Sex with Me Is Like
Sex with Me Is Like is a rapid-fire joke game in which performers each complete the phrase with an improvised punchline, drawing comparisons to absurd, mundane, or unexpected situations. The game rewards quick thinking, commitment to the joke, and the willingness to be boldly silly.
Structure
Setup
Performers line up across the stage or stand in a semicircle. The host introduces the game and the phrase. Each performer will step forward, complete the sentence "Sex with me is like..." with an original comparison, and then step back.
Playing the Game
Performers take turns delivering their punchlines one at a time. The format is simple: step forward, deliver the line with confidence, and step back. Speed and commitment matter more than polish. A delivered line with full confidence lands harder than a clever line mumbled with hesitation.
Comparisons range from domestic ("...assembling furniture without instructions") to absurd ("...a spelling bee where every word is wrong") to self-deprecating ("...a library: very quiet and over in fifteen minutes"). The variety across the ensemble demonstrates each performer's unique comedic voice.
Rounds
Most versions run multiple rounds, giving each performer several attempts. Later rounds often produce stronger material because the early rounds loosen inhibitions and establish the comedic tone. Some versions increase the pressure by speeding up the pace in each subsequent round.
Variations
A callback version allows performers to reference and build on earlier punchlines from other players. A themed version restricts comparisons to a category such as food, sports, or movies. A reversal version uses the phrase "Sex with you is like..." directed at a specific audience member's suggestion.
How to Teach It
Objectives
Sex with Me Is Like trains rapid joke construction, confidence in delivery, and the willingness to commit to bold choices. It develops the ability to generate original comedic comparisons under pressure.
How to Explain It
"Step forward, say 'Sex with me is like' and finish the sentence with whatever comes to mind. Step back. Do not think too hard. Speed and confidence matter more than the perfect joke."
Scaffolding
Warm up with a less charged version of the same format, such as "My morning routine is like..." to establish the rhythm before introducing the actual phrase. This lets performers practice the step-deliver-step pattern without the additional pressure of provocative content.
Common Pitfalls
Performers sometimes overthink and freeze, waiting for the perfect joke rather than committing to whatever comes first. The facilitator should emphasize that a mediocre joke delivered with confidence is better than silence. Another pitfall is performers who lean on shock value rather than genuine comedic comparison. The funniest punchlines tend to be surprisingly specific rather than broadly vulgar.
How to Perform It
Delivery
The game lives and dies on delivery. A performer who steps forward with authority, makes eye contact with the audience, delivers cleanly, and steps back creates a rhythm that elevates every subsequent performer. Hesitation, qualifying language, or apologetic body language undercuts even strong material.
Audience Management
The game's subject matter makes some audiences uncomfortable and others enthusiastic. Reading the room determines how far performers push the material. The strongest performances find the line between provocative and gratuitous and stay on the playful side.
Ensemble Rhythm
When the ensemble finds a quick, confident rhythm of step-deliver-step, the game builds momentum that carries weaker individual jokes. The pace itself becomes entertaining. Gaps between performers kill this momentum.
Worth Reading
See all books →
The Improv Handbook
The Ultimate Guide to Improvising in Comedy, Theatre, and Beyond
Tom Salinsky; Deborah Frances-White
The Comedy Improv Handbook
A Comprehensive Guide to University Improvisational Comedy
Matt Fotis; Siobhan O'Hara
Improvisation for Actors and Writers
A Guidebook for Improv Lessons in Comedy
Bill Lynn
The Ultimate Improv Book
A Complete Guide to Comedy Improvisation
Edward J. Nevraumont; Kurt Smeaton; Nicholas P. Hanson
The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual
Matt Besser; Ian Roberts; Matt Walsh
112 Acting Games
Gavin Levy
Related Games
Sex with Me
Sex with Me is a joke-format game in which performers complete the phrase with audience-suggested comparisons, creating rapid-fire one-liners that build on absurd metaphors. The game relies on the audience's delight in innuendo and the performers' ability to find unexpected angles on a suggestive premise. It is typically performed as a high-energy audience warm-up.
One Eighty Five
185 (One Eighty Five) is a short-form joke game in which performers deliver a series of one-liner jokes that follow a fixed structure: "185 [blank] walk into a bar. The bartender says, 'We don't serve [blank] here.' The [blank] say..." followed by a punchline that puns on or plays off the subject's identity. The audience provides the subject, and multiple performers compete to deliver the best punchline.
Script Tease
Script Tease is a short-form game in which performers hold actual scripts or random text and must incorporate the written lines into their improvised scene, reading from the page at key moments while making the pre-written text fit naturally within the context of the scene.
Ding
Ding is a short-form game in which a host rings a bell or buzzer to signal a performer to replace their last line of dialogue with a new one. The host can ring repeatedly, demanding multiple replacements for the same moment, each new line erasing the previous one within the scene's reality. The game is one of the most widely performed short-form games in the world, popularized through its frequent appearance on Whose Line Is It Anyway? Ding rewards fast verbal invention, the ability to generate multiple alternatives under pressure, and the willingness to abandon a safe choice in favor of a riskier, funnier one.
Jeopardy
Jeopardy is a short-form game modeled on the television quiz show format, in which performers provide improvised questions to audience-supplied answers. The reversed format (answer first, then question) demands quick thinking and the ability to construct comedic setups from arbitrary punchlines. A host manages the game board and selects categories, while performer-contestants buzz in with their responses. The game rewards wit, timing, and the ability to find unexpected connections within the quiz show framework.
Ordinary Scene Until Ridiculous
Ordinary Scene Until Ridiculous is a classroom exercise in which two performers receive a mundane scenario and play it as realistically as possible, deliberately avoiding attempts at comedy. The watching group cheers when something genuinely unusual or funny emerges organically from the grounded reality. The exercise trains improvisers to discover what is naturally absurd about a situation rather than forcing humor, building the foundational skill of finding the game of a scene through patient, honest scene work.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Sex with Me Is Like. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/games/sex-with-me-is-like
The Improv Archive. "Sex with Me Is Like." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/games/sex-with-me-is-like.
The Improv Archive. "Sex with Me Is Like." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/games/sex-with-me-is-like. Accessed September 28, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.