Minute to Win It Party

If you haven't seen the television show, Minute to Win It, you definitely need to watch it at least once.  It is a game show where contestants must complete random tasks that involve household items, and they have only 60 seconds to do so.  When I was looking for a theme for my next monthly dinner, my cousin recommended this show.  It was such a fun party!! It would be great for a birthday party, couples dinner, or just as excuse to have a party.  Below is how I put my spin on the theme...

Invite:  Create an invitation informing guests that they have been selected as one of the next contestants for the show.  I asked my guests to pair up in a team of two and come dressed in a matching color.  There are some cute invitations (for a birthday with this theme) on the internet for purchase as well.  I found one site that will give you a template for free as well, but I didn't do this, so I don't know how great it is.

Decor:  The show colors are royal blue, red, and white, so I went with that color scheme.  At the front door, I had a table set up with a first game just to enter.  It is called Breakfast Scramble and guests had 60 seconds to put together the front of a cereal box cut into 16 rectangles.  I set out a sand timer for guests to time themselves.

I set my table with a red tablecloth, white plates, and royal blue napkins.  I put two 12x12 pieces of card stock in the center to add color, and then I created a smaller version of the Stack Attack game as my centerpiece. I am providing direct links to these games in case you want to look them up for your party.  I also added some dice to add to the game feel of the table.

At each place setting, I created a label for a water bottle as my place card.  This is not a high-tech label.  I just created it on Microsoft Word.  I can email the template to you if you want to use this for your party.  There are websites that will sell professional-looking labels, but my monthly dinners attempt to be budget friendly (and my friends don't care how cheesy my additions look!).

Menu:  I created a menu card at each place setting so guests could see how I played up the "minute" theme of the night.  We started with a yummy "Minute"-strone Soup as an appetizer.  I served this with a buttery pita bread which is easy and delicious.

My main course was Minute Steak, Minute Rice, and "Minute"-ture Peas! The only issue I had with this choice of meal was the timing.  Some of my guests arrived super late, and this meant items cooked for longer than I intended. Unfortunately, I felt like the Minute Steak was a bit tough and not as tender as it should have been because of this. You may want to think about giving yourself even more time that you think you will need to prevent this from happening.

For dessert, I wanted to serve something with Minute Maid orange juice because this was the only thing I could think of that would still relate to the theme. I searched the internet for something, but couldn't find much.  So...I invented my dessert, and it turned out pretty good.  I have always loved 50/50 bars and shakes, so I decided to make this into a pie.  Yum!  Another thought would be to alter a dessert name like "Minute" (as in Mint) Chip Ice Cream if you wanted something simpler.

Games:  I looked at the Minute to Win It website and tried to choose games I thought looked fun, and that I had the supplies for.  I didn't want to have to spend too much money.  For the games I chose, I did have to purchase some items, but I found everything I needed at the Dollar Tree.  If you are thinking about doing this party, check out the Level for each game to make sure it isn't too advanced - especially if this is for a little kid's party.

To explain the rules of each of the games, I downloaded the blueprints.  The blueprints are the 30 second explanations for each game. I put them all on a DVD in the order of my party along with the 60 second countdown.  I found all the videos on YouTube for free.  One of my old students actually put the DVD together for me, so I am not exactly sure how she did it. Hopefully, you are more technically savvy than I am, and you can figure it out!!

Game #1:  Chocolate Unicorn

Stacking 7 Ding Dongs on your forehead.  They must stay there for 3 seconds.

Game #2:  Tear It Up

Shooting rubber bands at toilet paper attached to an empty soda can.  First team to break the toilet paper wins.

Game #3: How's It Hangin'

Contestant attaches a banana on a string around his/her waist so it dangles 12" from the ground in front of them. In 60 seconds, they must move an orange across the room and into a hula hoop using only the banana. This is another funny one...lots of thrusting!

Game #4: Ready Spaghetti

The pair of players must work together to transfer 3 empty soda cans to a nearby table using only a spaghetti noodle and their mouths. Try this one out before you do it. We had trouble with the weight of the cans breaking the spaghetti noodle. I would probably use a thicker noodle if I did this again.

Game #5:  Junk in the Trunk

Attach an empty rectangle tissue box around the waist and fill it with 8 ping pong balls.  Contestant must shake their rump to get all the balls out in 60 seconds.  This as hilarious! I've done this game at a high school assembly, and it was a hoot! (Note: I did cut a larger opening in the box just to make it a little easier.)

Game #6: On the Rebound

This is a partner game. One partner ties a clipboard around his waist and stands behind a small trash can. The other partner throws ping pong balls attempting to bank the shot off the clipboard and into the trash can. Team must get 5 balls in.

Game #7:  A Bit Dicey

Contestant must balance 6 die on the popsicle stick held in their mouth.  Stack must stay for 3 seconds.

Favor:  As a parting favor for all guests, I found another Minute to Win It Game, Mega Bubble, and centered my favor around it.  I created a tag with instructions for the game.  Then I just put the supplies, a jar of bubbles and a plastic cup, inside a favor bag and attached the tag.  Simple, but cute.

Again, this was a super fun party and would make a great theme if you are looking for an active party with a hilarious element to it!  I made a scoreboard to keep track of points throughout the evening. Give your winning pair Hundred Grand candy bars or a silly trophy made from household products!