This is the original ruleset for V1 of the drinking game
The Origins of the Miami Vice Drinking Game
The Lure of Easy Liquor, It’s Got A Very Strong Appeal
by Charles Helfenstein
Although people seldom need an excuse to drink, making up rules and being creative about it always helps. My freshman year in college, a friend was telling me about a drinking game he played where people watched Hawaii Five-O and drank to it. An example was that everytime McGarett said “Book ‘Em Dano” one would have to drink.
“Hey we could do that with Miami Vice!” I exclaimed with glee. Soon I sought out my friend Dean, who lived in Ft. Lauderdale and was another Vice fanatic like myself. We quickly scribbled out a list of rules, with arguments over the how many drinks each action would be. After we had gotten the rules together, we knew we had something special. We figured it would be more fun if you dressed in character while you were drinking. So we set a date for the party (“VICE NIGHT”) and let some close friends know when it would be.
That whole day I was quite excited. I cranked the Vice soundtrack on my roomate’s stereo most of the afternoon. I went about party-proofing the room and getting things ready. My roomate got the beer, while I was busy making ID badges for everybody and photocopying rule sheets. I got to be Crockett (surprise, surprise.) My friend Dean was Tubbs. My roommate was kind of burly so he was Switec. I had invited a girl named Beth who I was really hot for, so she was Gina (surprise, surprise.) She put together a hooker outfit that was amazing!!! All told, there were eight of us, and we had a blast.
We had a photo session, and for days afterward, people were asking me about the party. “When are you having another one?” everyone wanted to know. “Hey, Vice Night is special, you can’t just throw something like that together you know…” All the guys wanted another one because how often to you get to dress like a cop or a sleazy drug lord and have girls dress as hookers?
My Sophomore year, I was dating a girl named Joy and told her about the party. She was a big Vice fan as well (Like I’d be dating someone who wasn’t?) – so she suggested we have Vice Night 2. She had a friend who had an off campus apartment, which made things great. His name also happened to be Calderon. No “e” at the end thank goodness. We made signs and had a sign-in sheet and everything. Most of the original crew from VN1 was there, but this time the number had increased to 20 or so.
My Junior year, Tania and Jenny, a couple of friends with an off campus apartment, asked to host Vice Night 3. I was flattered with the effort they put into it and it was a fantastic time. I still have the invitation which has phrases like “Vice Night 3: three times the excitement” and “Please no Earth Tones, Pastels Only.” A terrific night, with about 40 people showing up. My friend Dean even put in an appearance, which was quite cool considering he had MCAT’s the next day.
My senior year I had the #6 pick in the housing lottery & was able to secure an off campus apartment for me, Dean, and another friend, Dave. As spring rolled around, I put more and more time into one of the most important projects of my college career: Vice Night 4. I was able to schedule it on a weekend where very few fraternity parties were happening. We party-proofed the apartment. I put Vice Posters up. I made an incredible invitation which showed pictures from the three previous Vice Nights. Friends started going door to door to tell friends about the event. When the time came, about 140 people showed up! We went through more alchohol than I care to imagine. It was a fantastic night. Dave came up to me part way through and said “This is all you man!” It was nice to see that someone appreciated the effort. The next afternoon, I went to the cafeteria to try and fight off the hangover.
The server behind the counter was a freshman who had been at the party. “Great Party Man!” he said. I smiled. When I went to join my friends, almost every table I passed was discussing Vice Night 4.
One of the nicest things about Vice Night 4 were the guests. A few guys asked to carry on the tradition. They were even lucky enough to get the same off campus apartment the next year (You’ve heard of frat houses – my college had the Vice House!). They held Vice Night 5 and I was able to make it down for a visit. I’ll never forget my welcome. The party was in full swing when I walked in (wearing white sport coat & pants, aqua t-shirt of course). John, who put on the party, screamed “Hey, here’s the guy that invented Vice Night!” I felt like a mini celebrity. I even hooked up that night – hey it’s my party – I’ll hook up if I want to…
Miami Vice Drinking Game Rules
by Charles Helfenstein and Dean Nasser
1 Drink
- Sonny Says “Pal”
- Screeching Tires
- Gina and Trudy Dress as Hookers
- Drug Deal
- Someone Dies
- Miranda Rights Read
- Tubbs Says Something Worthless
- Tubbs speaks with Jamaican Accent
- Sonny or Tubbs change clothes
- Sonny Uses Car Phone
- Tubbs Drive Cadillac
- Tubbs On Screen, But No Line
- Vice Theme Plays
- Zito and Switec get Stupid Job
2 Drinks:
- Elvis Appears
- Sonny Kills Someone
- Sonny Uses Boat Phone
- Gina and Sonny Talk
- Castillo’s Phone Rings
- Bug Van Appears
Chug:
- Tubbs with Shotgun
- Tubbs gets laid
- Tubbs says something worthless in Jamaican Accent
6 Pack Attack:
- Castillo Smiles
Note: To Really make things interesting, one can play “Shot Per Shot Rules” where every time a shot is fired (good guys and bad) everyone has to take a drink. Watch out for those machine guns!!