What game do they play in the show New Girl?

"Normal" is the twentieth episode of the first season of the American comedy television series New Girl. It was written by Luvh Rakhe and directed by Jesse Peretz.

Jess (Zooey Deschanel) brings her new boyfriend Russell (Dermot Mulroney) home to the loft to meet her roommates. After some reluctance, the men bond when the group plays True American, an active drinking game. The game ends when Cece (Hannah Simone) retreats to Schmidt's bed, prompting Schmidt (Max Greenfield) to join her. Nick (Jake Johnson) then shares his idea for "real apps," a suite of physical "apps" for smartphones with functionality similar to a Swiss Army knife. He accidentally wounds Russell with the prototype, prompting Russell to leave, to Jess's disappointment.

Winston (Lamorne Morris) begins a new job in "Normal" as an assistant to sports talk show host Joe Napoli (Phil Hendrie). Winston's initial enthusiasm for the job fades when he realizes Napoli is an abrasive and disrespectful boss. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a cameo appearance as a guest on Napoli's show.

True American[edit]

After "Normal" aired, internet sources began to summarize the rules for True American, which the characters described as a mix of a drinking game and Candy Land where the floor is lava; it also involves shouting the names of American presidents.[1][2] The idea of True American came from a New Girl writer who played a similar game in college. As she could not remember the game's exact rules, the writers focused on making the game as funny on the page as possible, but only established chanting "JFK! FDR!" and walking on chairs. As the cast did not understand the game during shooting, the writers created more rules on the spot, advised the actors to "have fun, dig in, jump in" and play it as if "they'd been playing this thing for years and years and years." The high-energy feel of the game and the amounts of coverage made filming True American more challenging for the actors than normal episodes. Producers Dave Finkel, Brett Baer, and writer Luvh Rakhe, came up with most of the obscure American history facts, but much was cut from the finished episode.[1][3] Fox subsequently released a set of official rules for the game, which can be summarized "There are no real rules".[4] The characters also played True American in "Cooler", the 15th episode of the second season, in "Mars Landing", the 20th episode of the third season and in "Wedding Eve" the 21st episode of the fifth season.

Reception[edit]

The initial broadcast of "Normal" attracted 5.23 million US viewers.[5] The A.V. Club called the episode "the young series at its best," rating it an A− overall.[6] The staff of The Atlantic included it in their list of the best TV episodes of 2012, comparing the actors' performances to "the best sitcom ensembles" of Seinfeld, Will & Grace, and Friends.[7] Alan Sepinwall said the episode "didn't seem quite as effortlessly hilarious as several recent episodes" but was still enjoyable.[8]

What You Will Need:

• You will need enough beer for however many players there are (this varies from group to group)
• A handle of the liquor of your choice
• At least 5 players (ages 21 or older)
• A large room with pillows, cushions, chairs, etc. scattered across the floor so you can navigate the room without touching the floor
• (Optional) A whiteboard explaining the rules in case you need clarification as you play

How to Play:

• Players take turns attempting to gain moves. With these moves, they navigate around several zones utilizing only tables, chairs, and cushions to get around. Why? The floor is lava! In the middle of the play zone, you have the castle, which is made up of a bottle of alcohol (whiskey) and an ungodly amount of beers. This is known as the king and his pawns. As you make your way through the game, you remove beers and drink them. Once all the beers are gone the first player to reach the King and take a swig wins! The game has been tweaked a bit for playability but don’t worry; it’s retained the New Girl feel!
  • Pick Teams: You don’t get the privilege of shouting out your besties’ names in True American. Instead, hold up a random number of fingers to your forehead. Anyone with fewer fingers than you becomes your teammate. Or anyone with the same number becomes your teammate. Although you probably don’t need teammates anyway.
  • Set up your castle: You want a single bottle of alcohol with four lines of beers radiating from the “King” forming an “X.” The amount of beers you choose is up to you and is typically related to the number of players in the game. These beer/pawn lines also coincide with the divisions between the zones which we’ll get into next.
  • Understanding zones: There are four zones. Each zone has five spaces with the center space being the only one where players can grab pawns. That means the center space is closest to the castle, and the first and last space of the zone are furthest away. 
• The game starts with a shotgun contest. The player who finishes their beer first wins. The winner shouts, “One, two three, JFK!” The other players yell “FDR,” before grabbing a pawn from the Castle and retreating to a space in one of the zones. The game goes clockwise. If it’s your turn, you can move once, but other players will need to win moves.
• To win moves: 
  • Forehead fingers: All players yell “One, two, three” and then hold their fingers up to their foreheads. Anyone with a number that no one else has wins and may move one spot. 
  • Quote competition: The player whose turn it is may speak a historical or pop culture quote. Those who chime in and complete it simultaneously may move two spots.
  • Commonground: The player whose turn it is can say two people, places, or things. Those who respond with what they have in common can move three spaces. 
  • Note: You must always have a beer in your hand. 
• Remember, to win the game be the first to drink from the King after all of the pawns have been removed. 
• You lose if you are caught without a beer, an empty beer can, or step on the lava. Have no fear though! You can get back into the game by polishing off one beer and standing where the other players put you.

Here’s a video tutorial from New Girl’s youtube channel, good luck and remember to drink responsibly!

If you need more clarification, please click here.

Hollywood Kyle is the Digital Content Producer and Production Director of Mix 99.5 WJBR. Being a Delaware local, Kyle takes pride in his hometown and has had a love for music since a young age. Hollywood Kyle joins the Mix Morning Show for abstract thoughts and ideas during "Hollywood Kyle" segment around 9:40am Monday thru Friday.

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