Whether it’s visiting a sick child in a hospital, holding up secret signs outside of The Today Show, taking photos outside of landmarks with signs of positivity, or hosting a business meeting underwater, GISHWHES, The Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen, embodies the strange and fun nature many New Yorkers possess while shining a light on problems in the world and working toward remedying them. GISHWHES was created by Misha Collins, the actor who plays Castiel in the TV show Supernatural. When Collins was at the University of Chicago, he took part in the annual scavenger hunt, which became the inspiration for GISHWHES. The goal behind Misha’s online international scavenger hunt was to break a world record and get as many people from all around the world to participate.

With Misha’s massive fan base, GISHWHES achieved the initial goal of breaking the record for “Largest Media Scavenger Hunt” with over 14 thousand participants and went on to break the record for “The Longest Chain of Safety Pins” with over 3 thousand pins, the “Largest Online Photo Album of Hugs” with over a 100 thousand photos, and most important to Misha, the “Most Pledges to Complete a Random Act of Kindness” with over 90 thousand pledges. GISHWHES isn’t just a fun event, the hunt was also created to act as the biggest annual fundraiser for Collins’ charity, Random Acts. Collins often recounts his childhood when he was living in poverty and was homeless for a time. One Christmas, his mother didn’t have enough money to buy the family gifts and a stranger paid for them. That moment has always stuck with Collins and he began his charity to focus on small and big random acts of kindness that make people’s day or lives a little easier.

Every year, GISHWHES chooses one massive project for the scavenger hunt to fund. In addition to all registration costs going toward Random Acts, one item on the list called for donations for Dancescape, a ballet school in Zolani, an impoverished area of South Africa. The school was created by Fiona Sargeant to empower and bring hope to the children of Zolani. When Fiona was diagnosed with terminal cancer, the fate of her school was unknown. GISHWHES participants raised over 200 thousand dollars to ensure that Fiona Sargeant’s legacy will continue for years to come.

When the list of GISHWES tasks is released, teams scramble to complete the list of bizarre, impossible, and heartwarming tasks that they must take videos of and photograph. Much like many New Yorkers, Gishers, as participants of the scavenger hunt are fondly called, are a group of people passionate about charity, breaking through the boundaries of normal, and testing their own courage and limits. Collins announced mid-registration that this GISHWHES would be the last “as we know it,” so the stakes were high and emotions were heightened as teams raced against the clock to complete the 200 plus tasks Misha had laid out.

Here are 28 bizarre and heartwarming items from Misha Collins’ Final 2017 GISHWHES.

28. Item #80: The Today Show Signs

Item #80: You’ve all seen dog shaming memes on the internets. You know that crowd that lines up at the plaza of The Today Show and shows up on air? Let’s take it over with gisher-self-shaming signs. Hold up a large, colorful sign that details something you did that you probably shouldn’t have done (for example, “I drank milk straight from the carton and put it back in the fridge without telling my roommates.”) Make it a light-hearted trivial violation, not a deep-seated personality flaw, actual violation of the law, or serious offense. Show us a clip with ACTUAL AIRED FOOTAGE that shows tour team’s sign and in the comments section of the item let us know which sign was yours. Do not add your team name or “gishwhes” anywhere on the sign… we want this to be a mystery.

Many GISHWHES items are location-based and can only be completed if the participant lives in that area or has connections there. New York City gishers were thrilled to have an item right in their backyard and it’s visible in the video that more than one team was present at The Today Show holding up their self-shame signs. Team Death’s_Deep_Dish was ashamed of singing and winning more fake arguments in the shower than actually… showering.

27. Item #206: Sorry, Sweden

#206: Take a picture of yourself in front of the biggest landmark or point of interest in your town while holding a beautiful hand-lettered sign that reads, “We are Sorry, Sweden.” This is a location-based item so you may do this anywhere in the world… except Sweden.

This item came about when Saga, a Swedish teammate from the Luscious Lucifers wrote a cheeky email to GISHWHES about having no Sweden-based location items in the hunt’s history. The email was forwarded to Misha and his equally cheeky response was to have teams apologize to Sweden in any location that’s not Sweden, instead of creating an item for Sweden.

Lana from Team The_Idjits is the designated dress-maker for items and wanted to go above and beyond for her “Sorry, Sweden” contribution by crafting a dress made entirely from Ikea bags. The photograph was taken at the Dom Tower in Utrecht of The Netherlands.

Saga added an “apology accepted” photo to the Luscious Lucifers’ submission for this item.

26. Item #123: Meet Another Gisher Day

Item #123: As all gishers know, Saturday, August 12 is “Meet Another Gisher Day.” Meet up in front of the largest art museum in your town at 10:00 AM (of whatever timezone you’re in.) It’s a pot-luck coleslaw brunch this year so bring your favorite family recipe of coleslaw… and as much sidewalk chalk as you can. After brunch, decorate the pavement with a collaborative message to the world. In order for a meet-up to count you need to have representatives of at least 5 teams present, so this will require some organizing. Gishwhes is all about coming together, so teams may collaborate (gasp!) on this one, but your team’s image or video must still be all your own.

New York City gishers were prepared to knock this item out of the park as they gathered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th Avenue. Well surpassing the five-team requirement, New York City gishers had a difficult time figuring out the names of all of the teams present at the meetup and took to the Facebook group to identify the 25 plus teams in attendance.

25. Item #21: Spectral Olympics

Item #21: Let’s see the world famous once-every-3000-years “Spectral Olympics.”

GISHWES is equal parts creativity and luck in terms of what you are able to accomplish. Amber from team SuperSherFireWholigans had a good combination of both as she lives right near the Olympic Training Facility in Utah which allows spectators free of charge. Amber was able to overlay multiple photos of the practice to get the iridescent photo quality depicted above.

One of Amber’s shots before the layering process.

In addition to accomplishing items, Amber took to the Gishwhes groups on Facebook every day to remind gishers to eat, sleep, and take any medication they might be on, which stems from the responsibility she’s developed throughout her three years of GISHWHES. She uses the hunt as a way to get in touch with her sillier side.

24. Item #137: Elderly Joyride

Item #137: Take an elderly person on a joyride in his or her favorite car (same make and model and vintage) from youth. The elderly person must be at least 70 years old; the car, at least 60 years old… and you and the senior must be dressed in period attire that reflects the era when the car was manufactured.

Kelli is a third-year gisher on team Widdermonsters, formerly known as Widdermacker, the 2015 GISHWHES winners though she wasn’t on the team at that time. This item was easily one of Kelli’s favorite from the hunt because her grandmother was really excited to share her past with Kelli and to pick out ’50s inspired clothing for them to wear. Her grandmother’s need for speed became apparent as they cruised down the highway in the ’55 Belair.

23. Item #107: Virtual Graffiti

Item #107: Let’s virtually graffiti the world with kindness! Using a GPS tracking app (like Figure Running or similar,) walk, jog, or run as large a path as you can to spell out a message of love, hope, or kindness. As you go, stop and perform acts of kindness and document them. You must show us the map with coordinates at the end of your path as well as the minimum of 3 documented acts of kindness- Inspired by Tia Pogue.

Lana from Team Death’s_Deep_Dish spelled out “Don’t lose hope” in her 11-mile trek across New York City. Along the way, she stopped to give care packages and necessities to the homeless people of the city that could use a helping hand. This item personifies GISHWHES’ mission to spread hope and joy while performing small acts of kindness to people who need it. Her journey ended at Trump Tower as a symbolic way to shine hope in a country that has faced so much devastation in the past few weeks.

22. Item #163: Aquarium Hat

#163: This hunt’s must-have fashion trend: an aquarium hat with live fish. The aquarium hat must not endanger the live fish in any way.

Lover of aquatic life and employee of Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey, Xandra was the perfect person for the job. With her connections at the aquarium, she was able to go to the aquarium right before closing, get her face painted like a seal to match her seal onesie, and pose with her new fish, Fishwhes in front of the shark tank with the help of her co-worker, Natalie.

Photobombed by Bob, the sea turtle, and a shark, Fishwhes got to meet some of his fellow sea creatures in the comfort of his aquarium hat and is now happily swimming in his new five-gallon tank.

21. Item #23: Moon Fairies

Item #23: This morning, my daughter Maison reported having seen a “moon fairy” while I was sleeping last night. As you know, the rarely-seen moon fairies are mischevious, nocturnal creatures who participate in synchronized, representational flight. Using a long exposure and flashlights, (or other movable light sources) photograph these elusive beasts.

To win GISHWHES, it’s not necessarily about how many items you complete, but how well you complete them. Photos of high quality and aesthetic have the chance of earning more points than several rushed items. Misha Collins has frequently said that most winners didn’t complete the most items. Margo, of Team Purgatorgy, was a former winner of the hunt because of the great care she takes in making her photos unique.

2o. Item #51: Thank You For Your Service

Item #51: Anyone who serves in the military is risking their life to save their nation. Being respectful to not trespass on military grounds, stand in front of a large military craft, ship, tank, or plane with an inclusive sign of thanks to every service member of every kind. You may post this image on social media prior to the end of the hunt if you choose.

Photographed at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tuscan, Arizona, teammates Sioux and Tammie carted around a massive thank you poster to honor the troops that serve their country. The duo was let into the museum for free by the lovely people at the museum. Bridget, the team’s photo editor, notes that this was her first GISHWHES and she had an amazing time completing so many intense creative challenges. She wishes she could do it all over next week.

19. Item #37: Storm Trooper Public Transit

Item #37: No one talks about the fact that the destruction of the Death Star put thousands of Stormtroopers out of work. Luckily, the Empire has a pretty robust social safety net and most of them have been retrained and placed in new jobs, the majority of which have been in the transportation sector. Let’s see a stormtrooper driving/flying a large passenger vehicle. Must be for mass transit, not just a car or a van. A subway, train, bus, ferry, plane, etc.

Some GISHWHES items can be expected every year. Since the beginning of the hunt, there has always been a Stormtrooper item that has the galaxy’s most notorious beings doing something you wouldn’t expect. Past years have seen Stormtroopers cleaning the pool, getting pampered, and now driving mass transit. This trooper, photographed by Saga from team The Luscious Lucifers, is driving a train in Sweden.

18. Item #94: Pet Store Camouflage

Item #94: Camouflage yourself in a pet store.

Team Purgatorgy cased the joint prior to setting up this item and did a stellar paint job to camouflage in with the back of the pet store. The clothes were painted over and edges of the tank were lined up to create a chameleon effect of camouflage. Most teams dressed up like animals for the item but team Purgatorgy had a unique approach to the item.

17. Item #67: Banana Bikini

Item #67: Banana Hammock. This year’s summer fashion elitists are all wearing the latest rage: Banana Bikini or Banana Briefs. Join them!

Another GISHWHES staple is the food item bikinis. Past hunts have seen watermelon rind bikinis, candy bikinis, and cheese bikinis. Misha Collins often chooses an item he bizarrely obsesses over so 2017 had a large number of banana themed items.

Austin is a junior in high school who absolutely loathes bananas. He was helping out his mom with items throughout the hunt and decided that if he was going to wearing a fruit he hated so much, he should at least be making a positive statement of some kind. As a future member of the military, Austin landed on a cause that means something to him: LGBT representation in the military.

Austin notes, “as someone who aspires to be in the military, I thought that this would be a great chance to show that I care. I know I am a cis, straight male, but I think it’s important for people like me, especially at my age, to speak out so others know that they are loved and respected and that they are not alone.”

Austin painted the top part of the bikini with the trans flag in light of the recent tweet made by the President of the United States that trans individuals would not be welcome to serve in the military. “Everyone matters in this world regardless of their sexual identity or orientation and anyone who wants to serve this country should be able to,” Austin says.

16. Item #112: Ballet Bar Brawl

Item #112: A ballet troupe in tutus, engaged in a bar brawl- freeze frame in its most climactic moment.

Jason from team Llama-nomenal had friends in ballet troupe of the Venemuine Theater in Tartu, Estonia. While the ballet troupe was beyond excited to take part in the epic bar brawl adventure, the confused bar staff were not, though they reluctantly agreed to allow the photo. Jason notes that the staff was hiding from all of “the crazy foreigners” partaking in the bar brawl.

15. Item #1: 20 Meter Sand Message

Item #1: Do you live near (or within a fun road trip’s length of) some sand dunes or a beach? If so, the time has come to fulfill your destiny. Make a massive portrait (must be larger than 20 square meters – the larger the better) of either someone who inspires you or write a message of hope beautifully written in sand. Use a drone to capture footage, if helpful. Make sure you are not working on protected or ecologically sensitive dunes.

Team The Luscious Lucifers was pretty bummed when there wasn’t an item on the list to honor Carrie Fisher and her legacy after her death in 2016. Members of the team were touched by her open conversations and advocacy for mental health in addition to being big Star Wars fans. As such, they decided to sculpt a massive moment in Carrie’s honor featuring a portrait of Princess Leia and quotes “Rebellions are built on hope” and “join the resistance” from Star Wars.

An entire day was dedicated to this item as a teammate almost fell off of a lifeguard stand to photograph the sand sculpture and got harassed in the city at 3am by a drug dealer as she attempted to take the bus home. IT was absolutely worth it.

14. Item #155: Tampon Sculpture

Item #155: Over the years, we’ve had menstrual-hygiene supply sculptures of everything from dinosaurs to seagulls to puppies. We’ve also gotten a lot of flak for encouraging waste, and in protest, gishers have donated thousands of menstrual pads to shelters, (which actually proves that in fact, we at gishwhes can do no wrong.) This final year’s list wouldn’t be complete without a menstrual-hygiene sculpture, so we’re ending this by splitting the difference: Create a tiny, perfectly sculpted statue of Michaelangelo’s David or another famous historic sculpture of your choosing using out of a SINGLE tampon, and then donate at least 1 box of menstrual hygiene supplies to your local shelter. The image must be of your sculpture. The donation will be on the honor system.

Bridget from team The Lemon Cartel was fully anticipating a full menstrual hygiene item and even practiced with a foot long giraffe in anticipation for the item. She wasn’t expecting the change to a single tampon but was excited to meet the challenge head-on. This was her first submitted item for GISHWHES and she was proud to have accomplished the sculpture using every part of the tampon including the wrapper, applicator, and string.

13. Item #151: Cat Island Dressed as a Dog

Item #151: Visit Cat Island (Tashirojima, Japan) dressed as a dog. You must have at least 10 cats in the photo.

It helps to have friends in random places. Team Walla Walla Bing Bang happened to have a friend visiting the island one day during GISHWHES and was able to get her to don a dog mask and feed the native cats.

12. Item #78: Video Games at a Pediatric Hospital

Item #78: Being in the hospital can be scary and lonely for kids! Visit your local hospital to play a two-player video game with a pediatric patient. Be sure to dress thematically to match your games! Take a picture of yourself in front of the children’s hospital. Do not take pictures with the kids unless they approve, their gaurdian(s) approve, and the hospital approves; we don’t want them to feel exploited. However, you MUST play with a child to get points for this item. This will be the honor system. You will have very bad karma if you cheat on this one. -Kristin Lindsay

Teammate of Team Purgatorgy donned a Princess Peach dress to play video games with a pediatric patient at Palm Beach Children’s hospital. This was an especially fitting item for the team as teammate Margo recounts her first GISHWHES.

Margo had recently been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and had an especially hard time with summers being cooped up with nothing to do. When she began her first GISHWHES, she had a full week of 24/7 activity, creation, and motivation that helped her find ways to manage her disorder. “I’m in serious denial that it really is over, but all great things must come to an end, I suppose. I will carry GISHWHES everywhere I go, though, and that will never end,” she remarked on the news that this would be the last GISHWHES.

11. Item #65: SuperWhoWatch 3D Street Art

Item #65: You know SuperWhoLock? The amalgamation of Supernatural, Doctor Who, and Sherlock?  Well, that’s been done to death and everyone has moved on to the next big mash-up. Let’s see 3D street art on a pavement or wall (in chalk!) that’s of a scene or setting from SuperWhoWatch (an amalgamation of Supernatural, Doctor Who, and BayWatch.)

This massive chalk portrait was drawn by Robbie, her mom, Carole Ann, and Mark from team Wayward Gypsy Squirrels took eight hours and two days to complete. The portrait is over eight feet long and features a Tardis from Doctor Who, Zach Effron from the 2017 Baywatch movie, and a moose and squirrel both representing Robbie’s team name and Dean and Sam Winchester from Supernatural.

GISHWHES has massively helped Robbie on a personal level as she often doesn’t come out of her box for fear of failing. GISHWHES helped get her out of her shell and embrace her creativity. In addition to bringing her family closer together, Robbie says that she’s gained a whole new host of family members in her fellow gishers and teammates.

10. Item #203: Bearby Goes to Washington

Item #203: Bearby Von Bearamucci has a job interview at the White House on August 12th at 8pm ET sharp! Coordinate with other gishers to take him at least 5 miles but no more than 100 miles, from your starting point. On your leg of the journey, post a picture of you, Bearby, and the gisher you’re handing him off to and geo-tag the location. Tag @gishwhes, the next gisher, and @BearbyVonB and us the hashtag #gettherbearthere. You MUST hand Bearby off to complete your item or you get zero points.

This was one of Misha’s more elaborate items that was almost doomed to fail. The item was created mid-hunt when most Californians were asleep and it took almost a day for Bearby to make it out of California. Gishers worked tirelessly to coordinate with each other to make it happen.

Jessica, from Team The Longest Gishwhes Team Name Ever, played a part in helping Bearby reach his destination by driving him 86 miles from Pocahontas Illinois to Greenup. While this item was more of a cooky and fun nature, Jessica, a fourth-year gisher, enjoys charitable items the most and the fact that GISHWHES brings mental health issues to the forefront of awareness.

9. Item #72: Underwater Board Meeting

Item #72: I hate to say it, but this financial company is underwater. Let’s see a board meeting- with professionally dressed people at a table with chairs, paper, pens, etc… all fully submerged at the bottom of a swimming pool.

The big group of The Luscious Lucifers from Arizona managed to pull off this difficult item by salvaging broken computers and chords to make the meeting look as realistic as possible. This is one of the group’s favorite items despite the fact that Sami and Tyler’s mom’s table and chair had to be thrown out after hunt due to water damage. Sorry, Mom!

8. Item #30: Shelter Animals

Item #30: Shelter pets rarely get any attention and millions are put down each year. Many times this can be avoided if people on the interwebs (who would like and could responsibly own a pet) were to see how cute, available, lonely, and cuddly they are. Let’s save a pet or two (or thousands.) Grab a friend or two and visit a shelter. Spend time with one or more of the pets there and post a selfie of your favorite pet looking for a “forever home” on Twitter or Instagram, tagging @NewLeashUSA, using hashtag #adoptmeplease, and the social media handle or name of the shelter (so people can contact them.)

Michele from team Jabberwockies helped not one but two dogs get adopted from the Franklin County Animal Shelter in Columbus, Ohio. Her initial submission was for a dog named Corky who was fairly hyper and would need some extra assistance getting adopted, which he did. She and her son then met Quinn, with whom they fell in love and tried to take home, but their senior was acting aggressively and they didn’t want to risk either dog’s  health or happiness and reluctantly had to leave Quinn at the shelter.

Michele’s heart was breaking for Quinn so she decided to make another post for him and he was adopted shortly after and she is immensely grateful to whoever took him home. Michele is no stranger to volunteering and she enjoys contributing to the hope in a world that constantly tests the will of its inhabitants to leave it a better place than we came into it.

7. Item #159: Virus Poem

Item 159: Who said you couldn’t hunt while in the hospital? Certainly not any of us! Show off your large-scale cartoon skills by writing the longest poem (or drawing the largest mural) you can, all about the adventures of a virus caught in a hospital, made from a roll of exam table paper.

Team LeikrFram completed this item in Esperance, Western Australia and notes that it was one of their favorite items to complete. Sally and her team love the freedom that GISHWHES has given so many people across the globe and encouraging people to work together to use their hidden gifts and talents to make others smile. They believe that those qualities are an important part of life and that being able to use them on such a large scale is absolutely epic.

6. Item #124: Be Someone’s Rock

Item #124: Be someone’s “rock” to get them through the hard times. Hand-paint small messages of kindness and leave them in areas that need a pick-me-up. (On the underside, please write “Pass it on.”) You must paint and hide at least one rock for each member of your team.

Jillian from team Wallawallabingbang painted each rock with words that resonated with her and that she wished she had heard when she was growing up. She placed them around the Supernatural convention in Vancouver in hopes of spreading love and words of hope around to others. Jillian loves being able to make people smile and this item was very close to her heart. Jillian enjoys GISHWHES because she loves being able to spread love and mayhem while being free to be exactly who she is.

5. Item 156: Misha and the Queen Relic

Item 156: Sure, Misha and HRH Queen Elizabeth II had a rocky year in 2016 with their “Brexit Breakup,” but despite a brief conscious uncoupling, theirs is a love that stands the test of time. Prove it by showing us Egyptian hieroglyphics, Greek urns, or other recently-unearthed archaeological finds that prove theirs is a love that has lasted through the ages. If you’re choosing to do a hieroglyphic, you may no permanently deface any stone- use chalk!

Misha Collins has had an intense fascination with Queen Elizabeth and there has been an item illustrating their torrid, fictional affair since the first hunt in 2011. Misha and the Queen in have shared milkshakes together in ’50s pinup paintings, have starred in a sci-fi story, and now have a love so ancient, it stands the test of time.

Alex from team Tepempo claimed this item the minute the list went up because she’s been studying Ancient Egypt since she was a child and picked the hobby back up only three weeks before the hunt began. Alex ordered three new books on Egypt and real papyrus and set to work on her masterpiece. She used the photos of hieroglyphics from the book as a reference point to create the image of Misha and the Queen and the hieroglyphics come from an ancient Egyptian love poem called, “My Love is One and Only Without Peer.”

Alex used imagery from the poem and depicted it in the scene and the entire project took over six hours to complete. Alex notes that everyone assumes it was bought when they see it and her husband and mother are currently fighting over who gets to frame it.

4. Item #185: Hug a National Forest

Item #185: Hug a National Forest! Grab as many friend as you can and go to your favorite national forest or park and be tree huggers. Set the camera up so we can see all of the tree hugging action clearly.

This year’s hunt had a special interest in forest conservation and preservation, as each GISHWHES registration cost went toward saving one acre of the Nepalese forest. As a surprise to gishers in the top tier of points, an additional acre was donated in the name of each qualifying participant. Altogether, GISHWHES helped preserve over forty thousand acres of the Nepalese forest, ensuring the protection of endangered animals like Chinese pangolins, snow leopards, and red pandas.

Kids, don’t try this at home. Team The Luscious Lucifers set out to Tonto National Forest to hug some… cacti. Risking life and limb to get the perfect shot, teammates braved the sharp bits of the cacti to create this interpretation of forest-hugging. They were scolded by their team captain for recklessness and then promptly praised for how well the photo came out.

3. Item #77: Personify Your Team Name

Item #77: Personify or embody your ream name. Caption your image with your team name. -Shannon

“There is no “huge-r” mistake than “mispelling” your own team name as a tramp stamp,” says Christine from team HugeMistake. She admits that the tattoo is fake and staged, though the stencil is real and the photo was taken at a tattoo shop, the needles never pierced her skin and she happily wiped off her “huge mitsake” upon leaving the studio. Christine is dreading the day her fake tattoo ends up on a “worst tattoo” list.

2. Item #134: Pet Yoga

Item #134: My wife is so trend forward, she recently took a “goat yoga class.” (it’s real; you can google it) Without hurting, upsetting, or endangering ANY animal, show us the next trend in animal-infused yoga that she should get on board with.

Emily from team Random Acts of Fandom was pleased to include her dog Darla in GISHWHES. Darla remained chill through the whole process and different poses were experimented with.

1. Item #37: The Final Kale Art

Item #37: THE FINAL “KALE” ART. (Please note that per Commandment #4 of the 2017 Hunt, this word and material as a Hunt item is not permitted. We are aware of the. That being said, we do not care. You still may not use the word “kale.” Henceforth, it shall be called [REDACTED] BUT you may use it as a material for this item.) Therefore, take a SINGLE glorious piece of [REDACTED] and, using whatever adornments or other decoratives, clipping patterns, etc… create a stunning museum worthy piece of art that shall then be showcased as an ornamental headpiece on you.

Misha Collins has had a strange fascination with kale since the beginning of GISHWHES. It went from being a massive part of the hunt used in multiple items to a taboo subject gishers were no longer able to use or talk about, save for one item every hunt. The new rule put a damper on teams that had previously used kale in their team names.

Carolyn precariously balanced on tiptoe on multiple step stools in her bathroom to achieve this photo. She enjoys GISHWHES because of the creative and silly tasks that have helped her sprint past her comfort zone without a second glance. She’s gained a deeper connection with her friends, teammates, and strangers all around the world.

As a music educator, the item that touched Carolyn the most was the Crowdrise for Fiona’s dance school. She was happy to be able to contribute to continuing Fiona’s legacy from eight thousand miles away. “We may not have been able to cure her illness, would that we could, but we could take care of her many children in her studio. GISHWHES isn’t really about being the best at any given task or winning first prize, it’s about doing as much good as is possible in this world first, and about being silly second,” Carolyn says.

The announcement that GISHWHES 2017 would be the final hunt came as shocking and heartbreaking news to everyone involved. The hunt has helped thousands of people embrace their weird, hone their creativity, and take risks they might not have taken without Misha’s encouragement. Most importantly, GISHWHES taught a huge community how to be kind to each other, how to give back, how small acts of kindness can change someone’s life, and how to manage mental health and yourselves.

In the seven years that GISHWHES has existed, it’s changed the lives of thousands of participants and strangers alike. Misha has announced that it’s not really the end but the start of a new beginning and while it’s hard to say goodbye, gishers can’t wait for what Misha has in store next.

Brandy from team Supernaturally completed an item in 2016 to play a dementia patient’s favorite music. Her grandmother passed away in March of 2017 and GISHWHES gave her her favorite memory with her grandma from the past five years.

Next, check out 12 Places in NYC to Experience the Upcoming Solar Eclipse and 10 of Brooklyn’s Weirdest Places from New Book Secret Brooklyn: An Unusual Guide. Get in touch with the author @LitByLiterature.