Whamageddon is a Christmas-themed internet challenge that typically takes place during the Christmas season, where players attempt to avoid hearing “Last Christmas” by Wham! for as long as possible.
The challenge adds a fun and light-hearted element to the holiday season, with participants strategising to avoid the ubiquitous presence of "Last Christmas" in malls, radio stations, and other public places.
The rules are simple:
Objective:
The goal is to go as long as possible without hearing the song "Last Christmas" by Wham!
Start Date:
The challenge usually begins on December 1st and continues until midnight on December 24th.
Disqualification:
If a participant hears "Last Christmas,” whether by choice or by accident, they are out of the game.
Exceptions:
Covers, remixes, and versions by other artists do not count. Only the original version by Wham! is considered for the challenge.
Verification:
Honesty is key in Whamageddon. Participants are generally expected to self-report their elimination by posting #Whamageddon on social media.
Whamageddon History
The Whamageddon challenge has become a social media phenomenon, with participants sharing their progress, strategies, and their inevitable elimination stories. It adds a playful and humorous element to the holiday season, as people navigate shopping centres, public spaces, and even their own playlists to dodge the familiar jingles of Wham!'s Christmas hit.
As far as we can tell, Whamageddon originated in 2010, as an internet-based challenge. It has particularly risen in popularity in 2023 due to newfound TikTok fame, with many people playing it and discussing it outside of the internet.
The earliest version of Whamageddon was featured on a car and racing website called GTPlanet, the game was almost identical to the current iteration, but with an end date of 31st December.
A Facebook group was eventually created in 2016 which solidified the name of “Whamageddon.” The group is public and currently has 17k members and counting. Members share elimination tales, memes as well as amusing near misses.
Did you know?
Two days into Whamageddon 2023, a football stadium DJ deliberately played Last Christmas at a football match between Northampton Town and Portsmouth, causing potentially over 7000 attendees to lose the game. He thought it would be funny to knock them out of the game, but many of them didn’t find it quite so amusing…
The game also has its own website! Check it out to see the official rules, credits, and everything else Whamageddon.
Whamageddon officially ends today, at midnight on Christmas Eve 2023.
Did you play this year – how did you do?
