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TikTokers Are Competing To Have The "Best Summer Ever" With A Cash Reward
Here’s how to win.
The months leading up to summer hold so much potential. When you think about what you’d like to do in June, July, and August, you likely picture sunny weekends at the beach, balmy evenings at the bar with friends, and picnics in the park with your partner. It feels like the world is your oyster, and then poof — suddenly it’s September and you didn’t do a darn thing.
Even if you make a summer to-do list, it’s common for life to get in the way, months to speed by, and people to get busy. Just like that, the most exciting season goes by with no memories made, and it truly sucks. To ensure the same thing doesn’t happen again in summer 2025, a group of friends on TikTok have challenged themselves to have “the best summer ever.”
On May 2, creator @thymephillips said she’s in a competition with her pals to see who can have the best summer ever, and the idea immediately went viral. “My friend started this challenge to help everyone actually get the most out of summer,” Phillips said in the video. “We all paid to play, and once you’re in, you get a big list of tasks, and every time you complete one with photo proof, you get points. If you get enough [points], you get to dip into the money pot at the end.”
To kick off the challenge, she chose one of the tasks: drink a Topo Chico outside on a sunny day. With the first one down, she promised to keep posting, inspiring many others to start their own competitions.
How To Challenge Friends To “The Best Summer Ever”
In @thymephillips’s comment section, people are chiming in to share their love for this idea. One person said, “So basically an adult version of Judy Moody and the Not-Bummer Summer.” Another wrote, “I want to have the best summer ever. Share the list!”
In her comments, the creator posted a link to an Etsy page that shares the rules to the game, and she also shared a glimpse of the list created by one of her friends, though it’s important to make a list that speaks to you. Some ideas include:
- Swim in a pool with a floaty
- Eat ice cream outside on a sunny day
- Sit in a beach/pool chair
- Play a game of Marco Polo
- Get a tan line
- See a scenic view
- Go to a rooftop bar or restaurant
- Read on a park bench or picnic blanket
As you complete each of these experiences, you’re supposed to send a photo to your friends as proof, and then choose another task. The goal is to complete as many fun tasks as possible, not only to win money at the end, but to make sure you have a fun summer.
Since starting in early May, @thymephillips had a margarita, got an iced coffee, played in the rain, and ate at a locally owned restaurant all to score a few more points. She went on to say that adults often lose the magic of summer, but this list helps bring it back. “Already I’m having a better summer than I’ve had since, like, fifth grade.”
The “Best Summer Ever” Rules
According to the Best Summer Ever store on Etsy, where you can get a PDF with printable score sheets, the rules are quite simple. The best summer ever is essentially a gambling game that incentivizes having a fun summer. It’s ideally played with more than five people, and there’s also a low-cost buy-in for each player, meaning everyone adds money to a pot to play. (Think $10 to participate.)
All the buy-ins are stored away until the end of the game. Once you’re in, you’ll get a task list from the moderator of the game — aka one of your friends who wants to keep track — and each task will be worth a different point value based on difficulty level. (You can have one person design the list or come up with one together.)
For example, drinking a marg might be worth one point since it’s a lot easier than going to the beach for the day, which might be worth five. If you like, you can also make everyone complete certain tasks more than once for it to count, like going to the park three times.
As you complete a task, you’ll also snap a pic of yourself in action — think mid-margarita sip — and send it to the group chat so all the other players can see. At the end of the summer, the person or people with the most points will get to share in the money pot.
It’s honestly such a fun way to not only bond with friends, but also to encourage yourselves to do more. The combo of the group chat, the prize money, and the classic summer bucket list should inspire you to get out of the house and have a great time.
