Want to coordinate your Halloween costume with your friend, lover, brother, mother or other other-half, but tired of the same old “couples costumes” ideas? BuddyTV has got you and your buddy covered. Try one of these unique, TV-duo inspired costume ideas, and you two are guaranteed to be the weirdest, wackiest, wonderful-est pair this Halloween.
#12 Khal Drogo and His Khaleesi Daenerys, Game of Thrones
What to wear: If you’re looking to show off some skin as well as prove that you’re hip and cool, there’s no better couple than Khal Drogo and Daenerys Targaryan from HBO’s Game of Thrones. The powerful Dothraki leader sports a heavily tattooed bare chest with a great braided goatee. As a bonus, with this couple, the guy gets to wear more eyeliner than the girl. For Daenerys, you get a cute, midriff-revealing top, platinum white hair and, if you’re feeling adventurous, tiny baby dragon accessories (dragon barrettes would look super cute). Not only will you be the hottest couple at your Halloween party, but others will bow down before you.
What to do: The best part of being Khal Drogo is that you don’t actually have to talk to anyone, you can just bark out orders in a made-up language. He can also grab women and force them onto the dance floor (Note: don’t actually do this, as you might get arrested in real life, and the Dothraki army is no match for cops with taser guns). Daenerys, on the other hand, can use her cunning sexual wiles to charm men into doing her bidding, thus proving that even in the mythical land of Westeros, a sexy woman can get men to do whatever she wants them to do.
#11 The Bachelor & His Bride-to-Be, The Bachelor
What to wear: Why not take Halloween to the next level with a couples costume that says, “We’re so in love that we’re making mockery of a TV show that makes a mockery of being in love”? You two are so adorable and meta. If you’ve ever seen a Bachelor final rose ceremony, you know the drill. A suit for him, and a floor-length, sparkly, jewel- or precious-metal-colored dress for her. Both of you need full “we are in a commercial for bronzer” makeup (with some big, fake eyelashes and mascara crying stains for her) and Barbie and Ken hair, either real or artificial. Accessorize with a big, fat diamond ring (Neil Lane jewelry box optional) and one, long-stemmed final rose. An extra person to act as your constant camera crew would really put the polish on the whole thing.
What to do: Not every final Bachelor relationship is cheesy and fake. Just most of them. You want to channel those people. That means: Long, flowery speeches that end in tears and proposals. Talk about “the journey.” Talk about your “fairy tale.” Say everything is ____-er “than you ever imagined.” Basically, talk like you’re taking lines directly from romantic Hallmark cards and Dove chocolate wrappers. THIS GUY knows what I’m talking about!
#10 2-person Abby Lee, Dance Moms
What to wear: Have you ever gone on Halloween as a two-headed monster? This is that monster, but with a modern twist. Both people go as Abby Lee Miller of Dance Moms. Get the biggest black shirt you can both fit into; the same goes for a black pair of pants. For hair, a simple black headband will do. Makeup is non-essential, but do a crazed black liquid liner and a fuchsia lip if you’re feeling up to the full effect. All four of your eyes should be crazed, as it is key to look like you’re too stressed out to EVER sleep.
What to do (or, how to operate a 2-person Abby Lee costume): You have a few options. The Two-Faced option: you can link arms and stand next to each other, yelling at different little girls and their mothers (pretend everyone is a little girl or mother). The eyes-in-the-back-of-my-head option: face in opposite directions in the shirt, so that you will always be able to see what is going on around you at all times. Yell as much as possible, until you both go hoarse. (Sorry in advance to your friends.) If you need to take a break from yelling, look incredulous, and swing your head(s) around suddenly and wildly. (Be careful not to hit each other!) The most important accessory for this costume is attitude: everyone is the enemy! Especially those who have no idea who you are. Speak defensively to everyone, and respond to what they’re saying before you’ve fully processed it.
#9 Kim and Kyle Richards, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
What to wear: If you’re going to go as Housewives (and why wouldn’t you? they’re TV’s best monsters!), these sisters are your best option. Think modern-day Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?. For Kyle, wear a tunic-type top or dress, accentuating the legs by either leaving them bare or pairing the top with a fitted pant. Ideally the shirt will have cut-outs in the arms, or some way of being both sleeveless and long-sleeved at the same time. Accessorize with long, straight brown hair, tasteful makeup, and green or aqua jewelry. For Kim, think late-90’s wealthy. Blonde hair, ill-applied makeup, and any clothing that’s just barely not in style anymore (or looks like you tried to gift-wrap yourself).
What to do: When behaving as these two, the Kim should slur her words and yammer on constantly, while the Kyle tries to protect Kim from embarrassing herself. Kim should excuse herself to the bathroom frequently to do “makeup touch-ups,” and act drunk but deny ever being drunk. Make crazy phone calls to your friends during which you never finish an entire thought. If you’re going to a party, show up late and discombobulated, or just don’t show at all. Kyle should be catty and judgmental, but rarely outright mean. Both characters should point frequently, and in unison whenever possible. Eye-rolling and raised eyebrows are a must.
#8 Jeffster, Chuck
What to wear: To dress as everyone’s favorite Nerd Herd duo, you’ve got to wear the Nerd Herd uniform: Both of you should wear white short-sleeved button-down shirts, black pants and gray ties. Nametags distinguishing you as “Jeff” and “Lester” will help you distinguish the Chuck fans from those who will probably just think you’re a pair of door-to-door Mormons. Jeff has wild, curly hair, and Lester has shoulder-length, straight black hair — so either, or both, could be played by a lady. You’re going as Jeffster!, Jeff and Lester’s cover band, so don’t forget the performance sunglasses, a keyboard for Jeff and a mic for Lester.
What to do: Act as wild and uninhibited as your inner rock star wants to be. Jeff is little more drugged and creepy at all times, while Lester is aggressive and irritated, but then turns smooth for his performances. And there should be performances, of classics like “Africa” by Toto, “Mr. Roboto” by Styx and “Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen. Talent isn’t required; absolute commitment is.
#7 Craig Ferguson and His Robot Sidekick Geoff Peterson, The Late Late Show
What to wear: This costume combines two sure-fire fun factors: Robots and Scottish accents. For Craig, the outfit’s easy. Wear a classic suit, and add a Scottish flag tie for extra flair. Possible props include a snake mug, a framed photo of Kristen Bell (his favorite guest), a stuffed white rabbit hand puppet and a believable Scottish accent. Geoff’s ensemble is a little more complicated: A skeleton head (painted on or a mask), a silver mohawk and bright blue eyes (or eye shadow) over an oversized suit and tie are essential. Add a Price is Right style name tag (that says “Geoff,” of course) and wear a podium made of cardboard over your lower half.
What to do: Hope you’re good at witty banter! Craig asks Geoff a lot of a questions, and Geoff’s answers vary from strange (“Sexy time, meow”) to extremely sarcastic (“Oooh, glad I stayed up for this.”) — if it gets a laugh, Geoff will say it. Craig loves to taunt robot Geoff with all the things he can’t do, and in return, Geoff steals the attention with his kooky non sequiturs. The important thing is to have fun and never, ever stop the conversation.
#6 Booth and Brennan (and Baby!), Bones
What to wear: Are you pregnant? Would you like to pretend you’re pregnant? (At the same time as Beyonce?!) Are you also morbid and awkward? Then you’re in the right costume how-to slide. Both Brennan and Booth are partial to clean-cut, classic office wear. For him, a suit with short, neat hair. For her, a simple suit as well, with a blue lab coat over top, ideally with “Brennan” embroidered on the lapel. The fun parts are in the details, especially Brennan’s pregnancy belly! That’s a must if you want to be with the current Bones times. As for accessories, Booth wouldn’t be complete without his gun and camera phone, while Brennan should have her latex gloves and surgical instruments (nothing you could actually hurt anybody with) … and maybe a bone or two, just for fun.
What to do: As far as behavior and quirks, these two are more subtle than the rest of the costumes in this list, so for the acting-adverse, these are the roles for you! Booth should be friendly and outgoing, but aggressive if anyone suggests sharing feelings or threatens Brennan. Brennan should be serious, intelligent, and out of the loop on every joke or pop-culture reference. Booth should call Brennan “Bones,” Brennan should call him “Booth.” And everyone else will call you “Awesome.”
#5 Character and Alt. Character, Fringe
What to wear: Do you have a friend who’s constantly being mistaken for your sibling or twin? …No? Well, you should probably still do this bizarre couples’ costume anyway, which is perfect for identical twins, but will be even funnier if you look nothing alike. For simplicity’s sake, we’ll talk about Olivia, but these rules should work for any normal and alternate-version character pairing from Fringe: Olivia should wear a black, tailored suit over a white shirt; very simple and serious. Her hair is long, straight and blonde, without bangs. Meanwhile, Alt. Olivia (“Fauxlivia”) should wear stylish but casual clothes, like skinny jeans and a dress shirt, with the same hair as Olivia, but red and with bangs.
What to do: Your outfits pretty much sum up how you should act. Olivia is all business, serious and a bit shy, while Fauxlivia should be friendly, outgoing and humorous. Good luck telling your less fun friend why she gets to be Olivia.
#4 Beavis and Butt-head, Beavis and Butt-head
What to wear: To celebrate the return of MTV’s most iconic idiots (no, Jersey Shore, that title will never be yours!), grab your friend with the pointiest nose and/or gummiest smile and head to the vintage store. There, you will need to purchase a classic hard rock t-shirt for both of you: AC/DC and Metallica are the B-boys’ signature looks, but really any metal logo will probably work. From there, the rest of the costume is pretty easy: A blond wig (if it’s not natural) and blue shorts for Beavis, and a brunette wig and red shorts for Butt-head. Regular white gym socks, black sneakers, and an unshowered air about yourselves should top off the look. Bonus: Air guitars are FREE!
What to do: Besides using your cutting but apathetic sense of wit to lazily mock everyone and everything around you, there are a few key moves you must master. These include Beavis’s snicker, Butt-head’s snort, and putting your shirt over your head while exclaiming, “I am the great Cornholio!” It’s probably best just to study up and practice via Youtube.
#3 Hoda Kotb & Kathie Lee Gifford, Today
What to wear: Congratulations! You have wisely selected a couples’ costume that allows you and your best girlfriend (or brave, awesome boyfriend) to dress like classy ladies, yet drink like fish and make hammy stupid jokes all night long. It is truly the best of both worlds. Hoda is the more conservative co-host, so select a tea-length dress in a neutral tone for her, while Kathie Lee should sport a tighter dress in a more vibrant shade of pink or yellow. In terms of style, think “mom,” but also think “mom who thinks she’s not a mom.” Hoda’s hair is a brown bob, while Kathie Lee’s is a longer blonde/auburn blowout. Accessorize with jewelry from Kohl’s or Lane Bryant, and a couple coffee mugs filled with white wine. A miserable Frank Gifford (could be represented by a human, or a hilarious “third wheel” prop) is optional.
What to do: We’ll defer to the experts at Saturday Night Live and allow them to show you. (The high points: Be/act drunk, make lots of goofy faces and voices, generally pretend you’re a menopausal Midwestern mom at an open mic.)
#2 Tio Salamanca and Gus Fring, Breaking Bad
What to wear: Prepare to scare everyone as a feuding pair of drug kingpins from AMC’s popular and very cool series Breaking Bad. Gus Fring is the most suave and sophisticated chicken restaurant owner of all time, sporting a very dapper three-piece suit, glasses, and a tie that always needs straightening to emphasize how cold and calculated he is. His archrival, Hector Salamanca, is the polar opposite in appearance, a haphazard old man in a ratty bathrobe stuck in a wheelchair with a bell that he rings to communicate. Bonus points go to any adventurous costume lovers who make their own bucket of Los Pollos Hermanos chicken, and for those who go above and beyond the call of duty with heavy, gory make-up on the right side of Gus’ face.
What to do: These two may hate each others’ guts, but their conversations are always civil. Gus will quietly straighten his time before speaking in short, clipped sentences that will terrify anyone within earshot. Hector, on the other hand, can’t speak and instead must ring his bell to talk, one ding for “Yes,” two dings for “No.” As a pair, you’ll be sure to make any party explode with excitement.
#1 Janet Snakehole and FBI Agent Burt Macklin, Parks and Recreation
What to wear: A couples costume in reference to ANOTHER couples costume? Well aren’t you an ambitious, esoteric delight! This one’s a little tricky, but well worth the investment. Just ask April and Andy, who had so much fun roleplaying as a “very rich widow with a dark secret” and an FBI agent that their marriage has been rock-solid ever since. For Janet: Dress like a very rich widow with a dark secret. Or, in other words, like Audrey Hepburn in a soap opera murder mystery. We’re talking black velvet, pearls, a cigarette holder and a pillbox hat. For Burt: An FBI jacket (or a navy blue jacket that you’ve painted FBI on to) over a suit, slicked back hair and a clearly fake plastic gun.
What to do: Janet, it’s your job to spin lofty, dramatic tales of your wealth and misfortune, like you’re reciting your life story after being arrested for a crime of passion. (“I didn’t burn down the mill, either! My sister did! But now she’s been eaten by WOLVES!”) Burt, just throw your authority around, yell “FBI!” whenever possible and arrest everybody. You two are going to have so much fun.
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
Meghan hails from Walla Walla, WA, the proud home of the world’s best sweet onions and Adam West, the original Batman. An avid grammarian and over-analyzer, you can usually find her thinking too hard about plot devices in favorites like The Office, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and How I Met Your Mother. In her spare time, Meghan enjoys drawing, shopping, trying to be funny (and often failing), and not understanding the whole Twilight thing. She’s got a BA in English and Studio Art from Whitman College, which makes her a professional arguer, daydreamer, and doodler.
