The GOSH Commandments

Based on, and outright stolen from, Misha Collin's awesome GISHWHES hunts

2026 NOTE: These commandments also cover PGOSH

As a participant of GOSH you agree to strictly adhere to following these Commandments. If you break a Commandment, you and your team are eligible for immediate disqualification. If a commandment is unclear you are not permitted to contact the Judges. That would just be weird. We suggest you send a smoke signal or ambidextrous carrier pigeon with your question to 37.1052° S, 12.2777° W.

1. Team Formation. October 9th is Team Formation Day when we announce the composition of the teams. Sometime in August/September you will be asked to provide your Camp Directors with the names of three people (other than your suitemate) that you would like to be on a team with, in order of preference. No one other than your Camp Directors will see these choices. We will attempt to accommodate as many of your selections as we can. We will form teams based on a number of other factors like who has a vehicle, geographic regions, favorite Star Trek captain, etc. 

2. The Pre-Hunt. On October 22nd, about one week before Bluebird at the Beach, we will post a list (The Item List) on our site of things for you to do, make or find. Each of these items has points assigned to them. No item can be completed between the posting and the actual hunt. The week of the Pre-Hunt are for you to strategize with your team and to obtain props and such. If an Item says to create something (or paint or cook or build something), it must be created during the Hunt at Bluebird at the Beach . 

3. The Hunt. The hunt itself begins at 5:00pm on Saturday, October 31st and finishes six days later at 5:00pm on Friday, November 6th. You have those six days to complete as many of them as you can. You choose which items to attempt (we don't know if it is possible to complete them all). Once you complete an item, take a picture or video of it (you’ll be told which in the item description) and upload it to your Team's assigned Google Drive. You get points for completed items. The team with the most points wins the Hunt.

4. The Team's Google Drive. Your team will be assigned a drive folder for you to store all of your completed images, videos, and documents. Only your team members and the Judges will have access to the folder.

5. Rights. After Camp is complete for this year, we want to share your stunning Item Submissions with the world. Therefore, by competing, you agree to let us use your stuff. In addition to agreeing to these terms, you also agree that we may use your submissions as knitting patterns, merkins, and/or as interpretive dance routines solely performed under the watchful eye of our Judges of they whom shall not be named unless we need to name them, in which case they shall be named with names that are only suitable as names not to be named. You will be quizzed on these names on the first Friday of the last month before the quarter of the year that applies to any astrological sign that has the letter in it. Basically, what’s yours is ours. Capice?

6. Updates. We will post updates through both the Slack channel and the BXB website on a daily or multiple-times-daily basis during the Scavenger Hunt (FKA GOSH). Items may be added or removed from the List. Rules may be changed mid-Hunt without advance notice, so stay on it. You may stalk the Updates but not GOSH personnel. Thank you.

7. Breaking the Law. None of the items should require breaking the law to complete. If you believe an item requires you to break the law to complete it, DO NOT DO THAT ITEM. We neither have the patience nor the skillset to assess the Civil Code that governs all the Outer Bank’s municipalities and townships, so we leave it to you. In other words, (a) you are not permitted to break any law in an attempt to scavenge an item and (b) GOSH will not be responsible if you break any law, and we won’t post bail or visit you behind bars if you do. If we end up in jail, we fully expect you to pay ours, though.

8. Scavenging Safety. First rule of scavenging: be safe. Second rule of scavenging: if you think you might hurt yourself or someone else trying to complete the Item, do a different Item. We have many. So many. Too many? Or not enough?

9. Shame. It doesn’t exist during Bluebird at the Beach. In fact, if you have any, you may want to hide it for the week of the Hunt and the rest of the year, if you know what’s good for you. Hide it someplace really good so maybe you’ll forget it there. We’d suggest a place, but then we’d know where it was and might accidentally grab it sometime. That would just be awkward if you later saw us out at a coffee shop or whatever and we were hanging out with your shame.

10. Normalcy. Boo. We hate it. I mean, like really, really abhor it. We highly suggest, at least for the week of Bluebird at the Beach, that you try being unnormal. Be weird. Be Odd. Be different. Be so strange your friends, family and the public don’t even recognize you. This will pay off in spades (and points!) for you in the Hunt and in life. NOTE: I am aware that most you are already be incredibly weird and abnormal. More of that, please.

11. The Outer Banks. For the purposes of the GOSH, we are defining the Outer Banks as including the following towns, in order from North to South: Carova Beach, Corolla, Duck, Southern Shores, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Hags Head, Manteo, Wanchese, Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco, Hatteras, and Ocracoke.

12. Item Interpretation. Do not reinterpret items. Provide the item exactly as it is requested. If the item reads “A photo of you standing with the Mayor of Kill Devil Hills,” we don’t want you in front of a picture of the Mayor, or you in front of an action figure of the Mayor. It must be a photo of you with Ben Sproul in the living flesh. If you choose to “interpret” you have a 97.67% chance of getting 0 points. We are serious about this. So if we ask for a photo of you somewhere, we don’t want a “photoshopped” version of this, we really want you in that location. However, because we don’t like to draw lines in the sand or hamper creativity, if your interpretation is a TRULY inspired combination of creative genius and hard work, we might award you a few points, but it would have to be outstanding in every way. Otherwise, you will get nothing. We could easily see teams getting bumped out of first place for too much reinterpreting of items. We are looking for the actual thing we say we are asking for, not a cheeky version of that thing.

13. Item Interpretation #2. Yes, sometimes those well done “creatively interpreted” items may make it into the Bluebird at the Beach Coffee Table Book. No, that does not mean they will be granted full, partial, or even any points. If you submit an interpreted Item, you do so at your own risk.

14. Submissions Secret Tip #1. Quality counts! Quantity won’t win this contest alone. Make sure you take in-focus pictures and videos. Nothing makes our judges' hackles rise faster than a beautifully executed item shot so poorly that we can’t see or hear what you did. Make your submissions beautiful, artistic, and excellent. We award extra points for extra awesome item submissions. The more beautiful and extraordinary your submission, the more bonus points we will assign to it. It’s simple math: If Team A completes 75 items with a face value of 985 points, but they kick ass and get 25% bonus points on each item, Team A will walk away with 1,230 points. If Team B completes 90 items with a face value of 1,110 points, but don’t go the extra mile and are not awarded any bonus points, Team A wins. We expect the winning team will do so with the help of significant bonus points for excellence on their submissions.

15. Submissions Secret Tip #2. Use twice the Cheese Balls you would think you would need. It’s never enough. They're Cheese Balls.

16. Submissions Secret Tip #3. Have fun. If you’re having fun making or doing an item, odds are the result will be great. In other words, before tackling an item, figure out how to make the process fun. This includes when you capture the picture or video. You will likely receive more points if you are having more fun, too… Most importantly, and we want to be very clear on this, when you’re not having fun, change course immediately so that you ARE having fun. (We must add the small caveat that sometimes GOSH might be miserable … but that’s part of the fun, too.)

17. Submissions Secret Tip #4. Composition counts. Pay attention to the backgrounds of your images and videos. Beautiful images will tend to get awarded more bonus points. Think about how your images will look when projected 50 feet high on our judges' drive-in movie screen, on YouTube, or hanging in the GOSH Hall of Fame before you shoot them. (And, for video: shoot in landscape orientation whenever possible.)

18. Submissions Secret Tip #5. Make the judges laugh. We didn’t order all of these adult-diapers for nothing! Our Judges love granting points to people with a good sense of humor, so entertain us and you’ll be duly rewarded with Hunt points.

19. Confusion. Confusion is a vital component of the Hunt. This is by design and also because we’re horribly unorganized despite having a literal scientist and a tech titan on our staff. If you are confused about something, you’re doing things correctly. DO NOT, we repeat, DO NOT contact the Judges for any issues related to confusion on how to do an item. ½ of the Hunt is you figuring out what the hell we’re asking for. The other ½ of the Hunt is you doing it. The other ¾ of the Hunt is you taking a picture or video of the item. The other 5/6 of the Hunt is you weaving your armpit hair. The other 1/76th of the Hunt is Bob. He says “hi.”

20. Submissions Process. Submit Items by depositing them in your Team's assigned Google Drive (it will be posted when the Scavenger Hunt begins), and then on the item, you want to submit. Then follow instructions. You must submit as instructed or you will not be awarded points for that item. This sounds scary and vague, but it won’t be.

21. Submission Formats. Photos must be submitted to your team's Google Drive using the upload feature. You may submit your videos by uploading them to YouTube and entering your http://www.youtube.com links in a text document in your team's Google Drive. Be sure to mark your videos “UNLISTED” on YouTube so that we can see them, but no one else can. Unless otherwise specified video submissions can be NO LONGER than 20 seconds. MAKE SURE YOUR PHOTOS AND VIDEOS HAVE THE ITEM NUMBER IN THEM!!!! Sorry for shouting.

22. Altering Photos/Videos. THIS IS IMPORTANT! With the exceptions (1) as detailed clearly in Commandment 11 above, and (2) adjusting the exposure (i.e. making the image brighter) of an image, unless an item specifically asks for manipulation of photos or videos, you are NOT permitted to do so. Teams doing this will be disqualified. We trust you. We do not have graphic designers or NSA analysts on staff who can spot a digital counterfeit. We also don't use photoshop-detecting software that identifies pixel manipulations or even Google image search and a logarithmic divining rod of Catherine’s own design that can catch all forgeries. We simply ask you not to screw with us on this point or you will be screwing yourself and your whole team. Only tools use screws. Don’t be a tool.

23. Mayonnaise. The mayonnaise is coming.

24. Scoring. Each item will have a point value associated with it. The judges may assign additional points to items that are most excellently executed. We take artistic merit, precision, and creative ingenuity into account here. We will even award partial points for items that demonstrate an extremely good effort, but don’t quite achieve the item task.

25. Complaining. You shall not complain, gripe, whine, winge, or lobby or bribe any of the GOSH staff, judges, or volunteers. Pinging the Judges must be as a last resort. Please visit this holy Commandments page prior to asking questions. Read the dictionary. Explore encyclopedias. You may fabricate dolls of Hutch & Catherine, deem them your “Complaint Vessels”, and whine to them.

26. Understanding Items. If you aren’t exactly quite clear what we’re asking for with an Item, we’re doing our job. You ARE NOT permitted to query the Judges or our Slack channels regarding the eligibility or interpretation of an item. Once they’re posted, it’s up to you to proceed. That’s part of the challenge of the Hunt. Enjoy.

27. Outsourcing. We expect YOU and YOUR TEAM to be the primary participants in completing your Items. You are not permitted to crowdsource or purchase multiple Items from third parties. Your items must be sourced, created, and performed by your team – meaning at least three team members must be in the the videos and images. Just use your head on this. DO NOT email our support to ask questions regarding this commandment. You be the judge … and then we will.

28. Video/Image Plagiarism. You shall not submit any items that were created by another team. Any team that is caught submitting another team’s Item shall be eligible for disqualification. You may not submit any items that were completed before this year’s Scavenger Hunt.

29. Dietary Restrictions. This year GOSH is gluten-free and lactose-heavy. Bathroom breaks are optional but certainly not encouraged.

30. Scoring. Team scores shall be compiled by tallying up the total points accumulated and assigned to the team’s item submissions by our judges. In our final judging, an item’s points may be increased or decreased based on the quality of the submission. Again, teams don't win by only submitting items worth lots of points but by accumulating bonus points for excellent submissions.

31. Collaboration. As cold-hearted as this sounds, unless otherwise directed by an item's description, don’t collaborate with other teams. This is a competition. Each team has to execute each item on their own. If we find out that teams are collaborating you will get either fractional or no credit for the item. However, collaboration with any of the following is strongly encouraged: imaginary friends, your teammates and their respective imaginary friends, enthusiastic pets (but not their imaginary friends), and everyone may collaborate with the Luminous Being (can Catherine create an email for him?).

    1. • Okay, okay, okay. Minor adjustment to keep the 'fun' in. We do get that not everyone on your team may want to race willy-nilly over the 130+ miles of the Outer Banks to complete items, so we are tweaking this one to allow teams to travel together to sites that are spelled out in some of the tasks. BUT (that's right, look at that big BUT) each team is still responsible for completing any task at that site ON THEIR OWN with no sharing of props, other equipment, hints, etc. Tasks where the location can be visited together are noted with the 👨‍👨👨‍👨 symbol after the task title on the GOSH Item List.  You'll also note that it does NOT include tasks where figuring out the location is part of the task.

32. Judging. Items shall be judged by Hutch, Catherine, and some number of official GOSH Judges anointed by them in a private ceremony.

33. End of the Hunt. The Scavenger Hunt shall end at 5:00pm Eastern time on Friday, November 6th.

34. Arbitrary Rules and Constraints. May be placed in the “Updates” section of this page or the Items page during the course of the Scavenger Hunt. Watch them daily. This is a Really Really Important Rule. Pay attention. CHECK THE UPDATES DAILY!

35. Grand Prize. There will be one. If you win it, you will likely refer to the events of your life as either pre- or post- GOSH Grand Prize. 

36. Bluebird at the Beach GOSH Hall of Infamy. Think you have no chance of winning or even being a runner-up? Wrong! If you are convinced you won’t win the Grand Prize, you can still wow us with a specific item and be drafted into the Hall of Fame for that submission! Select a handful of items to complete and make them the most amazing items the world has ever seen. If your team’s item is chosen as one of the best versions of that item by our judges, it (and your team) will be forever memorialized in the GOSH Hall of Fame. Your item and team name will be seen forever on our website. These will be submissions that make the stuff of legends.

37. Advice. Be kind. Be precise. Be flippant. Be creative. Be courageous. Be shameless. Be GOSH.

Updates

1. Mar 3 

   • Split 'The Hunt' section into two parts to better differentiate the Pre-Hunt activities and what was allowed for that. I was also convinced that three weeks to prep was being too generous so cut it down to two

   • Removed section on 'Content Sharing' as we don't want to limit the awesomeness that will be your Instagram feed during the week

   • Also removed the section on 'Behavior' because our campers are just the best people I know. You don't need a section to tell you how to behave. Just be your awesome selves.

2. Sep 19 

   • • Added a section titled "The Outer Banks" to define the boundaries of that region as we understand it

     • Changed the section on pillows to mayonnaise. I would think the reason would be apparent.

     • Changed the default maximum video length from 14 seconds to 20 seconds

3. Sep 26

   • • Modified Commandment #31 on Collaboration to allow members of different teams to travel together to known task sites