Being a best man is pretty tough work. Even when you've booked your ideal stag do destination, sorted all your stag do activities and made sure the chaps have a place to stay, your job is far from over!
We've seen more than 15 years of best men come and go, and the one thing that sets the quality leaders apart from the fly-by-nighters is their ability to plan ahead. Like the fellers who work hard to set up a few stag do challenges...
As simple or as complex as you like, the hallmarks of a great challenge are that it gets the whole group involved, and that no-one knows anything about it until you've arrived at your destination. Check out our favourites!
Best. Stag. Do. Challenge. Ever. Why? Because it's so simple, yet it entertains the boys for an entire weekend. Amazing!
Here's what you do. Come up with a series of secret challenges, the classic stag do stuff like getting a kiss from a stranger, doing a stupid dance in public or inventing a weekend catchphrase. Give one each to everyone in the group. They're not allowed to tell anyone else what their challenge is, and they have until check-out to complete it. If someone else in the party guesses what their challenge is before they've managed to get it done, they have to buy beers for everyone.
Making a stag do challenge public is the easiest way to ensure your boy at least has a go at his dares. Print a t shirt with his stag “to do” list on it, and conspicuously tick off each successful completion with a marker pen. Just don't succumb to the temptation to write bad words on his face when he passes out later. Or do. It's your stag weekend...
A totally different kind of challenge, these escape rooms in Nottingham test nerves, wits, brains and teamwork. Escapologic is a proper race against time. You have just one hour to solve the puzzles and get the hell out. Choose CRYPT-IC and you'll need balls of steel as well. Escape from a crazy scientist's lab or find your way out of a crypt with an ancient evil that's claimed many an explorer.
Ideal for a Game of Thrones-style stag do. Challenges don't come much manlier than wanging double-headed axes and throwing knives at targets. Grow beards, beat chests and roar as you throw. Well, it is called Warrior!
We all love food but sometimes, you need to show it who's boss. Can you do an Adam Richman and take down a plate of insanely hot chicken wings, a fish tank of nachos or a fat boy burger? Take the Man v Food challenge and find out.
Driving stag do challenges always go down well. A Trabant rally is a brilliant alternative to the usual karting and quad biking. Get into teams and race clapped-out Trabis from Communist times round the Budapest countryside. They've got two-stroke engines, no power steering, crap cornering and a 0-60 time that's frankly embarrassing. Laugh, swear and shake your fists in frustration as you 'power' up the Budapest hills!
Drop and give me infinity!'Sarge will put you ladies through a proper military-type assault course. We're talking walls, mud, water, balance beams, scramble nets, rope climbs and monkey bars.
Well, it wouldn't be a stag do without a drinking challenge, now would it? Also known as the messiest night out in Benidorm, the Smashed Bar Crawl lives up to its grand title. Games, challenges you'd never consider doing at home, stupid amounts of shots, and reps running around with water pistols full of booze. If you're still standing by midnight, it'll be a miracle!
Not all stag do challenges have to be ball-shrinkingly scary. Take the Sumo Challenge. It is big, and it is funny! Climb into a whacking great sumo suit, slap your thighs and see if you can get your opponent out of the ring. Who will be the last wrestler left in the ring?
Remember those little plastic soldiers you used to play with as a kid? You're going to need one for each chap on the stag do. Give them all to the best man, and make sure he keeps them handy for the obligatory first-night pub crawl.
Before entering each pub, the best man randomly hands each feller a soldier. The pose the plastic warrior is performing - commando crawl, bazooka kneel, etc - becomes that person's for the duration of your stay in that particular pub. When someone shouts 'incoming!', you all have to drop instantly into a faithful imitation of your tiny counterpart. Stitch the groom up completely by giving the command when he's on the way back from the bar with a tray of shots.
Not all stag do challenges involve running around a windswept beach town with your knackers on display. Sometimes, it's fun to throw down a dare that no-one knows about except the group.
This one works either as a task just for the groom, or as an ongoing pub game. Nominate someone to be the secret singer. Now they have to slip song titles, or lyrics from epic tunes, into their conversations with girls. When the secret singer gets rumbled, the gauntlet passes to the next feller on the list.
OK, so there has to be at least one dare on the list that involves massive embarrassment for the big man. And here it is. Magic Mike is the grandaddy of stag do challenges. It's also pretty much guaranteed to get you kicked out of whatever bar you do it in, so make sure everyone's finished their drinks before you unleash it.
Like all good stag do challenges, Magic Mike is a stroke of simple genius. It works best if the groom is forewarned about it, so he can get good and nervous before you finally throw down on him.
At the start of the night, explain that he's going to have to do a strip show for a random group of hens. On your signal (which is to whisper 'Magic Mike' in his ear), he has to stop what he's doing, run over to the nearest hen party, yell 'I'm your stripper!' and get as many of his clothes off as he can before he gets asked to leave. Classic.
A complete list of stag do challenges would be as long as Stretch Armstrong's arm. Basically, you're looking for anything that attracts attention without actually being dangerous, offensive or illegal. It might be funny to dare your boy to down a stranger's drink then try to talk his way out of a fight, but no-one wants to spend the latter half of their stag do in A and E.
Here are a few of the best ones we've ever seen:
Best men, we salute you! Hopefully, that'll help you put the finishing touches to the Stag Weekend. If you need more advice, we're here for you. Phone 01773 766 006, or email sales@stagweekends.co.uk
Date Posted: Monday 16th February 2015
Author: Jim Alexander
