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The Most 'High-Risk, Low-Reward' Things People Have Ever Done

I once heard of this guy who ran after a bus and attempted to leap on just as the doors closed. He did it, and got in. But it could have ended so badly for him. He could have fallen into the road or into traffic. He could have busted his face open or his head. Oh, and the bus was one of those that came by every 10 minutes.

So what was the point of that? That was the definition of "high risk, low reward," if you ask me. Why? Just why?

But others are far more daring—or reckless—than him or I.


We heard some people's stories after Redditor siiborg asked the online community:

"What's the most high risk, low reward thing you've ever done?"

"Moved across the country..."

"Moved across the country for a guy. Got married, now divorced, hate it here, no family."

pinkwahpul

So sad. Sorry to hear it didn't work out. Is there no way to move back?

"I swam..."

"I swam in the Zambezi when I was drunk on a tiger fishing trip. Still can't believe I was that stupid. For those that don't know, it's infested with hippos and crocs, known for taking people."

[deleted]

I don't know if hippos or crocs scare me more. They're both terrifying creatures and you are clearly braver (or more daft) than I.

"I once followed..."

"I once followed a young homeless man I just met because he wanted to show me where he was staying. It was nighttime and he invited me down into a dip in the trees. We walked through a dark section of forest then he showed me some rocks and small caves with a couple beds set up."

"Then we left. I literally followed a stranger into the dark woods because...curiosity?"

somebsthrowaway

Ummm... have you never watched a horror movie in your life? Get it together.

"I once climbed..."

"I once climbed an old truss bridge to get some neat pictures of myself. I climbed under it and sat on the beams beneath the bridge. I climbed the the very top. I hung off the edge of the bridge above several rocks."

"Once I got done and showed the pictures to my friends they said they sucked."

basic_wh1te_boy

Well, that's disappointing.

Made you think twice before attempting something like that again, didn't it?

"Taking a year..."

"Taking a year in a program I wasn't interested in to try and get a girl, who turned me down instantly."

"I wasn't horny, I was lonely. We were good friends prior, not so much afterwards as s**t got awkward; it was also my second year, so I did get a useless degree I never claimed for my trouble (social science.) So there's the reward, I guess."

[deleted]

Usually isn't a good idea to do something for a girl when you're so young and in school, but you live and learn, right?

"Climbing up..."

"Climbing up a water tower when drunk to find a friend. Turns out said friend was not even lost. He was yelling at me from the base of the tower."

CheekyBlind

Wait... what?

How?

Were you drunk?

"I started smoking."

"I started smoking. It has literally no benefit; it just makes me uncomfortable when I don't do it and when I do it as well."

MrMcQuestionable

There are thankfully resources if you are looking to quit. You can do it!

"My spirit..."

"Once my mom started counting backwards from 5, and I started counting down from 3. She stared daggers at me and asked what I was counting to. I said that's how much time she has to stop pretending she was going to do s**t when she got to 0."

"My spirit lives on to warn others of my misfortune."

The_Celtic_Chemist

Oh, dear. Hopefully it wasn't too rough.

"My friends and I..."

"My friends and I used to target and steal those signs that said "If you are caught stealing you will be prosecuted." Many illegal things were done and many hundreds of thousands of dollars of stuff was ignored to steal increasingly difficult to obtain paper signs."

Churonna

You're clearly a risk-taker and it sounds like you haven't been arrested yet, sooo... good for you?

"This was in the '90s..."

"My friends and I used to break into expensive looking houses and use their showers. This was in the late 90s when ridiculous showers were in vogue and we wanted to know if they were actually any good (for the most part they were not). We never stole anything (well, except water)."

"We brought our own towels and toiletries. We were very careful about who we "hit" and made sure they had set schedules and no children or pets. The reward was a s***ty shower. We risked jail time."

Smeggywulf

To say the least! Wouldn't be me. You could have left a check for the stolen water.

I think I'll stay risk-averse, thank you very much. It's saved me from jail time... and certain death. Let's just say no homeless man is going to convince me to follow him into the woods!

Have some stories of your own? Tell us more in the comments below!

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