Run the Gauntlet Challenge
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About
The Run the Gauntlet Challenge, or simply Gauntlet Challenge, is an internet challenge shock site where participants are tasked with "running the gauntlet" by watching 20 increasingly NSFW videos, including pornographic, gore and torture videos, such as 1 Guy 1 Jar and 3 Guys 1 Hammer. The challenge is hosted on runthegauntlet.org and was originally created in 2010 but launched in late 2014, notably going viral on TikTok in early 2022 where it saw a resurgence online.
Origin
According to a 2015 Vice[1] article where they speak with the creator of the challenge, runthegauntlet.org[2] was launched in 2015 (domain registered on October 14th, 2014).[10] The site's slogan reads, "The Most Vile, Puke inducing, Hard to watch Videos on the Internet." Run The Gauntlet presents users with one increasingly shocking video at a time, separated into difficulty levels ranging from "Beginner" to "Insane." Videos in the challenge have been replaced a number of times, with a full list of videos in and removed from the challenge available on screamer.wiki.[3]
Run The Gauntlet Cringe Edition
There is also a SFW cringe edition of the Run the Gauntlet challenge hosted at runthegauntlet.org/cringe[9] where users are shown 41 increasingly cringey videos one after another.
Spread
The challenge has inspired numerous reaction videos online where people attempt to run the gauntlet. For example, on May 20th, 2015, YouTuber[4] TheSCcomedy posted a video where six people attempt to run the gauntlet, gaining over 56,000 views in seven years (shown below, left). On April 9th, 2020, YouTuber[5] Twomad attempted to run the gauntlet, dropping out on the last video, gaining over 296,000 views in two years (shown below, right).
2022 Resurgence On TikTok
In 2022, videos about "running the gauntlet" started to spread on TikTok. On April 20th, TikToker[6] @milovelyyy posted a video about watching the challenge, gaining over 29,000 views in a month (shown below, left). On April 24th, TikToker[7] @uhhhh._charlotte posted a video about being traumatized by one of the videos, gaining over 14,000 views in a similar span of time (shown below, right). On May 17th, PopBuzz[8] published an article about the challenge's increasing popularity on TikTok.
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7088589558752808197
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7090048048641936646
Various Examples
Search Interest
External References
[1] Vice – Run the Gauntlet Is the Most Disgusting Challenge on the Internet
[2] Runthegauntlet (NSFW) – rtgorg NSFW
[3] Screamer.wiki – Run_the_Gauntlet
[4] YouTube – TheSCcomedy
[6] TikTok – milovelyyy
[7] TikTok – uhhhh._charlotte
[8] PopBuzz – What is the Gauntlet Challenge? The TikTok trend explained
[9] Runthegauntlet – cringeedition
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![Levels "in the Gauntlet" Beginner Level 1: Arm break after two chicks arm wrestle - Two girls incorrectly place their arms for an arm wrestle and a bone snaps Level 2: Jackass Paper Cuts - A scene from Jackass where they give each other paper cuts on the webs of their hands and feet. Level 3: Russian Roulette Knife Cup Test footage - Test footage showing a performer messing up a trick and knifing his hand Easy Level 4: Japanese Puke Lesbians - Two Japanese lesbians are doing a p--- scene with every sort of pukable liquid Level 5: Woman stabbed in broad daylight - A woman is repeatedly stabbed by an ex lover in broad daylight Level 6: Man crawls out of burning car - After getting into an accident the car catches on fire as this man escapes out of the front window on fire Level 7: Baby is run over by train in Mumbai - A baby falls on the tracks as a train goes by [note 1] Medium Level 8: Escape artist drowns failing to escape new trick - An escape artist films her own death as she fails to get out of a new trick and she ends up drowning Level 9: Snapping Turtle feeding time - A snapping turtle guts its prey during feeding time Level 10: Bot fly Larvae in Kitten's eye - A kitten has a botfly feeding inside its eye socket. The video shows the botfly being removed. Level 11: Caught between a train and the platform - A man gets stuck in the tracks of a train station. He is then jammed between the passing train and the platform, and he spins like top. Hard Level 12: Hot Iron on Penis - A man gets a hot iron pressed on his penis Level 13: Man has terrible jump off ledge - A young man attempts to clear a ledge while cliff diving into harbor and ends up mangling his entire face Level 14: Old Woman's Eye Socket teeming with Maggots - An old woman's eye socket is filled with maggots as they operate in the hospital Level 15: Penis Drilling - A man puts a drill bit into his split open penis and the video cuts as he's about to set it off. Insane Level 16: Animals skinned alive for Fur Trade - A PETA video showing the skinning process of a Chinese fur farm Level 17: Asian D--- Cheese - An asian girl licks the smegma off of a man's penis. Level 18: One Man, One Jar - A man inserts a glass jar into anus, then it shatters cutting his insides as he bleeds out Level 19: Mexican Cartel beheads Man - A Mexican Cartel shows the beheading of man as he tries to stay alive Level 20: Three guys, One Hammer - Three men ruthlessly torment their victim before murdering him](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/002/369/698/f48.jpg "Videos Included In Run The Gauntlet Challenge")
Top Comments
Gleaming Steel
May 19, 2022 at 05:08PM EDT
Outcast Redeemer
May 19, 2022 at 06:54PM EDT