8 Internet Challenges That Went Wildly Out of Control

Challenges and dares are as old as boredom. In the ’50s, people stuffed themselves into phone booths, while in the ’30s, they swallowed goldfish; the ’90s introduced us to “ding-dong ditch.” But the internet strapped jet engines onto that impulse and yelled, “ARE YOU FILMING THIS?” Overnight, clout became a currency, and common sense suddenly got paywalled. We all remember the wholesome ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which raised money and boosted awareness with minimal idiocy. Sadly, the web’s attention economy also rewards stunts that confuse “viral” with “vital signs.”

Why do people do this? Peer pressure, performative bravery, and the enduring human belief that “rules don’t apply to me” all contribute to this behavior, until physics and chemistry intervene. Think of this as a friendly public service announcement, accompanied by an eye-roll, regarding 8 online dares that transitioned from being goofy to becoming grim.

1. Neknominate

Nothing says “wise decision-making” like speed-chugging liquor on camera and then escalating it with dangerous stunts. It started as a boozy dare and quickly turned into a contest of “how close can I skate to disaster?” It’s been linked to the multiple deaths of real people. If your friends “nominate” you to do something reckless, consider unfriending the dare, not the people. Then maybe unfollow the people, too.

2. Planking

At its cutest, planking is human furniture cosplay: kitchen counters, supermarket aisles, office cubicles —just snap the pic and move on. Then came rooftops, ledges, and zoo enclosures, because the internet can’t leave anything at level one. The plank isn’t the issue here—it’s when people take it to absurd extremes. Gravity cannot be defied, and hospitals have the bills to prove that.

3. The Hot Pepper Challenge

Chilies in food? Delicious in moderation. Is it preferable to eat the sizzling pepper raw or to snort hot sauce to impress strangers? That’s when you realize that having common sense has become a privilege. The headaches, vomiting, and eventual ER visits were a staple of these dumb challenges. Capsaicin isn’t concerned about your follower count. It will introduce your digestive system to the concept of regret, personally and forcefully.

4. NyQuil Chicken

A perfect storm of neon color, faulty judgment, and kitchen hubris. Boiling medicine concentrates its active ingredients and releases fumes you shouldn’t breathe, let alone ingest. The result isn’t chicken that makes you wanna nap, it’s a chemistry disaster waiting to happen. If your recipe starts in the pharmacy aisle, you’re not cooking—you’re auditioning for a Darwin Award poster.

5. Cinnamon Challenge

“Just swallow a spoonful of cinnamon” sounds like a prank invented by someone who’s never met saliva. Powder that fine doesn’t go down, it detonates into a cough cloud that you then inhale. Cue choking, lung irritation, and occasionally serious complications. Cinnamon rolls are delightful. Dry-scooping spice is a fast-track to sounding like you swallowed a desert.

6. The Blackout Challenge

The Blackout challenge isn’t “edgy,” it’s horrifying. Imagine willingly cutting off oxygen to your own brain! It can cause all sorts of health issues, not to mention if you’re a few seconds off—that’s it. You’re dead. It is not a harmless game. Kids and teens have been especially vulnerable here, which is heartbreaking. If you’re a parent or mentor, talk about this explicitly. The internet won’t add a warning label big enough, so this one’s on us adults.

7. Tide PODS

Bright, swirly detergent pods look like candy to the part of the brain that handles “Ooh, shiny.” Unfortunately, that part of the brain does not manage digestion. These are concentrated cleaners meant for laundry, not lunch. Media attention helped curb the fad, but the fact that “Don’t eat the soap” had to become a headline tells you everything about one of the internet’s worst challenges.

8. Car Surfing

Surfing belongs on water, where you can fall into something that isn’t asphalt. Standing on a moving vehicle turns a dumb flex into a physics lesson with bruises, broken bones, or even worse. Social media amplified a decades-old bad idea and didn’t add a helmet. Seatbelts exist for a reason, and that reason is saving your life.