A sure way to add excitement to a game of cards is to add the element of consequence. And nothing screams consequence like the prospect of having to shovel a heaping spoonful of garlic, turmeric or curry powder into your mouth. This is Crazy 8 Countdown… for spices.

You can add the spice consequence to any game, but for whatever reason, Crazy 8 Countdown was the game of choice for my buddies in University. As you probably have already surmised, Crazy 8 Countdown for Spices involves the loser of the game eating a heaping spoonful of a pre-selected spice.

Here are the rules to Crazy 8 Countdown if you’re not already familiar with them. It’s very similar to UNO, with players attempting to be the first to get rid of all their cards. Players are initially dealt eight cards each and when a player sheds all of his or her cards, they get dealt seven cards. When those are all gone, they get six cards, and so forth until they get to zero and are safe from spicy hell.

Last player still holding cards, loses.

Yum Yum

Doing a shot of spice may not sound like such a bad thing. But I’ve been on the receiving end of that spoon more than once and trust me: it ain’t fun.

I remember my garlic loss well. Taking my punishment over the kitchen sink (in case I threw it all up), the garlic immediately sucked all the moisture out of my mouth. I struggled to control my gag reflex and my body’s instinct to spit the stuff out. Somehow I managed to choke the powder down.

My sweat that day reeked of garlic. And even after three or four attempts of brushing my teeth and rinsing with the strongest mouth wash money can buy, my breath still smelled awful. To borrow from the late, great Dr. Seuss, the three words that best described me were as follows, and I quote: “Stink. Stank. Stunk.” The only fringe benefit I suppose was that I didn’t get a mosquito bite for days.

So if you’re looking for a fun to “spice” up your next games night, consider adding a dash of awesome, be it in the form of oregano, ginger or cayenne pepper.

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