'Minute to Win It' Stack Attack Game

A simple game of stacking cups would be far too easy for a show like "Minute to Win It." In Stack Attack, you'll need to create a perfect tower and then restack your cups in a particular fashion to win. Don't knock that tower over or oops ... you're done (or at least you may as well be).

The Goal

Place 36 standard-size plastic drinking cups into a perfectly aligned triangular tower and then take the cups down one diagonal line at a time. Restack the cups as you dismantle the tower. Complete this task in 1 minute or less to win the game.

Equipment Needed

• 36 standard-sized plastic drinking cups (the size you'd use to drink beer or soda from)
• A table
• A 1-minute timer or stop watch

Setting Up the Game

It's crazy-easy to set up Stack Attack. Just place the cups into a single stack and put them on the table. 

How to Play

What this game lacks in set-up requirements it makes up for in format explanation. To start, face the table and the cups. When the 1-minute timer begins, pick up the stack of cups and begin creating a triangular-shaped tower. The bottom row should be made up of eight cups in a straight line, with seven in the next row, six in the next, and so on until you end up with a single cup on top of the tower.

Now, it's time to deconstruct the tower and recreate the stack of cups. Be careful, though, because this must be done in a particular fashion. Starting with the single cup at the top of the tower, take the cups down in diagonal columns. So for the first one, you'd take the top cup followed by the cup from each row at the far left (or right). You'll be left with one cup at the top of the tower to start over again with, so carry on in this fashion until all of the cups are stacked once again.

Build the tower and then take it down again in 1 minute or less to win the game.

The Rules

The rules aren't many or difficult, but they're strict. They are:

• If the tower falls at any time during the game, even during the final column removal, you must start all over again.
• The cups must be removed in the diagonal fashion to count.

Tips and Tricks

Make sure that your tower is lined up well and that it's sturdy. Otherwise, as you begin to take it down, it will tip over and you'll be back at the beginning of the game. Use a bit more time putting the tower together than taking it down. Also, concentrate while you're re-stacking the cups to make sure you're getting the diagonals correctly. It's easy to get flustered or distracted when the clock is ticking and you're feeling pressured.

If you want to make this game holiday-themed, simply use holiday patterned plastic cups or cups that are colored to match your party decor.