The kooky world of GISHWHES, the epic online scavenger hunt

Rachel Logan dressed up as Cookie Monster to hand out cookies at Sick Kids Hospital in this image from 2014. The good deed earned her 28 points in the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen -- otherwise known as GISHWHES. (YouTube)

Usually, Rachel Logan lives inside the box. She’s an office manager, a mother of two and many nights she volunteers as a Beaver Scouts leader. She describes her typical day-to-day life as pretty “straight and narrow.”

Usually.

But for the past two years, she's stepped outside the box for a few days. Last year she dressed up as Wonder Woman and posed in front of the CN Tower, and she enlisted a carrier pigeon to deliver her grocery list. This year she's started ordering her morning tea in the form of a ‘Jeopardy!’ question.

That’s because Logan, 37, is a participant in the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen, or GISHWHES (pronounced gish-wez). Really, the name says it all.

“It’s crazy,” Logan told CTVNews.ca from Bowmanville, Ont. on Tuesday, the fourth day of the week-long competition. “It’s so overwhelming, but that’s why we have a team.”

The concept is simple: 15-person teams from across the globe join forces to tackle a long list of tasks, or “items,” as the competition calls them. Each item is assigned points, and teams must shoot video or photos to prove each task’s completion. The group with the most points at the end of seven days wins an all-expenses paid trip to an exotic destination. (This year, it’s Costa Rica.)

Sound easy? Consider the list. The items include relocating a full playground (swing set included) inside a corporate plaza (108 points), persuading your local weatherman to dress as a superhero in drag (112 points), and playing ping pong underwater using a raw egg yolk as a ball (108 points).

The kookiness of the competition is designed to disrupt the monotony of everyday life and inspire people to connect with one another, organizers say.

“We can choose freedom. We can carve out our own path. We can actually talk to a homeless person on the sidewalk or we can gather the courage to sing in public. An entirely different version of reality is open to us if we make ourselves available to it,” say GISHWHES organizers on their website.

For Logan, who is a second-year GISH-er, the competition has drawn her out of her shell and towards rewarding – if sometimes odd – experiences.

“Pretty soon I’m going to butter up my 6-year-old son and give him a hug,” she said. It’ll earn her 56 points for completing item #10, which invites players to “find someone you love and butter them up.”

Last year, she dressed up as Cookie Monster and visited Toronto’s Sick Kids hospital to hand out cookies (56 points).

Later that day, she switched costumes and headed to the CN Tower as Super Woman to earn 28 points.

“Who does this stuff?” Logan asked with a laugh.

Lots of people, apparently. GISHWHES organizers wouldn’t reveal the exact number of teams, but told CTVNews.ca there are "over a thousand" participating this year.

Earlier this week, a pair of GISH-ers was spotted wearing hula skirts and coconut bras while embracing at Toronto's Union Station. On Twitter, “Star Trek” alum William Shatner – who is competing under “Team Shatner” -- seems to be courting Justin Bieber for help on an item.

Shatner isn’t the only famous face connected to the game. “Supernatural” actor Misha Collins hosts the hunt, and he joins the winning team on their exotic vacation. Previous years have included trips to a haunted castle in Scotland, Italy and a pirate ship in Croatia.

Sound fun? Registration is closed, so you’ll have to wait for next year.

But for Logan, competing in GISHWHES has little to do with the prize. She sees it as a way “to celebrate life.”

“I’m a rule-follower, I’m a do-gooder. So to do something out-of-the-box like this, it’s necessary for my soul.”

How GISHWHES works

Cost? $20 per person, but players can apply for a "scholarship" online in the weeks before the hunt.

When is it? This year the competition runs between August 1 and August 8. Organizers expect to hold it again around the same time next year.

How do you join? Simply register online. Registration is now closed, but will reopen next year a few months before the launch date.

How do you win? By getting creative. According to organizers: “In the past, the winning teams have not completed the most items; they have completed many items, and many of those items have been amazing.”

Who judges? Founder Misha Collins and a small team of appointed judges wade through the submissions. Those that complete the challenge to the judges’ satisfaction (or make them laugh) earn points. In some cases, extraordinary efforts earn bonus points.

Where’s the glory? GISHWHES puts out a coffee table book each year with a curated selection of the most impressive items. There’s also the GISHWHES Hall of Fame online.

How many items are on the list? There are 213 items for 2015, but the list is often revised throughout the hunt.

What are some odd items? There are plenty. Here are a few from 2015: