YouTube began as a simple video-sharing platform but has grown into a social media powerhouse in recent years. There are more than 800 million videos on the site to this day, from animal videos to vlogging and documentaries.
Among the categories that these videos fall under are the popular YouTube challenges — these are often short videos that content creators take part in for their viewers’ entertainment. Challenge-based videos are an easy way for creators to build their following since these videos are often highly searched among viewers.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular YouTube challenges of the past and present.
1.   The Eat It or Wear It Challenge
One of the most popular viral challenges on YouTube is the eat it or wear it challenge. While this is one of the more popular series, it’s also potentially messy for all involved — YouTubers often recommend wearing old clothes that participants don’t mind staining. This challenge involves first putting random foods in opaque bags and then numbering those bags.
The first player selects a number and identifies the food inside. They can then decide whether they want to eat it or wear it. If they choose to eat the food, they’re permitted to spill the remainder in the head of another player. Otherwise, they must wear the food on their clothes.
2.   The Whisper Challenge
This challenge initially gained popularity on late-night television but quickly became a significant part of the YouTube community. The game’s premise is simple — one player wears noise-cancelling headphones so they can’t hear their partner. The other player has to give them a sentence or phrase and whoever is wearing the headphones has to guess what they said through lip-reading.
This challenge is one that can be enjoyed at all ages, which is why it’s so popular among content creators like Azzyland — the premise of the game can be specific to a theme or random phrases, making it enjoyable for a variety of viewers and participants.
3.   The Try Not to Laugh Challenge
This popular game is another family-friendly option for all ages with a simple premise — can you sit quietly and watch a funny video without grinning or laughing? The try not to laugh challenge is all over YouTube, with creators across ages taking part. Its customizability means you can tailor the videos to reflect your opponents to make it more difficult for them to withhold their laughter.
Some YouTubers have taken it to another level by making their opponent take a sip of water as they watch the videos to see if they can avoid spitting out the water. Its harmless end goal makes this challenge one of the platform’s most viewed.
4.   The Disney Challenge
This challenge was especially popular among animation fans. It simply involves two players listening to a series of Disney songs. Each must identify the original movie and the song’s title in 10 seconds or less — if they can identify both, they receive two points but receive only one point if they can guess either the movie or the song’s title. Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins.
5.   The Ghost Pepper Challenge
This challenge was not designed for the faint of heart. The ghost pepper is one of the hottest in the world, and it became a popular YouTube challenge among content creators. Once they ate a ghost pepper, they were prompted to film their reactions for their subscribers’ amusement. While this challenge was not for everyone, it was undoubtedly popular throughout YouTube.
