The World's Greatest Scavenger Hunt

GISHWHES stands for the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen. Created by actor Misha Collins of Supernatural television fame, the scavenger hunt once benefited his charity, Random Acts. The scavenger hunt was an annual, week-long hunt dedicated to providing the hunters with an experience like no other.

This past GISHWHES hunt started in early August, the list of items released early morning EST. The list itself was daunting; nearly 200 items with more to be added and edited during the week. Some contributed to a motto of sorts that the hunt adopted: "Death to Normalcy." Item 134 asked of the hunters, "My wife is so trend-forward, she recently took a 'goat yoga class' (it’s real; you can google it.) Without hurting, upsetting, or endangering ANY animal, show us the next trend in animal-infused yoga that she should get on board with." Others were charitable. One such item detailed a letter that Collins received from a mother who had previously participated in the hunt with her children. This year, however, she was kept on the sidelines as she was undergoing treatment for cancer and was too sick to join in. The actor then asked the hunters to make care bags for cancer patients at local hospitals, filled to the brim with "items to provide palliative relief and comfort to a cancer patient: soft eye masks, scarves, a soft blanket, socks, ginger tea or candy, unscented natural lip balm, Sudoku or coloring books, puzzles, poems, etc". Some items asked for creativity in recreating a renaissance painting on a pizza, or a comic book character out of spices in your cabinets. Then there were items that asked for cooperation with others through social media. All items had a purpose, whether it be to help others, express yourself, or make memories that will last a lifetime.

The hunt spans the entire world, people signing up from every continent, save for Antarctica. Having won multiple Guinness World Records for the largest scavengers hunt, the name of the "Greatest Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen" seems accurate. Some of the items provided in the list were even location specific and ranged from Orlando, FL to Japan, Australia, and beyond. Of course, many of the items can be completed in the comfort of your home town with the help of friends and family alike.

Each year the hunt attracted people of all tiers of life. Farmers, military members, stay-at-home moms, and high school students joined together to finish as many items as possible. However, some more notable participants include Collins' co-stars Mark Pellegrino, Kim Rhodes, and Osric Chau, and other celebrities like Grant Imahara, a Mythbusters legacy, and William Shatner, the famous Captain Kirk of Star Trek.

Through the week, some teams would finish items at a casual pace, for a just-for-fun hunt. Others joined together to finish as many items as possible, with the best quality, and to be the most unique, as all those factors go into a winning team.

Once the week ends, team members share their items with the world. Some—the lucky few—will be hand picked by other "Gishers" to be placed into a coffee table book that is available to all who wish to have memories of their hunt. Then, months later, the winners will be chosen. Winning teams are flown to an exotic location with Misha Collins himself for a vacation of a lifetime. Past destinations include Canada, Croatia, Scotland, and, most recently, Hawaii. The winners for this past hunt have yet to be announced.

Together over the years, the hunt has not only gained world records, they have raised enough money to save the dance studio of a sick woman who lived in South Africa, who sadly passed shortly after the hunt ended. The hunt has helped rebuild the house of disabled veterans, given food and money to the homeless, and donated to a charity that has built schools and hospitals in underprivileged countries.

Unfortunately, this last year was the final GISHWHES as we know it. Now it is undergoing changes to become something...else. Hopefully, something better, more entertaining, more charitable. It will be greater than ever before.

"We're going to take over the world, one random act of kindness at a time."—Misha Collins

https://www.gishwhes.com/

https://www.randomacts.org/