We’re just going to go ahead and say it: surprise parties are awful. That may be a controversial opinion, but we do not care.
Just think about what it’s like to be in the shoes of a person being surprised. You are not prepared to be bombarded by a large group of people. And if you’re an introvert or have to manage any type of social anxiety, good luck. Surprise parties are a hellish maze of everything you hate.
We have a feeling this Redditor knows exactly how chaotic and evil surprise parties are, because they asked:
“What are your stories of surprise parties gone wrong?”
You know they’re just looking for trouble. And we are here for it.
And? The results didn’t disappoint.
Below are 20 of the… worst?
1. OK, see ya later!
My friends birthday thrown by his wife. he was recovering from a horrible car accident and was on crutches and horse sized doses of Vicodin. He walks in and everyone yells “Surprise!” and he slowly turns, looks at everyone in a doped out state and walks right back out without saying a word.
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2. When nature calls
In high school I was responsible for keeping a friend busy while her parents set everything up at their house for the party. We get back to her house, all lights are off, she walks in the door and announces “I have to take a huge shit!” Lights turn on. “Surprise!” Embarrassment ensues.
3. At least the food was good
The person we were throwing the 63rd birthday party for was coming back from a trip with his wife and we (50+ people) were in the back yard with all the decorations set up and food. His wife texted us when they were 5 minutes away and we all gathered to the fence gate where they would soon enter (the fence was about 7 feet tall so you couldn’t see anything over it). When they entered, we all yelled surprise and his face looked like he was about to sneeze, but instead he was having a stroke and ended up in the hospital for the evening. The food was good though.
4. Don’t mess with a man’s friends
A girl I was dating in high school set up a surprise birthday party for me, but chose to not invite most of my good friends because she didn’t like them. Well, they caught wind of this party and took me out for some drinks instead, as a their own birthday surprise.
This was before cell phones, so she didn’t have a way to get in touch with me to make up a reason to get me back to her house.
Halfway through the night one of them spills the whole story, and I decide it wise to make a rather-late appearance. It was very awkward walking into a room of her drunken friends, with her crying in the bathroom, needless to say.
5. Explaining the surprise
One time my mom told me that we were running low on funds so we couldn’t have a birthday party and that the best we could do is take me to McDonalds with my friend(we’ll call him jack). We get to Jacks house and mom tells me that he is out at his pool. I walk over to the gate outside and twenty people jump out and are all like “SURPRISE!” I’m confused as fuck. I walk over to Jack and ask him if he’s ready to go to McDonalds and my mom had to pull me off to the side and explain it was a surprise birthday party… I am not a smart man.
6. Please do not surprise those coming back from deployment
My friend got back from deployment, it was my job to take him out and keep him away whilst they prepare his house. When we arrive everyone jumps out, friend reacts automatically punching someone in the face and throwing himself out of the door at the same time. Two chipped teeth and a sprained wrist.
7. Nonverbal communication is still communucation
Went out for a romantic dinner with the then-wife. She was being unusually flirty, showing cleavage, goes to rest room, brings back panties in her hand and gives to me. Says she couldn’t wait to get back home, etc.
So, arrive back home. She tells me to meet in the basement where we have our entertainment room and tv while she changes into something for the evening.
Huge boner. Go down the stairs, start taking off my pants.
Surprise!!!! About 30 friends in the basement for an early surprise b-day party.
I fell backwards on the stairs, could feel my heart racing and barely covered boner (fortunately) rapidly deflating.
Would rather have had the intended evenings activities. And didn’t end up getting any b-day sex.
8. For me?
We threw a surprise party for my brothers 30th birthday. We did such a good job planning it that he didn’t even have any idea it was for him.
My sister’s birthday is about 10 days before my brother’s, so we told him we were throwing a surprise party for her, since it was before his birthday we figured he wouldn’t suspect a thing. He didn’t. We actually had him in on the planning of his own party. Asked him for his thoughts on food, drinks, etc.
We had all of his best friends, the entire family (minus my sister, oddly enough) over and he walked through the door. SURPRISE! “Dumbasses, I’m not [sister’s name].” He looks around and sees all of his friends, it finally registered.
He was so grateful for the awesome party and he had a blast but his initial reaction made it feel like the biggest failure.
9. The worst surprise
My boyfriend at the time and his female friend planned a surprise party for me while I was at work. Was definitely surprised and overjoyed that all my friends were at my house with cake and balloons and wine. However, after awhile I notice I can’t find my boyfriend or his friend.
Caught him on the porch making out with the girl who helped him set up my surprise party. He forgot I had a security camera pointed at the front door.
Was not a good surprise.
10. C’mon, dad!
My friend was having her art displayed at a local coffee shop. She had no idea and thought she was just meeting a few friends for coffee. There were a ton of us, and we all waited anxiously as she walked in. She walked in saying that her Dad ruined everything about 2 minutes from the shop, texting her telling her that he wished he could have made it to her art unveiling.
Edit: A lot of people have been asking, so I guess it wasn’t entirely clear from the way I wrote it. She had no idea that her artwork was being displayed. That was the whole surprise, and why we were all there.
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11. Judo master
My buddy who does way more Judo than people should flipped his girlfriend clean over during a surprise party and broke her arm, thought she was an intruder. Needless to say, they’re married now.
12. That one attendee
One of my friends’ girlfriends was throwing him a surprise party at his house, and invited a bunch of us. An hour or two before, someone posted on her facebook wall “Hey, what time does the party start again?” Needless to say, the birthday boy wasn’t very surprised, but at least we all had a good time.
13. How many bones have been broken from surprises?
A girlfriend of mine punched her aunt in the face a broke her nose because she jumped out right in front of her when they yelled surprise.
14. Nature calls Pt. 2
My aunt had setup a surprise 40th birthday party for my uncle. Everyone (about 30 friends, neighbors, relatives) were hiding in the basement waiting for him to come home from work. His car pulls up, he runs to house, everyone yells SURPRISE! and he shits himself. Turns out he had the runs that day and really had to poop. We all had to wait until he got a shower for cake. I was 9 at the time and couldn’t stop laughing.
15. That one attendee Pt. 2
I have a relevant story! My friends planned a surprise party for me. They sent out a facebook invite with specific instructions for everybody to bring funny hats (?) and surprise me at this local bar. Then one of them accidentally invited me to the facebook event. ಠ_ಠ
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16. That is some… projection
When I was a DJ… The wife planed a 45th surprise birthday party for her husband (rented a banquet hall, a lot of food, maybe about 150 people). The husband walked in, people yelled surprise and he got this shocked look on his face and went off on his wife accusing her of cheating and so on: “IF YOU CAN HOLD THIS A SECRET FROM ME THEN WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE YOUR DOING BEHIND MY BACK…”. A big commotion after that, I packed up and left, no party.
17. Oh, look, more violence
Buddy of mine set up a surprise party for his fiance. She thought he was off to another state for a week for work. He came back early on her birthday and set up a huge surprise party for her at home. She usually gets home at like 6 p.m. from work and its already like 7 p.m. and we finally hear her coming we turn of the lights, and she comes home hammered with another dude she was going to bang, DRAMA was all over the place. It was a huge chaotic argument, people taking sides. My buddy was really pissed and faked that he was calm and then like a cheetah jumped out of his seat and decked the dude in the face and knocked him out. The guy deserved it he was a pick-up artist and knew she was engaged. She was just a easy catch but still she is at fault and they ended breaking up.
18. The mystery remains
I had been talking to this girl I met through friends on MSN. She lived in the same town as me, and we would “talk” everyday. Not on the phone though. Supposedly she was afraid of talking on the phone. Before I go any further, yes she was real. Lol. Anyway, I kinda started to like her and evidently maybe she did too. I say that because I get a call from her best friend. She told me that thjs girl always talks about me, yada yada yada. So she invites me to her friends surprise 16th bday party. I came early. Met her parents, her brother, her friends, and some of her extended family. They all say “OH! So you are cjyogi…..!” So we get the word she is on her way. We close the doors and hunker down. She comes through. She seemed really happy until she saw me. She started crying and wouldn’t talk to me. She hid in the backroom and didn’t come out until I left. I still don’t understand.
19. Guess he didn’t want a surprise party
When my son was turning 5 he told us he wanted a surprise birthday party. He gave us the entire run down on how it was going to go, and we followed his instructions to give him exactly what he wanted. He had been out with Grandma and when he walked in the door all 40 of us yelled “surprise!” He just sat down on the floor and cried and refused to even stand up. It took us about 20 minutes to calm him down enough to stop crying.
Needless to say, we won’t be throwing him any more surprise parties. It was pretty funny though… Maybe that’s how I’ll scar him for life, surprise parties every year!
20. If you know someone doesn’t like surprise parties, DON’T THROW ONE
Female friend of mine threw a surprise party to her boyfriend (4 year relationship) and invited all his close friends and some of her own friends as well. He was at his mum’s place having a mini party with his family whilst we were all waiting at his/hers place where they (couple) would then be supposedly going out for dinner. We had decorated the house with really awesome stuff, brought a DJ to play music and brought really nice food, 3 cakes (1 made by his mum, 1 made by her mum and 1 brought by one of his mates) and quite expensive presents… it was all adding up to an awesome night. The dude then realises that something is going on and after 30 minutes of texting he tells her that she should fuck off since she knows that he hates surprise parties, that he ain’t gonna show up and that he’s gonna go watch a football match instead. He checked himself in on facebook at the match 20 minutes later, ignored everyones calls and messages; and about an hour later (we were waiting and eating some of the food since we weren’t gonna waste all this awesome stuff on this dickhead) he shows up after half the people left and broke up with her. Douche.
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