Icebreakers · Jokes & punchlines
Finish the joke party game: Finish the Joke
A setup goes up on the big screen, finished with a word from the room's bowl. Everyone writes the punchline. The judge has a mouthful of water.
- ~20 min
- 3–10 people
- One device, or phones
- Included in Pro
- Ages 10+
What it feels like
Ladies and gentlemen, the comedy club is open, and tonight the comedians are you. Here's how it works. Everyone drops two words in the bowl on their phone, the stranger the better. Each round one of you is the judge, and takes a sip of water. A setup goes up, finished with a word from the bowl, and everyone else writes the punchline. The punchlines go up one at a time. Judge, keep a straight face. Then pick the best one, and guess who wrote it.
How to play
- First, everyone drops two words in the bowl on their phone. Strange ones are better.
- Each round one of you is the judge. A setup goes up, finished with a word from the bowl, and everyone else writes the punchline.
- The punchlines go up one at a time. Judge: keep a straight face. Then pick the best, and guess who wrote it.
Scoring: 3 points for the punchline the judge picks. 2 more for every punchline that made the judge crack. The judge takes 1 for naming who wrote the winner.
You'll get prompts like
- “Something in your fridge right now, like “a sad lemon””
- “Something you'd find in Grandpa's garage”
What you need
3 to 10 people and one phone, tablet or laptop to pass around — or everyone on their own phone in a room. Nothing to download, no accounts. The best lines can be sealed into your group's Almanac and come back in later games.
