Academic Decathlon Date Night Guide
Calling all nerds! Below is your complete guide with full activity instructions and conversation prompts for the Academic Decathlon Date Night. Enjoy!
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Set the mood
Make your date night really special with some on-theme cocktails, movies, and music.
Cocktails
Make your academic decathlon date super tasty with these brain fuel cocktails:
- Dark chocolate
- Blueberries
- Nuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Guacamole
- Study break mini pizzas
- Chemistry lab ice cream sundaes
- Pi pie
- Coffee cocktails
- Green tea cocktails
Movies
What you need for this date:
- 2 glass jars with lids, cleaned out well
- Heavy whipping cream (not whipped cream!), 1 liter if you are using larger jars, or 1 pint if you are using baby food-sized jars
- A fine sieve or cheesecloth
- 2 printouts of our coloring pages (provided below, or 2 coloring sheets of your own choosing)
- Crayons, colored pencils, or markers of your choice
- 2 print-outs of our math test (provided below)
- Pen and paper
- 2 phone stopwatch apps or 2 stopwatches
Activities with full instructions
During your date, you will be competing in 10 mini games to see who will be dubbed the champion of the Academic Decathlon.
The winner of each activity will receive 1 point. Keep track of your points throughout the date to determine the winner at the end of the evening.
Before starting your decathlon, set the stakes. Choose which prizes the winner gets or which punishments the loser gets at the end of the date. Remember to keep things fun and sexy!
Here are some suggestions:
- The winner gets a 15 minute massage from the losing partner
- The winner gets a kid-free sleeping in morning with breakfast in bed provided by the losing partner
- The winner is free of laundry duty for a week, and the losing partner must take care of all of the laundry
- The winner gets a sexual favor of their choosing, and the losing partner can’t say no
- The winner gets to choose the next Dating in Captivity date!
Got your prizes picked? Great! Let’s get started.
Activity 1: Experiment with science
This experiment competition will throw you into the scientific world of gastronomy and give you a super intense workout (because building up lactic acid in your muscles sounds like science, too, right?). Experience science happening right before your very eyes and see who is the quickest to produce. . . BUTTER. You will be turning liquid cream into butter during this experiment. You may want to prepare some toast first!
What you need for this activity
- 2 glass jars with lids, cleaned out well
- Heavy whipping cream (not whipped cream!), 1 liter if you are using larger jars, or 1 pint if you are using baby food-sized jars
- A fine sieve or cheesecloth
Instructions
- Fill each of your jars halfway full with cold heavy whipping cream.
- Seal the lids tight.
- Start shaking! Shake your jars rigorously until the fat begins to separate out of your cream and butter begins to form (that’s the science – the fat molecules begin binding together when you add force and separate from the liquid).
- This will take a while of shaking – up to 30 minutes. Take breaks and do not overexert yourselves. Continue with the rest of your date while you shake.
- The first partner to get their cream to turn into butter wins! They get one point, plus there is another prize for this activity – see below!
- Once the fat in your cream has separated into butter, you can pour the contents of the jar through a sieve or cheesecloth to get just the butter (the remaining liquid is buttermilk – pancakes in the morning anyone?). Form it into a ball or other shape and store it in the fridge for up to 7 days. Enjoy!
Special prize
The partner who finished making their butter first gets to smear a little bit anywhere on their body that they want and the losing partner has to lick it off!
Activity 2: Color
Put your artistic abilities to the test! In this activity, you and your partner will be doing a coloring contest.
What you need for this activity:
- 2 printouts of the coloring page below (or 2 identical coloring sheets of your own choosing)
- Crayons, colored pencils, or markers of your choice
Instructions
- Print two copies of the coloring sheets below.
- Set a timer for 10 minutes and color your pictures as impressively as possible in the 10 minutes.
- After the 10 minutes, put your pictures up side-by-side on social media WITHOUT your names on them and ask your friends and family to pick which one is better (remember to tag @datingincaptivity). At the end of this date, check the results and declare a winner!
The winner gets 1 point.
Coloring sheets (print 2)
Activity 3: Do math
Do you remember back in grade school when your teacher used to say you had to learn math because you were never going to have a calculator in your pocket all the time as an adult? Joke’s on you, teach!
Or is it?
In this activity you and your partner will be testing your grade school math skills – WITHOUT A CALCULATOR! Who among you is the mathlete of the relationship?
What you need for this activity
- 2 print-outs of the math test provided below
- A pen or pencil each
- 2 phone stopwatch apps or 2 stopwatches
Instructions
- Print out two copies of the Dating in Captivity math test below. DO NOT OPEN THE ANSWER SHEET.
- When you both are ready, start each of your stopwatches at the same time and begin your test.
- When you finish the test, stop your stopwatch. The amount of time on your stopwatch is your base time score.
- Each partner should continue their test until they are done with the whole test, or done with as much as they can do.
- Check the answers on each of your tests against the answer sheet. For every answer that you get wrong or for every question left unanswered, add 3 seconds to your base time score.
- The partner with the LOWEST score wins!
The partner with the lowest score receives 1 point.
The test
Answer sheet (DO NOT OPEN UNTIL YOU’VE COMPLETED YOUR TESTS)
Activity 4: Recall a story
Test your memories and abilities to recall details by hearing the following story about Jane, a hospital nurse and her first round of patients for the day, and seeing how many questions you can correctly remember.
What you need for this activity
- Your computer or phone
- A pen and paper
Instructions
- Listen to the story below and pay close attention to the details. DO NOT write anything down while you are listening.
- If you both agree, you can listen to the story twice before answering the Recall Questions.
- After you have heard the story, answer the Recall Questions to the best of your memory. Write your answers down on your paper without saying them out loud to your partner.
- Check your answers with the Answer Guide and keep track of how many responses you each get correct. The partner who answers the most questions correctly wins!
The winner gets 1 point.
Story
Recall questions
- What was the name of the hospital Jane worked in?
- What were the first names of the 3 patients?
- What university did Dr. Pearson attend?
- How many vehicles were involved in the car crash on the I-95?
- How many kids did the last patient have visiting?
- What was the pattern on the blanket the last patient was using?
- Which patient had high blood pressure?
Answer Guide (DO NOT OPEN UNTIL YOU HAVE FINISHED ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS)
- St. Mary’s Hospital
- Ethel, Darren, Kim
- Harvard Medical School
- 8
- 4
- Pawprint
- Darren (the second)
Activity 5: Hear instruments
Can you identify instruments based only on their sounds? Listen to these sounds and identify the orchestra instruments.
What you need for this activity:
- Pen and paper
Instructions
- Play the video below and listen to each of the 9 instruments that are played.
- Without showing your partner, write down your answers as you hear them.
- You may hear the video as many times as you both agree.
- Check your answers against the answer key below.
The partner that gets the most answers correct gets 1 point!
Instrument video
Psst – we promise #3 and #4 are different instruments!
Answer key (DO NOT OPEN UNTIL AFTER YOU’VE COMPLETED YOUR ANSWERS)
- Bassoon
- Clarinet
- Oboe
- Flute
- Violin
- Tuba
- Trumpet
- Piccolo
- Trombone
Activity 6: Finish the quote
To be, or not to be. That is the _______. See which of you know the missing words to some famous quotes!
What you need for this activity:
- Pen and paper
Instructions
- Finish the quotes below with the correct word or phrase.
- If you don’t have a clue, write something funny instead to make your partner laugh.
The partner who finishes the most quotes correctly gets 1 point.
Quotes
- A _________ by any other name would smell as sweet. – William Shakespeare
- Eighty percent of __________ is showing up. – Woody Allen
- ______________, my dear Watson. – Sherlock Holmes
- _____________ is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. – Thomas Edison
- Hell has no fury like a woman ___________. – William Congreve
- I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their ___________. – Martin Luther King Jr.
- All that glitters is not _________. – William Shakespeare
- If at first you don’t ___________, try, try again. – W.E. Hickson
- No one can make you feel ___________ without your consent. – Eleanor Roosevelt
- Not all those who wander are _________. – J.R.R. Tolkein
- Nothing is certain except for __________ and taxes. – Benjamin Franklin
- That’s one small step for a man, a giant leap for __________. – Neil Armstrong
- To err is human; to forgive, ___________. – Alexander Pope
- What doesn’t kill us makes us __________. – Friedrich Nietzsche
- You must be the __________ you wish to see in the world. – Muhatma Gandhi
Answer Key (DO NOT OPEN UNTIL YOU’VE FINISHED ALL OF YOUR QUOTES)
- A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. – William Shakespeare
- Eighty percent of success is showing up. – Woody Allen
- Elementary, my dear Watson. – Sherlock Holmes
- Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. – Thomas Edison
- Hell has no fury like a woman scorned. – William Congreve
- I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. – Martin Luther King Jr.
- All that glitters is not gold. – William Shakespeare
- If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. – W.E. Hickson
- No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. – Eleanor Roosevelt
- Not all those who wander are lost. – J.R.R. Tolkein
- Nothing is certain except for death and taxes. – Benjamin Franklin
- That’s one small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind. – Neil Armstrong
- To err is human; to forgive, divine. – Alexander Pope
- What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. – Friedrich Nietzsche
- You must be the change you wish to see in the world. – Muhatma Gandhi
Activity 7: Match the date
Test your history knowledge! See if you know which year in history matches with some of the biggest events of the 20th and 21st centuries.
What you need for this activity:
- Pen and paper
Instructions
- Below you will be given significant historical or cultural events that occurred during the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries.
- You each should write down which year these events occurred without showing your answers to your partner.
- After you’ve answered the year for each event, check your answers against the answer key.
- If you guessed a year that was within 3 years of the actual date, you can count that as correct.
The winner is the partner who has the most correct answers – 1 point for you!
Events
- The start of World War 1
- The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers
- The first moon landing
- The sinking of the Titanic
- The start of World War 2
- The start of the Great Depression
- The opening of the Panama Canal
- The bombing of Pearl Harbor
- The fall of the Berlin Wall
- The atomic bomb dropping on Hiroshima
- The dissolution of the Soviet Union
- Woodstock festival
- Martin Luther King assassination
- The founding of Amazon
- The death of Princess Diana
- The invention of the airplane
- Elvis Presley’s death
- Barack Obama elected as the first black president
- The invention of the TV
- The founding of Facebook
Answer key (DO NOT OPEN UNTIL YOU’VE ANSWERED ALL QUESTIONS)
- The start of World War 1 – 1914
- The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers – 2001
- The first moon landing – 1969
- The sinking of the Titanic – 1912
- The start of World War 2 – 1939
- The start of the Great Depression – 1929
- The opening of the Panama Canal – 1914
- The bombing of Pearl Harbor – 1941
- The fall of the Berlin Wall – 1989
- The atomic bomb dropping on Hiroshima – 1945
- The dissolution of the Soviet Union – 1992
- Woodstock festival – 1969
- Martin Luther King assassination – 1969
- The founding of Amazon – 1994
- The death of Princess Diana – 1997
- The invention of the airplane – 1903
- Elvis Presley’s death – 1977
- Barack Obama elected as the first black president – 2008
- The invention of the TV – 1926
- The founding of Facebook – 2004
Activity 8: Answer IQ test questions
See which of you is the best at mastering these IQ test questions!
What you need for this activity:
- Pen and paper
Instructions
- Without showing each other your answers, write down your answers to the following IQ pattern questions.
- Once you are both done, check your answers against the Answer Key.
The person with the most correct answers gets 1 point!
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 4
Question 5
Question 6
Question 7
Which number doesn’t belong?
Question 8
Which number should come next in the series: 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, _____
Question 9
Which piece fits in the puzzle?
Answer key (DO NOT OPEN UNTIL YOU’VE ANSWERED ALL QUESTIONS)
- B
- C
- E
- D
- F
- E
- 17 (the only odd number)
- 36 (the pattern is +3, +5, +7, +9, +11)
- C
Activity 9: Spell
With autocorrect dominating the majority of our writing these days, how often do you actually think about spelling common words? Test your skills by taking our spelling test!
What you need for this date
- Pen and paper
Instructions
- Take a piece of paper and a pen each.
- Play the Spelling test video below and write down your spelling words on your paper as you hear them. No cheating – don’t let your partner see your answers!
- Once you’ve spelled all 21 words, check your answers against the Answer Key.
- The winner is the partner who spells the most words correctly!
The winner gets 1 point.
Spelling Test
You will hear the spelling word followed by a sentence using the word, and then the word will be repeated one last time.
Answer Key (DO NOT OPEN UNTIL AFTER YOU’VE COMPLETED YOUR TEST)
- Ancestor
- Camaraderie
- Murmur
- Feasible
- Calligraphy
- Abbreviation
- Raspberries
- Asparagus
- Wholeheartedly
- Scarcity
- Rhythmic
- Dichotomy
- Calliope
- Shenanigans
- Vinaigrette
- Cappuccino
- Altruistic
- Phenomenon
- Conscientious
- Foreigner
- Chauffer
Activity 10: Test your trivia knowledge
Are you smarter than a fifth grader? Or rather, how much useless information did you retain in grade school? In this activity, you and your partner will be battling it out to see who can correctly answer the most school trivia questions!
What you need for this activity
- Pen and paper
Instructions
- Read the trivia questions under the Trivia Questions tab below out loud.
- Write down you answers to each questions 1 at a time without sharing your answers with your partner.
- Once you are done answering all of the questions, check your answers against the Answer Guide.
- The partner who gets the most trivia questions answered correctly wins! The winning partner gets 1 point.
- If you both get the same number of answers correct, play the tie breaker round in the tab below.
Trivia Questions
Question 1: What is the largest planet in our solar system?
Question 2: How many continents are there on Earth?
Question 3: What is the process by which plants make their own food using sunlight?
Question 4: Which ocean is the largest and covers the most area?
Question 5: What is the capital city of France?
Question 6: What do you call an angle that is less than 90 degrees?
Question 7: Which planet is known as the “Red Planet”?
Question 8: How many sides does a hexagon have?
Question 9: What is the process of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly called?
Question 10: Which famous scientist developed the theory of relativity?
Question 11: What is the longest river in the world?
Question 12: Which gas do plants use to perform photosynthesis?
Question 13: Question: How many colors are there in a rainbow?
Question 14: What is the process of water turning into vapor due to heat called?
Question 15: What is the largest mammal on Earth?
Question 16: What is the smallest prime number?
Question 17: Which famous artist painted the Mona Lisa?
Question 18: What is the capital city of China?
Question 19: Which gas makes up the majority of Earth’s atmosphere?
Question 20: Who is the author of the “Harry Potter” book series?
Answer Guide
Answer 1: Jupiter.
Answer 2: Seven.
Answer 3: Photosynthesis.
Answer 4: Pacific Ocean.
Answer 5: Paris.
Answer 6: Acute angle.
Answer 7: Mars.
Answer 8: Six sides.
Answer 9: Metamorphosis.
Answer 10: Albert Einstein.
Answer 11: Nile River.
Answer 12: Carbon dioxide (CO2).
Answer 13: Seven
Answer 14: Evaporation.
Answer 15: Blue whale
Answer 16: 2
Answer 17: Leonardo da Vinci
Answer 18: Beijing.
Answer 19: Nitrogen
Question 20: J.K. Rowling
Tie Breaker
Write the alphabet backwards. The partner to finish first wins. GO!
You did it! Congratulations on making it through these grueling tests of academic ability. You should be so proud of yourselves!
Tally up your points for the 10 activities and see who is victorious in the Academic Decathlon.
Enjoy the honor, bragging rights, and well-deserved prize!
And, most importantly, give each other a big hug and kiss in appreciation of each other being such good sports!
Conversation Prompts
Prompt 1
If you could retake one class from high school, which class would you pick?
Prompt 2
If you could create a college seminar course on any subject, what would your class be about?
Prompt 3
Would you rather be the smartest person in the room but have no social skills all the time, or have the best social skills but be the dumbest person in the room all the time?
Prompt 4
What’s the most ridiculous excuse you’ve ever given for not doing your homework, and did it work?
Prompt 5
Do you consider yourself smarter than the average person?
Prompt 6
Would it be a blessing or a curse to be a genius?
Prompt 7
What would be the title of your autobiography if it focused on your academic adventures?
Prompt 8
If you could invite any super intelligent person from history home for dinner at your house, who would you invite?
Prompt 9
Which celebrity would make the most interesting professor to sit through a lecture with?
Prompt 10
If you could take a pill and be extremely smart for 1 hour, but you passed out for the following 10 days, would you take it?
Enjoy your smarty pants date night!
We would love to hear your feedback about your date experience. Please send us an email at info@datingincaptivity.com to let us know what you liked about this date and how we can improve!
