MEGATech Showcase: The Ten Best Ice Bucket Challenges So Far Dylan Duarte August 25, 2014 Features I remember reading references to the Ice Bucket Challenge on Twitter before I knew what it was. Then I started seeing the videos pop up and soon I was watching celebrities dump buckets of ice cold water on their head and I didn’t even know why. The purpose of the challenge is to raise awareness for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It’s an absolutely tragic disease and I’m thrilled to report that, as of the time of this writing, the challenge has raised over $70 million for the ALS Association. The rules of the challenge state that once you’re challenged, you have 24 hours to film yourself dumping a bucket of ice water on your head or you have to donate money to the ALS Association. The rules are no doubt well-intentioned but admittedly a little strange, because you’d be choosing to dump ice cold water over your head just to get out of donating money to charity. Fortunately, plenty of generous participants have chosen to do both. There are a lot of great ice bucket challenge videos out there. Even if a participant doesn’t donate, a well-made video can do wonders for awareness, which addresses the heart of the challenge. I tried to wittle the list down to five, but I just couldn’t, so here are the top ten ice bucket challenge videos in no particular order. Most will make you smile, some might make you laugh out loud, and one in particular might even make you cry. Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters’ Carrie-inspired video was the first that I saw labelled a “must-see” and it’s definitely a good one. Major props to the guys for putting a message at the end of the video clarifying the cause and where to donate. Charlie Sheen I don’t want to spoil the surprise for those have haven’t seen it, but Charlie Sheen pulls a fast one and it’s pretty great. Bill Gates Let it be said that Bill Gates never half-hearts anything. MEGA64’s Ice Bucket Challenge The MEGA64 guys might be the funniest people on the planet. Patrick Stewart It’s a bit of a given that Patrick Stewart is going to be the best at whatever he does, Ice Bucket Challenge included. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkO4NIqAMss Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock Holmes makes everyone else look weak. Conan O’Brien Conan doesn’t understand how the challenge works and we all get to laugh at him. George Takei Ooooooh myyyy. Triple H The wrestling fanboy in me geeked out big time over this one. Anthony Carbajal Who’s Anthony Carbajal? He’s a 26-year-old who was recently diagnosed with ALS, following in the tragic footsteps of his mother and grandmother. I’m warning you now, this isn’t a fun video. It starts out funny, but it quickly takes an emotional turn as Carbajal bares his soul to the camera. This video is an excellent reminder of why this challenge is being done. ALS is a horrible disease and its victims lives are affected in a devastating way. As fun as all of this is, ALS itself is nothing to joke about. I just couldn’t leave you guys on such a sad note, so here’s an eleventh Ice Bucket Challenge video from one of my favorite people. Share This With The World!
