Have you seen The Other Guys? What about your friends? (+20 pts)

In the film,  Michael Keaton plays a good-natured police captain/Bed, Bath & Beyond team leader oblivious to (or in denial of) his frequent use of song lyrics from 90’s R&B supergroup TLC – much to the consternation of ostensible stars Will Ferrel and Marky Mark.

It’s the best part of the movie and the inspiration for this week’s challenge.

The Challenge

Integrate lyrics from popular songs (TLC preferred, but options below) into workplace conversations/communications without being caught. If caught, successfully deny that you have any idea what you’re doing. Just keep it on the down low. Nobody is supposed to know. (+40 pts)

The Catch(es)

• Each quote must be a full lyrical phrase of at least four words. 

• Preference (more points) will be given to the following TLC songs:
  • No Scrubs – [video] [lyrics]
  • Waterfalls – [video] [lyrics]
  • Creep – [video] [lyrics]
  • Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg  – [video] [lyrics]
  • What About Your Friends – [video] [lyrics]

• But, if you’re unfamiliar with the TLC oeuvre, here are an additional five recent pop songs you may use:
  • Hello, by Adele – [video] [lyrics]
  • Sorry, by Justin Bieber –[video] [lyrics]
  • Formation, by Beyoncé – [video] [lyrics]
  • Cheap Thrills, by Sia – [video] [lyrics]
  • Firework, by Katy Perry – [video] [lyrics]

• If a Non-Player Colleague (NPC) calls you out on your quote, try to deny your nonsense. Bonus points for succeeding, but no negative points for being caught.

• However, if another  Player calls you out, either take a point loss, or initiate a duel…

The Duel

If another player tries to quote a song in front of you or calls you out for quoting, initiate the duel by quoting the next line in the song. Whoever runs out of lyrics first deducts points, the winner receives a bonus.

The Points

• Surreptitiously quote TLC in written correspondence (email, chat, presentation, etc.) – 30 pts
• Surreptitiously quote TLC in conversation – 27 pts
• Surreptitiously quote a pop song in written correspondence – 25 pts
• Surreptitiously quote a pop song in conversation – 22 pts
• Win a duel – 50 pts
• Lose (or forfeit) a duel  – -25 pts
• Successfully deny your nonsense to an NPC – 75 pts

BONUS POINTS: Email an anecdote, story, or image of your shenanigans to hey [at] followmetocertaindoom [dot] com for us to share – 10 pts

The Scorecard

We’re working on an online scoring system! Until we get that up and running, it’s still spreadsheets for scoring. Download the XLS below or follow these instructions to use the Google sheet.

• Open the Google Sheet Template 
• Download the XLS – Challenge #3 Scorecard- A Little TLC

The WFH Way

For those of you working from home, all scoring will remain the same. However, feel free to expand your written correspondence to your social media accounts and work-related slack, yammer, etc. For conversations, include those with friends, significant others, baristas, and shopkeepers. If you can successfully deny your nonsense to a cohabiting significant other or roommate, award yourself a proximity bonus of an extra 25 pts on top of the standard 75. Pets and plants do not count.

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We hope you have some fun out there. Let us know how it goes!

And, please, check back here for updates, pics, and stories from the game. If you’d like to receive an email each time a new challenge goes live, sign up for Challenge Alerts.

 

 

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