Neknominate

2013viral video challengedead

Published September 8, 2026

Neknominate, also known as Neck and Nominate, was a viral drinking game where participants filmed themselves chugging alcohol in extreme ways and then called out friends to top them within 24 hours. The chain-nomination format traces back to British university slang around 2008, got a homegrown Australian rewrite in the early 2010s, and exploded across Facebook in January 2014. Within weeks it turned deadly, spawned kindness-based parodies, and burned out just as fast as it started.

dangerous challenge memeschallenge memesparticipatory video memesfacebook memesmoral panic memes

Overview

The format is simple: film yourself downing an alcoholic drink in one go, then name two friends who have 24 hours to top your performance with something more disgusting or dangerous7. Escalation is the point. Early clips showed guys chugging beers in cold weather or unusual outfits, but within weeks the challenge morphed into people drinking from toilet bowls, ski boots, and mixing spirits with milk, salt, sugar and cinnamon1.

The tone sits between frat-house dare and gross-out contest. The Facebook rules page for the game described the concept as 'Neck your drink. Nominate another. Don't break the chain, don't be a d**k. The social drinking game for social media! #neknominate. Drink Responsibly'2. That 'don't break the chain' pressure drove the escalation, since refusing a nomination in front of your friend network looked soft. Videos usually ended with the drinker pointing at the camera and shouting two names, passing the 24-hour clock to the next players7.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube / Facebook (viral spread)
Date
2013

The phrase 'neck and nominate' had been kicking around Cambridge University drinking circles since about 20088. The first known filmed version arrived on November 29, 2012, when British YouTuber Will Green uploaded a clip called 'Neck and Nominate' showing a young man downing a beer outside a townhouse door before calling out the next player5.

The modern chain-video format, though, came from Australia. According to Jay Anthony, who later ran the movement's biggest Facebook hub, the current game was invented at Scotch College in Western Australia, where one student chugged a beer and told a mate 'you're next'3. The pattern caught on locally, moved through Australian and New Zealand student circles, and then jumped to Facebook the following year.

How It Spread

Momentum built through early 2013. On January 24 of that year, YouTuber Tom Jeffery posted 'TJ Neck & Nominate,' in which a man in swim briefs stood inside a hole in the ground, poured milk over his head, chugged a beer and challenged someone named 'Spartacus'6. The Independent later reported the hashtag first started trending in the UK that same month2.

The real explosion came in January 2014. A Facebook page called 'Neknominate' launched on January 2 and pulled 19,000 likes in its first month8. A rival page, 'The Best Neknominate Videos,' went live on January 7 and hit close to 175,000 followers by early February3. Vice tracked down that page's Australian creator, Jay Anthony, who said the game had moved through Australia and New Zealand and was 'even gaining traction in Europe'3.

Coverage went mainstream fast. The Independent reported on a Melbourne case in which a 21-year-old was filmed climbing out of a car boot to neck a beer as the vehicle drove through traffic, prompting a Victoria Police investigation2. The Daily Mail ran photos of a shirtless drinker being lowered upside down into a toilet bowl by his ankles, and another of an Australian man pouring alcohol into a ski boot to skoll it1. Australian outlets covered it as a public safety issue as videos got wilder, with tricks like being pelted with objects, having firecrackers thrown, and having pants set on fire while chugging2.

How to Use This Meme

To play, film yourself drinking an alcoholic beverage or mixture in one go, then name two friends at the end of the clip. Those nominees typically have 24 hours to top your effort before nominating the next round of players7. Common escalation moves include using strange containers like toilets or ski boots, mixing spirits with non-alcoholic ingredients like milk, salt, sugar, cinnamon or raw eggs, and doing the whole thing in an unusual location or costume1.

Cultural Impact

The game turned fatal within a month of going viral. In February 2014, 29-year-old Stephen Brookes died after downing a pint of vodka as part of a Neknominate challenge4. British lawyers publicly warned that people issuing a challenge that ended in death could face manslaughter charges if the outcome was foreseeable4. Alcohol education charity Drinkaware also raised concerns about 'cybershame,' pointing out that 47 percent of 18-to-24 year olds had admitted un-tagging drunk photos of themselves online2. Coverage of Brookes' death and several other fatalities across the UK and Ireland effectively killed the trend by mid-2014.

Derivatives & Variations

The game spawned several parody chain formats in early 2014. RAKnomination, a 'random act of kindness' spinoff, started when Canadian production company Andy Media delivered free pizza and warm drinks to homeless people in Toronto on January 27, 2014, during an extreme cold weather alert. NipNominate, launched February 3 by British nursing student Michelle Kent under the twin names 'Bangers to Cancer' and 'NipNominate,' asked women to post cleavage selfies to raise money for breast cancer charities. Nicnominate, a Twitter parody that started February 19, had users post a Nicolas Cage photo with a one-word description of his mood and tag two people to continue the chain[8].

Frequently Asked Questions

Neknominate

2013viral video challengedead

Published September 8, 2026

Neknominate, also known as Neck and Nominate, was a viral drinking game where participants filmed themselves chugging alcohol in extreme ways and then called out friends to top them within 24 hours. The chain-nomination format traces back to British university slang around 2008, got a homegrown Australian rewrite in the early 2010s, and exploded across Facebook in January 2014. Within weeks it turned deadly, spawned kindness-based parodies, and burned out just as fast as it started.

dangerous challenge memes challenge memes participatory video memes facebook memes moral panic memes

Overview

The format is simple: film yourself downing an alcoholic drink in one go, then name two friends who have 24 hours to top your performance with something more disgusting or dangerous7. Escalation is the point. Early clips showed guys chugging beers in cold weather or unusual outfits, but within weeks the challenge morphed into people drinking from toilet bowls, ski boots, and mixing spirits with milk, salt, sugar and cinnamon1.

The tone sits between frat-house dare and gross-out contest. The Facebook rules page for the game described the concept as 'Neck your drink. Nominate another. Don't break the chain, don't be a d**k. The social drinking game for social media! #neknominate. Drink Responsibly'2. That 'don't break the chain' pressure drove the escalation, since refusing a nomination in front of your friend network looked soft. Videos usually ended with the drinker pointing at the camera and shouting two names, passing the 24-hour clock to the next players7.

Origin & Background

Platform
YouTube / Facebook (viral spread)
Date
2013

The phrase 'neck and nominate' had been kicking around Cambridge University drinking circles since about 20088. The first known filmed version arrived on November 29, 2012, when British YouTuber Will Green uploaded a clip called 'Neck and Nominate' showing a young man downing a beer outside a townhouse door before calling out the next player5.

The modern chain-video format, though, came from Australia. According to Jay Anthony, who later ran the movement's biggest Facebook hub, the current game was invented at Scotch College in Western Australia, where one student chugged a beer and told a mate 'you're next'3. The pattern caught on locally, moved through Australian and New Zealand student circles, and then jumped to Facebook the following year.

How It Spread

Momentum built through early 2013. On January 24 of that year, YouTuber Tom Jeffery posted 'TJ Neck & Nominate,' in which a man in swim briefs stood inside a hole in the ground, poured milk over his head, chugged a beer and challenged someone named 'Spartacus'6. The Independent later reported the hashtag first started trending in the UK that same month2.

The real explosion came in January 2014. A Facebook page called 'Neknominate' launched on January 2 and pulled 19,000 likes in its first month8. A rival page, 'The Best Neknominate Videos,' went live on January 7 and hit close to 175,000 followers by early February3. Vice tracked down that page's Australian creator, Jay Anthony, who said the game had moved through Australia and New Zealand and was 'even gaining traction in Europe'3.

Coverage went mainstream fast. The Independent reported on a Melbourne case in which a 21-year-old was filmed climbing out of a car boot to neck a beer as the vehicle drove through traffic, prompting a Victoria Police investigation2. The Daily Mail ran photos of a shirtless drinker being lowered upside down into a toilet bowl by his ankles, and another of an Australian man pouring alcohol into a ski boot to skoll it1. Australian outlets covered it as a public safety issue as videos got wilder, with tricks like being pelted with objects, having firecrackers thrown, and having pants set on fire while chugging2.

How to Use This Meme

To play, film yourself drinking an alcoholic beverage or mixture in one go, then name two friends at the end of the clip. Those nominees typically have 24 hours to top your effort before nominating the next round of players7. Common escalation moves include using strange containers like toilets or ski boots, mixing spirits with non-alcoholic ingredients like milk, salt, sugar, cinnamon or raw eggs, and doing the whole thing in an unusual location or costume1.

Cultural Impact

The game turned fatal within a month of going viral. In February 2014, 29-year-old Stephen Brookes died after downing a pint of vodka as part of a Neknominate challenge4. British lawyers publicly warned that people issuing a challenge that ended in death could face manslaughter charges if the outcome was foreseeable4. Alcohol education charity Drinkaware also raised concerns about 'cybershame,' pointing out that 47 percent of 18-to-24 year olds had admitted un-tagging drunk photos of themselves online2. Coverage of Brookes' death and several other fatalities across the UK and Ireland effectively killed the trend by mid-2014.

Derivatives & Variations

The game spawned several parody chain formats in early 2014. RAKnomination, a 'random act of kindness' spinoff, started when Canadian production company Andy Media delivered free pizza and warm drinks to homeless people in Toronto on January 27, 2014, during an extreme cold weather alert. NipNominate, launched February 3 by British nursing student Michelle Kent under the twin names 'Bangers to Cancer' and 'NipNominate,' asked women to post cleavage selfies to raise money for breast cancer charities. Nicnominate, a Twitter parody that started February 19, had users post a Nicolas Cage photo with a one-word description of his mood and tag two people to continue the chain[8].

Frequently Asked Questions