Who hasn’t been led astray by dumb bet? The promise of five bucks to name every state capitol, or a whopping $50 to eat something bizarre or grotesque—why, it’s a classic form of mindless (but mostly harmless) entertainment. And sometimes the entire plot of a movie.
When the chance of winning money is involved, that little voice inside our head that says, “Hey, since when can you do parkour?” can become nothing more than a whisper. Plus, there’s the thrill of defying the odds. Get lucky, prove your friend wrong. What could be better?Personally, I still tend to play it safe. I’ll make some quick cash testing my obscure sci-fi knowledge, but that’s about it. But clearly, some people take it up a notch. Jimmy Fallon recently asked his Tonight Show audience to share some of of their wagers with his #MyDumbBet hashtag on X (formerly Twitter). Here are 20 of the silliest, most satisfying responses. Bet you can’t get through them all without shaking your head.
1.
My friend bet me $50 he could finish his beer without touching it. He then paid the bartender $5 to pour it in his mouth. #MyDumbBet— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) March 14, 2022
A $45 dollar profit! Not bad.
2.
my friend bet me $50 that I wouldn’t jump off the garage roof and land on my feet. I landed on my feet… in the trashcan #MyDumbBet— Marina ╰(*´︶`*)╯? (@kanothenano) March 14, 2022
Sometimes even when you win, you lose.
3.
in HS – friend bet me to hop out the window at school, run across the lot, and sneak back in – I did it!
I bet him to do it…he got out and ran, but as he returned, the teacher came to the window and stopped him dead in his tracks – his face was PRICELESS #mydumbbet— zach urquhart (@zurquhart) March 15, 2022
4.
When we were kids I bet my brother he couldn’t sit in the babies safety swing at the park. Technically he won the bet but it took over an hour to free him and we had to call Mum and Dad #MyDumbBet— Sonya (@Sohnzie) March 14, 2022
5.
When I was a kid, my grandmother bet me 100 bucks to eat a whole raw onion. I ate it. She didn’t pay. #MyDumbBet— Dr. S e f e r ? ???? (@SeferMemaj) March 14, 2022
Wow. That’s cold, grandma.
6.
Last year in a snowy winter, I bet my friend if he touch the pole with his tongue ? then i will give him $20. He told me to give him a demo and I ended up with my tongue stuck in the pole for 30min.?— BeatBot NFT creator (@BeatBot_NFTs) March 15, 2022
7.
In high school, my friend Nancy and I couldn’t get to the ice cream shop fast enough after school, so I bet her we could beat the train that was coming down the tracks in my 1978 Ford named “Bucky.” Yeah. We made it in the nick of time. Dumb, invincible teenagers.#MyDumbBet— Laura Oakes (@LauraWCCO) March 14, 2022
My anxiety shot through the roof after reading this one.
8.
I bet my friend $20 that a large trash bag could be used as a parachute. After breaking his ankles from jumping off the house, I’d say that I lost. Not as bad as him though. #MyDumbBet— Mark McMillan.. (@Markey227) March 14, 2022
That’s gotta hurt.
9.
It’s actually a cute one for me, a dumb one for my friend… I asked my friend if her gf would propose to her first, and she said her gf would never propose. I bet my friend she would… fully knowing that her gf was about to propose. Easiest $100 I ever won. #MyDumbBet— Bia? (@BiaKing93) March 14, 2022
An easy win and a sweet moment!
10.
My cocky highschool friend was 3 weeks into martial arts lessons and was boasting his reflexes. He challenged me to red hands. He said “bet you $20 you can’t slap my hands”. SLAP. Then he got mad and said “double or nothin!”…SLAP. #MyDumbBet— bigmonu (@bigmonu) March 15, 2022
11.
#MyDumbBet I bet friends I can jump higher than the building. I then hop, and tell the building,”your turn.”— Grantt Ward Gaming (@GranttWard) March 14, 2022
This guy knew how to use language to his advantage.
12.
In high school I bet my coworker I could “open” the ice cream store in 15 min (usually took an hour). Going great until I poured 6 gallons of liquid froyo into the machine. Heard splattering. I forgot to put the fronts of the machines on. Took an hour to mop it up. #MyDumbBet— seamirac1979 (@seamirac1979) March 14, 2022
Fro-oh no!
13.
I bet my dad 100 bucks he couldn’t eat a slice of pizza with chopsticks in 30 seconds. He then somehow managed to fit the entire slice in his mouth in one big bite. #MyDumbBet— Yash Jagnani (@TheJokerDead1) March 14, 2022
Dad’s not messing around.
14.
I bet my friend he couldn’t slap my teacher on his head
He proceeded to the board and gave him a hot slap…
He told Mr. Charles that there was a mosquito on his head.???— Wendie the OverSabi?? (@Wendie_anya) March 14, 2022
15.
I was riding on the church bus going to Sunday School and a girl put her glasses on the floor and bet that I wouldn’t step on them. I put my foot over them, not intending to step on them but we hit a bump and I crushed them. #MyDumbBet— Jay Offer (@joeoffer2) March 14, 2022
That’s the thing about dumb bets…you never know when you’re being set up for failure.
16.
I bet my nephew $50 he couldn’t stop saying the word “like” for one hour. Without hesitating he said, “This is gonna be like the easiest 50 bucks…Doh!” #MyDumbBet— Rob (@rschmidt42) March 14, 2022
Ugh, I would, like, lose so hard at this too.
17.
#MyDumbBet I bet my college friend that she couldn’t catch more 10 peanuts in her mouth from across the room… She caught them all, but also found out she had an allergy…— Samantha Davidson (@Sallyjo25) March 14, 2022
18.
I bet my friend I could get a date with Chris Evans! ??
Still trying so I didn’t lose right? #mydumbbet— Danielle Nicole (@DNicola22s) March 15, 2022
For this last one, we’ have to call it. Chris Evans is now married. Sorry!
This article originally appeared three years ago.
