Same here. CIO and my boss look up and I'm gone. My boss blows up my phone begging me to come back. Ruined my career there. My colleagues literally gushed over me and said they wished they had the courage to leave also. It was traumatizing for most involved.
you tanked your career because you couldn't do a simple, if silly and lame, group ice breaker thing?
like, just make some shit up. this shouldn't even be a thing. "I never learned how to ride a bike" or "I peed my pants while skydiving" or something. fake a couple of laughs, and then think about how much beer you're going to have after work.