Games & Challenges

Compete, laugh, and earn points for your team!

Games & Challenges

Earn points for your team - everything counts!

🚗

Travel Bingo

Spot items on the journey down - first team to get a line wins!

+3 pts Team Game ⏱ 3-4h 🎲 Bingo cards
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. Everyone gets a bingo card with 25 French items (vineyard, baguette shop, French flag, yellow car, chateau, etc.)
  2. Spot items from arrival day onwards - airport, drive to chateau, and beyond
  3. First person to complete a line of 5 shouts "BINGO!" - must be verified by a teammate
  4. Game continues until someone gets a full card (bonus points!)
Scoring
  • First bingo (line of 5): +3 pts to that person's team
  • Full card: +2 bonus pts
📷 Film This: The moment someone screams "BINGO!" and the whole group erupts
🎧

Whisper Challenge

Noise-cancelling headphones on, lip-read phrases about Joe down the line

+3 pts Team Game ⏱ 30m 🎧 Headphones
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. Teams of 5-6 sit in a line
  2. First person reads a phrase about Joe from a card
  3. Everyone wears noise-cancelling headphones with music blasting
  4. Lip-read the phrase and pass it down the line, one person at a time
  5. Last person announces what they think they heard - out loud to everyone
  6. Funniest mutation wins!
Scoring
  • Closest to original: +3 pts
  • Funniest version (crowd vote): +2 bonus pts
📷 Film This: Close-up of the last person's confused face as they announce their version. Pure gold.
👆

Most Likely To: First Impressions

Point at who you think is most likely to... - whoever gets the most fingers pointed at them earns points

+2 pts Team Game ⏱ 20m
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. Everyone stands in a circle at the chateau (first night)
  2. Reader reads "Most likely to..." statements
  3. On the count of 3, everyone points at who they think fits best
  4. Person with most fingers pointed = +1 to their team
Example Statements
  • "Most likely to fall in the pool on Day 1"
  • "Most likely to speak fluent French by Day 3"
  • "Most likely to start a fight over a board game"
  • "Most likely to eat an entire baguette in one sitting"
  • "Most likely to get lost at the chateau"
Scoring
  • 10 rounds total. Each "winner" earns +1 for their team. Team with most wins: +2 bonus.
📷 Film This: The reactions when everyone points at the same person. The betrayal!
🤷

Two Truths & a Lie

Share 3 facts about yourself - the group guesses which one's the lie

+2 pts Individual ⏱ 30m
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. Each person shares 3 statements - 2 true, 1 lie
  2. The group votes on which one they think is the lie
  3. If majority guesses wrong, the speaker earns +2 pts
  4. If majority guesses right, the best guesser earns +1 pt
📷 Film This: The moment someone's outrageous truth is revealed. "You ACTUALLY did that?!"
🦛

Human Hungry Hippos

Lie on a towel, get dragged by your ankles, grab as many balls as possible. Absolute carnage.

+5 pts Team Game ⏱ 20m 🎾 Towels, balls, baskets
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. One person per team lies face-down on a towel (or skateboard) - they're the "hippo"
  2. Two teammates hold their ankles
  3. 50+ plastic balls are scattered in a central pile
  4. On "GO!" - teammates slide the hippo towards the balls
  5. The hippo grabs as many balls as possible and scoops them into their team's laundry basket
  6. 60-second rounds - swap hippos between rounds
  7. Team with most balls after 3 rounds wins
Scoring
  • 1st place: +5 pts
  • 2nd place: +3 pts
  • 3rd place: +2 pts
  • 4th place: +1 pt
📷 Film This: Overhead angle of the scramble. This is THE TikTok game - pure chaos, guaranteed viral content.
🎲

Giant Dice Challenge

Roll two giant foam dice - the number decides your fate. Dares, truths, jackpots and chaos.

+3 pts Team Game ⏱ 30m 🎲 Giant foam dice x2
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. Each team sends one player at a time to roll two giant foam dice
  2. Add the numbers together - the total determines the challenge:
The Dice Chart
  • 2: 🍺 Everyone on your team drinks
  • 3: 💬 Truth bomb - answer honestly or lose a point
  • 4: 😈 Dare - your teammates choose (keep it mild...ish)
  • 5: 🎭 30-second charades - act out something Joe-related
  • 6: 🎤 Do your best impression of another guest
  • 7: 🌟 JACKPOT - Team gets +2 bonus points!
  • 8: 📞 Phone a friend not on the trip - they answer a question about Joe
  • 9: 🎤 Sing 10 seconds of any song, crowd votes thumbs up/down
  • 10: 👔 Swap an item of clothing with someone from another team
  • 11: 📖 Tell a 30-second true story about Joe
  • 12: 🌟🌟 DOUBLE JACKPOT - Team gets +3 bonus points!
Scoring
  • Jackpots award bonus points directly
  • Best overall performance (crowd vote): +3 pts
  • Refuse a dare/truth: -1 pt
📷 Film This: The giant dice bouncing around is inherently funny. Film everyone's reactions when they roll a dare.
😂

Try Not to Laugh

Sit in the hot seat for 60 seconds. Everyone tries to make you crack. No touching allowed.

+3 pts Individual ⏱ 30m
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. One person sits in "the hot seat" (a chair facing everyone)
  2. They must keep a completely straight face for 60 seconds
  3. Everyone else does ANYTHING to make them laugh - jokes, impressions, weird noises, ridiculous dances
  4. Rules: No touching the person in the seat!
  5. If they laugh, smile, or crack in ANY way - they're OUT
  6. Each team nominates 2 people. Knockout rounds until a champion is crowned
Scoring
  • Last person standing from each team: +3 pts for their team
  • Overall champion (longest without cracking): +2 individual bonus
📷 Film This: Close-ups of the face slowly cracking. The micro-expressions are universally hilarious.
🎯

Pétanque Tournament

Classic French boules - team knockout rounds on the chateau grounds

+5 pts Team Game ⏱ 1h 🎯 Pétanque set
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. 5 teams play a knockout bracket (2 semis, losers playoff, final)
  2. Each match: 3 players per team, 2 boules each
  3. Throw the cochonnet (jack), then take turns throwing boules
  4. Closest boule to the jack scores. First to 11 points wins the match
  5. You CAN knock opponents' boules away - this is France, we play hard
Scoring
  • Tournament winner: +5 pts
  • Runner up: +3 pts
  • Best individual shot (crowd vote): +1 bonus
📷 Film This: The tension of a close measure and the celebrations when a clutch shot lands.
⛳

Golf Challenge

9 holes at Golf du Val de l'Indre - optional morning round for those who fancy it

+3 pts Individual ⏱ 2h ⛳ Club hire inc.
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. Optional morning activity - 9 holes on a beautiful parkland course (~50 min drive)
  2. Full club hire included (~£65/pp)
  3. Play in groups of 3-4. Lowest score wins!
  4. Everyone else chills by the pool - golfers back by 2:15pm
Scoring
  • Lowest score overall: +3 individual pts
  • Closest to the pin challenge (designated hole): +2 pts
  • Longest drive (designated hole): +1 pt
🚣

Canoe Team Race

Race down the Creuse river! 5 teams, 5 canoes, 1 winner. First to Le Blanc takes it.

+5 pts Team Game ⏱ 1.5h 🚣 Canoes (provider)
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. 5 teams set off from the launch point at Ciron (5 min drive from chateau!)
  2. Paddle down the Creuse river - past cliffs, through countryside
  3. All equipment and life jackets provided (~€15-18/pp)
  4. First team to cross the finish line at Le Blanc wins
  5. Shuttle bus brings everyone back to the cars
Scoring
  • 1st place: +5 pts
  • 2nd place: +3 pts
  • 3rd place: +2 pts
  • Last place: must buy the first round at lunch
📷 Film This: GoPro on the front of each canoe. Drone shot of all 5 canoes racing is the dream.
🇫🇷

French Phrase Challenge

Order your entire lunch in French at Angles-sur-l'Anglin. Best accent wins.

+2 pts Individual ⏱ At lunch
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. At lunch in Angles-sur-l'Anglin, everyone must order entirely in French
  2. No English allowed from the moment you speak to the waiter
  3. Bonus: ask a follow-up question in French (e.g. "Qu'est-ce que vous recommandez?")
  4. Group votes on best accent + most confident speaker
Scoring
  • Best accent (crowd vote): +2 pts
  • Most confident speaker: +1 bonus
  • Refusing to try: -1 pt (come on, you're in France!)
📷 Film This: The waiter's face when someone attempts "Je voudrais le poulet, s'il vous plaît" with a thick Essex accent.
🍷

Wine Tasting Blind Challenge

Sommelier serves 5 wines blind - guess grape, region, price. Proper blind tasting rules.

+3 pts Individual ⏱ 1h 🍷 Wine + blindfolds
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. Sommelier brings 5 Loire Valley wines to the chateau terrace
  2. Each wine is served blind (bottles covered)
  3. Everyone writes down their guesses on a scorecard
  4. Categories: Grape variety, Region, Colour (if blindfolded!), Price bracket, Vintage (within 3 years)
  5. Sommelier reveals answers after all 5 wines
Scoring
  • Each correct answer: +1 pt (max 5 per wine, 25 total)
  • Top scorer overall: +3 individual pts
  • Top scoring team (combined): +3 to each member
  • Worst guesser: must finish their glass in one
📷 Film This: Someone confidently saying "this is clearly a Sauvignon Blanc" when it's actually a rosé.
🎭

Charades Relay: Telephone Edition

Chinese whispers meets charades. Act it out down the line - watch it degrade hilariously.

+5 pts Team Game ⏱ 30m 🎭 Clue cards
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. Teams line up single-file, all facing the same direction
  2. Last person in line sees a scenario on a card (no one else looks!)
  3. They tap the person in front, who turns around
  4. Act out the clue to ONLY that person - no sounds!
  5. That person then acts out what they THINK they saw to the next person
  6. Continue down the line until the first person guesses the original clue
Example Clues
  • "Joe eating a baguette wearing a beret"
  • "Sophie trying to parallel park"
  • "A French waiter who hates British tourists"
  • "Someone discovering a spider in their room"
Scoring
  • Correct guess: +5 pts
  • Close guess (judge's discretion): +2 pts
  • Funniest mutation (crowd vote): +2 bonus
📷 Film This: Film the original action AND the final guess side by side. The comparison is always comedy gold.
🏆

Birthday Olympics

Egg & spoon, sack race, tug of war, relay, dizzy penalties - the ultimate team showdown

+10 pts Team Game ⏱ 1.5h 🏆 Eggs, spoons, sacks, rope
Pending
▾
Events
  1. Egg & Spoon: Relay race balancing an egg. Drop it = restart from the line
  2. Sack Race: Classic. First team to get all members across wins
  3. Tug of War: Knockout bracket. Raw strength and teamwork
  4. Three-Legged Race: Pairs tied at the ankle. Coordination is everything
  5. Dizzy Bat Relay: Spin 10 times around a bat, then sprint. Absolute carnage
  6. Water Balloon Toss: Pairs throw a water balloon, step back each round. Last dry pair wins
Scoring
  • Each event: 1st +3, 2nd +2, 3rd +1
  • Overall Olympics winner: +10 bonus pts
  • Individual MVP (best across events): +3 pts
📷 Film This: Dizzy bat relay is guaranteed viral content. Film them trying to run straight and completely failing.
💑

Mr & Mrs: Joe & Sophie Edition

Joe and Sophie sit back-to-back. Hold up paddles. Disagree = chaos. Agree = wholesome.

+5 pts Individual ⏱ 30m 📄 Face paddles
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. Joe and Sophie sit back-to-back (can't see each other)
  2. Each holds two paddles: one with Joe's face, one with Sophie's face
  3. Host reads questions: "Who is messier?" / "Who said I love you first?" / "Who's the better dancer?"
  4. Both hold up the paddle of who they think the answer is
  5. Match = cheer! Disagree = absolute scenes
Example Questions
  • "Who's more likely to get lost in France?"
  • "Who's the bigger drama queen?"
  • "Who spends longer getting ready?"
  • "Who would survive longer on a desert island?"
  • "Who's the better cook?"
Scoring
  • Audience predicts each answer before reveal: +1 per correct guess (max 3/person)
  • Person with most correct predictions: +5 pts
📷 Film This: Their faces when they see each other's answers. The disagreements are television-worthy.
🎵

Name That Tune: 90s Edition

3-second clips of 90s bangers. Slap the table to buzz in. 20 songs. Pure nostalgia.

+5 pts Team Game ⏱ 30m 🔊 Speaker + playlist
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. 20 iconic 90s songs - play a 3-5 second clip of each
  2. Teams buzz in by slapping the table first (designated buzzer person per team)
  3. Correct answer = +1 for the team. Wrong answer = other teams can steal
  4. Must name BOTH the song AND the artist for the point
  5. Bonus round: One person per team hums a song, their teammates guess
Songs Include
  • Spice Girls, Oasis, Backstreet Boys, TLC, Britney Spears, Nirvana
  • Destiny's Child, Eminem, Steps, S Club 7, Vengaboys, All Saints
  • Blur, B*Witched, Five, Aqua, Hanson, No Doubt
Scoring
  • Each correct answer: +1
  • Winning team (most correct): +5 bonus
  • Best hummer in bonus round: +2
📷 Film This: Grown adults losing their minds over a 2-second Vengaboys clip. The scramble to slap the table first.
🎤

The Roast of Joe

Speeches, toasts, and embarrassing stories. Best roast wins. Joe can't vote!

+5 pts Individual ⏱ 45m
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. Anyone who wants to roast Joe steps up (sign up via Toast Sign-ups on the site)
  2. Max 3 minutes per roast. Keep it sharp, keep it savage
  3. Joe sits in the "throne" (decorated chair) and takes it like a champ
  4. Crowd votes on: Funniest, Most Savage, Most Heartfelt
  5. Joe CANNOT vote (it's his roast, he just has to take it)
Scoring
  • Best Roast overall (crowd vote): +5 pts
  • Runner up: +3 pts
  • Most Heartfelt: +2 pts
📷 Film This: Joe's face during the most savage lines. His reactions are the content.
👗

90s Icons Best Costume

Most creative, funniest, most committed 90s costume - the crowd decides the winner

+3 pts Individual ⏱ Evening 👗 Your costume!
Pending
▾
Categories
  • Most Creative: The best interpretation of a 90s icon
  • Funniest: Made everyone laugh the hardest
  • Most Committed: Stayed in character ALL night
Scoring
  • Overall best costume (crowd vote): +3 pts
  • Worst effort (lovingly awarded): -1 pt but a round of applause
💃

90s Dance Off

Team dance battle to 90s bangers at the party. Choreography optional. Commitment mandatory.

+5 pts Team Game ⏱ 30m
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. Each team gets a random 90s song (draw from a hat)
  2. 5 minutes to prepare a team dance routine
  3. Perform in front of everyone. Judged on: energy, choreography, commitment, comedy
  4. Crowd votes (can't vote for own team). Cheering volume decides ties.
Scoring
  • 1st place: +5 pts
  • 2nd place: +3 pts
  • 3rd place: +2 pts
📷 Film This: Everything. The rehearsals, the performances, the audience reactions. This is peak content.
🌳

Accrobranche Challenge

Treetop adventure at Bellebouche - 7 courses of zip lines, Tarzan swings, and a 15m jump

+5 pts Team Game ⏱ 2h 🌳 Activity provider
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. Bellebouche accrobranche park - 25 min drive from chateau
  2. 7 courses from easy to extreme (~€20/pp, group rate for 10+)
  3. Teams race through the course - fastest combined time wins
  4. Each team member picks the difficulty they're comfortable with
  5. The hungover ones can do the easy course while the keen ones go extreme!
Scoring
  • Fastest team (combined time): +5 pts
  • Bravest individual (hardest course): +2 pts
  • Best wipeout (crowd vote): +1 sympathy point
📷 Film This: The 15m jump. The wobbly rope bridges. The look of pure terror on people's faces.
🚣

Lake Pédalo Race

Team pedalo race across Bellebouche lake. Paddle boards for the brave ones.

+3 pts Team Game ⏱ 1h
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. Teams pile into pédalos (2-4 per pedalo)
  2. Race to a marker buoy and back - relay style
  3. Paddle board challenge for individuals: stand-up sprint across a set distance
  4. Kayak slalom: weave through markers, fastest time wins
Scoring
  • Pédalo race winner: +3 pts
  • Paddle board champion: +2 individual pts
  • Most dramatic fall in the water: +1 sympathy pt
📷 Film This: Someone falling off a paddle board. It's inevitable and always hilarious.
🎤

Lip Sync Battle

Each team performs a lip sync to a random song. Choreography encouraged. Costumes on. Go hard.

+5 pts Team Game ⏱ 45m 🔊 Speaker
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. Each team draws a song from a hat (30 mins to prepare)
  2. Full lip sync performance in front of everyone
  3. Props, choreography, and dramatic entrances all encouraged
  4. Judged on: accuracy, commitment, comedy, choreography
  5. Crowd votes - you cannot vote for your own team
Song Options
  • "Bohemian Rhapsody" / "Wannabe" / "I Want It That Way"
  • "No Scrubs" / "Macarena" / "MMMBop"
Scoring
  • 1st place: +5 pts
  • 2nd place: +3 pts
  • 3rd place: +2 pts
📷 Film This: EVERYTHING. These ALWAYS go viral. The commitment + costumes + chaos = content gold.
📋

Taskmaster Final Reveal

Present your secret task evidence. Joe judges. The most creative wins Taskmaster Champion.

+5 pts Individual ⏱ 15m
Pending
▾
How it Works
  1. Throughout the trip, 3 secret Taskmaster tasks were hidden in sealed envelopes
  2. Anyone who found and completed them presents their evidence (photos/videos)
  3. Joe judges each submission on creativity, effort, and humour
  4. Taskmaster Champion crowned for best overall performance
Scoring
  • Best per task: +3 pts
  • Overall Taskmaster Champion: +5 bonus pts
📦

Cleanup Championship

Fastest room packed and chateau area cleaned. Leave it spotless!

+2 pts Team Game ⏱ 30m
Pending
▾
How to Play
  1. Each team is assigned an area of the chateau to clean
  2. Rooms must be spotless, beds stripped, bins emptied
  3. Joe inspects each area (white glove test!)
  4. Fastest team to pass inspection wins
Scoring
  • Fastest clean: +2 pts
  • Cleanest area (inspection): +1 bonus
🗡

Secret Assassin Reveal

The all-week stealth game concludes. Last assassin standing is crowned.

+5 pts Individual ⏱ 10m
Pending
▾
The Reveal
  1. Announce the final assassin standing - they get +5 pts!
  2. Reveal the kill chain - who eliminated who and with what word
  3. Award "Best Kill" for the most creative/funny assassination
  4. Share the best stories of near-misses and paranoid word-avoidance
Scoring
  • Last assassin standing: +5 pts
  • Most kills: +3 pts
  • Best kill (crowd vote): +2 pts
🏆

Awards Ceremony

Final standings, trip superlatives, and champion team crowned. The grand finale.

Grand Finale
Pending
▾
The Awards
  • Champion Team: Highest total score
  • MVP: Highest individual scorer
  • Most Improved: Biggest jump from Day 1 to Day 6
  • Best Sport: Crowd vote
  • Funniest Moment: The clip/story that made everyone cry laughing
  • Best Dressed: Over the whole trip, not just costume night
  • Drama Queen/King: Most dramatic moment
  • Iron Chef: Best cook of the trip

Everyone pulls their weight! Earn bonus points for helping out around the chateau.

👨‍🍳

Cooking a Meal

Cook or help cook a group meal

+3 pts per person
🧹

Kitchen Clean-Up

Wash up, wipe down, leave it spotless

+2 pts per person
🛒

Shopping Run

Go to the shops for supplies

+3 pts per person
🍳

Breakfast Prep

Get up early and sort breakfast for everyone

+3 pts per person
🔥

BBQ Master

Man the BBQ and feed the group

+3 pts per person
🧊

Drinks & Ice Run

Keep the drinks stocked and cold

+2 pts per person
🗑️

Bins & Recycling

Take care of the rubbish

+2 pts per person
🚗

Designated Driver

Drive the group somewhere (sober!)

+5 pts per person
🎨

Decorating

Help set up for the birthday dinner/party

+3 pts per person

Points awarded by Joe via the Leaderboard admin panel. No slacking!

These run the entire trip - keep an eye out!

📸

Photo of the Day

Best photo each day wins 2 pts. Submit to the Photo Wall and Joe picks the winner each evening.

+2 pts/day
🌅

Early Bird

First person up each morning (with proof!) gets a point. No going back to bed.

+1 pt/day
🦉

Night Owl

Last person standing each night. Must still be functioning the next day.

+1 pt/day
🇫🇷

Parlez-Vous Francais?

Caught speaking French unprompted? Bonus point. Caught refusing to try? Penalty point.

+1 / -1 pts
🏊

Pool Dip Streak

Swim every single day of the trip. Complete the streak for a 5pt bonus on the last day.

+5 pts bonus
🤝

Good Sport Award

Voted by the group at the end. Who was the best team player all week?

+5 pts
😂

Funniest Moment

Voted daily. Made everyone crack up? That's worth a point.

+1 pt/day
✋

Left Hand Drink Challenge

Must hold your drink in your LEFT hand at all times. If someone catches you using your right hand, you finish your drink. The spotter earns a point.

+1 pt/catch
🎭

Accent Hour

A random accent is announced at dinner each evening. For the next hour, everyone must speak in that accent. Break character and you lose a point. Survive the full hour for +2.

+2 pts/success | -1 break
📵

Phone Detox

2-hour "phone jail" windows announced at mealtimes. Phones go in a pile. First person to crack and check theirs loses a point. Survive for +1.

+1 pt/survival

🗡 Secret Assassin - Live Tracker

25 Alive
0 Eliminated

No kills yet... the game begins Day 1 evening 🗡

Leaderboard

Teams battle, individuals shine - who's coming out on top?

🍺

Team Vouvray

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points
🍷

Team Chinon

0
points
🥂

Team Sancerre

0
points
🍋

Team Muscadet

0
points
🌸

Team Anjou

0
points

No activity yet - let the games begin!

No points awarded yet - let the games begin!

How Well Do You Know Joe?

Test your knowledge of the birthday legend!

🧠

Think you know Joe?

10 questions to prove you're a true friend!

🏆 Leaderboard

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Trip Bingo

Cross off moments as they happen!