3 Comments
A good guest list is a lot like a good trail mix -- wildly different components coming together to form a delicious medley. But, as with trail mix, sometimes the human equivalent of carob sneaks into the party.

Bad guests come in many forms, from the girl who spends all night talking about her ex to the guy who demonstrates his manliness by ripping your phone book in half. We've compiled a list of the most common types of Bad Party Guests, along with helpful tips on how to deal with them. Click through below for good etiquette for bad guests, along with some truly heinous tales of crashers, mopers and creepers.

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=671202&pid=671201&uts=1248363482
http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf
The Worst Party Guests (And How to Deal With Them)
How to keep these party foulers from killing the mood.
meredithatexclamation, Flickr
Phil Walter, Getty Images

The Worst Guests (And How to Deal)

    The Weirdo

    "I threw a small get-together for my fiance's birthday. His cousin Jim's a really weird guy, so when he showed up I was nervous. Immediately, he went over to a group of my friends and just stood there, gawking. They tried to make conversation, and he just mumbled and stared. Then, he became my shadow and started following my every movement. It was so awkward. " Ann, 27

    If You're the Hostess: Pull aside someone at the party that knows the weirdo. Explain that he's making people uncomfortable and ask if they can get him to leave ... or at least distract him.

    If You're a Guest: Don't complain to the host -- it'll stress them out. Instead, take a turn putting up with the bizarre person... At least it'll make a good story for later.

    mattmatt, Flickr

    The Human Tragedy

    "A friend was having a rough breakup, so I convinced her to come to my cocktail party, figuring it might distract her. But she told sad stories and absolutely refused to have fun. By the time everyone left my house, they were all depressed." Megan, 24

    If You're the Hostess: Playfully call her out on her negativity. She probably doesn't even realize what she's doing, so if you're light-hearted, she'll catch a hint.

    If You're a Guest: If the guest keeps talking about sad crap, make a point change the subject to something happy. If nothing else, it'll guilt her into not ruining everybody else's buzz.

    sjmck, Flickr

    The Attention Hog

    "A friend of mine is really nice but he has to be the center of attention at all times. I invited him to a dinner party I threw, and he told stupid story after stupid story. He monopolized the entire night." Stephanie, 31.

    If You're the Hostess: Pull the attention seeker into another room to "show them something." That way everyone will get a little break, and maybe someone in particular will get the hint.

    If You're the Guest: Grin and bear it. If you make snide comments or get annoyed, you've just taken things from obnoxious to awkward.

    meredithatexclamation, Flickr

    The Control Freak

    "I was happy when a coworker I didn't know very well showed up to my BBQ, until she came into the kitchen and started critiquing how I made the potato salad. Then, she went out to where my brother was grilling and tried to take over. Every time I turned around she was trying to run the party. I was so irritated I could barely enjoy myself." Erica, 35

    If You're the Hostess: Remember that she's trying to be helpful. Sweetly explain that you appreciate all the help but you want her to enjoy herself! Shoo he off so you can take care of all the "work" yourself.

    If You're a Guest: Try to get the busy-body out of the host's hair. Find a trivial problem -- someone needs to make an ice or TP run -- so that she'll focus on that.

    Kanzeon, Flickr

    The Creep

    "I reserved the patio of a cool new bar to throw a party. One of my college buddies brought a guy he knew from work, who couldn't look away from my chest and was totally cheesy. When I walked away, he zeroed in on other girls. Every woman that was there spent the entire night trying to avoid him." Sara, 26

    If You're The Hostess: You're not trying to see this guy again, so let him know he's being a creep. Hopefully, his pride will be wounded enough that he'll stop or maybe even go home.

    If You're a Guest: Don't be a drama queen, but let him know you aren't interested before moving as far away as possible. If you've got a boyfriend (real, or fake) handy, recruit him steer you away.

    j-blocker, Flickr

    The Flasher

    "I decided to throw a luau, and my brother decided to bring his new girlfriend. She seemed sweet, but then she took off her cover-up to reveal the smallest bikini I had ever seen. My grandmother was horrified." Jenn, 27

    If You're the Hostess: Compliment her on her outfit, then quietly explain that grandma is uber-conservative square, so she might want to cover-up until she leaves. In all likelihood, she'll think it's a nice heads-up.

    If You're a Guest: If you start broadcasting your discomfort, even to the guest committing the party foul, you're just adding to the problem. Instead, pretend you don't even notice.

    kingfox, Flickr



More awesome stuff from around the Internet ...

Throw a Bachelorette Party That's More Classy, Less Trashy (Lemondrop)
Confession -- Guys Think I'm Weird (Glamour)
I Let My Husband Plan Our Wedding (The Frisky)

How to Host the Perfect Beach Party (Even if You're Landlocked) (Lemondrop)