TV history, and it’s not really that close. For starters, it doesn’t help that, in most U.S. markets, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, and their daily trifecta of troglodytes air immediately following TV’s smartest game show, Jeopardy. The vibe goes from collegiate to kindergarten in the span of a commercial break.

But the main reason is… well, the players, who seem pre-screened to filter out anyone halfway decent at word games—or, for that matter, anyone with an IQ over 75. No wonder the show calls itself “America’s game.”

So stunning is the stupidity Sajak has felt the need to save face on social media. This past March, ol’ Pat took to Twitter to defend three contestants who needed ten tries to solve the head-scratcher “ANOTHER FEATHER _N YO_R _A_.” I’d like to buy a vowel and some vodka to numb the pain.

In January, a contestant tried to solve a song lyrics category puzzle missing just three letters: “TH_S _AND _AS MADE FOR YOU AND ME.” Her guess? “This band has made for you and me.” Some called it the stupidest answer in the show’s 47-year history.

Oddly, Sajak inadvertently showed his cards while host-splaining his show’s dearth of brainpower. “Truth is, all I want to do is help to get them through it,” he began, before some honesty snuck out, “and convince them that those things happen even to very bright people.”^[10]