185
A rapid-fire joke format: '185 [profession]s walk into a bar...' Players take turns delivering punchlines as fast as possible. The setup is always the same; the punchlines are always improvised.
About
185 is a pure speed-comedy format named after the classic joke structure. Two players alternate delivering punchlines to the same repeated setup, competing to find the funniest or most absurd response. It rewards fast lateral thinking and the willingness to commit to a punchline even when it does not quite land.
How to Play
- 1
The audience provides a profession or group (e.g. librarians, dentists, astronauts).
- 2
Player A sets up: '185 [profession]s walk into a bar. The first one says...' and delivers a punchline.
- 3
Player B immediately responds: 'The second one says...' with a different punchline.
- 4
Players alternate as fast as possible. No punchline structure can be repeated.
- 5
The round ends when both players run dry or after a set time limit.
Variations
- -Escalating setup: instead of a bar, each new round uses a different, increasingly implausible location. Solo 185: one player delivers all punchlines against a timer.