The Poutine Eating Championship is a yearly food-eating competition where the contestants have to eat as much poutine as possible, in just 10 minutes.

I bet you’re still stuck on poutine, right? Many people outside Canada have never even heard of this delicacy, but they just eat it up there in the north. Poutine consists of french fries, cheese curds and brown gravy. Some say it sounds disgusting, but I wouldn’t mind trying some.

Anyway, during the World Poutine Eating Championship 2010, contestants had to gobble up as much poutine as possible, in 10 minutes time. The winner, 24-year-old Pat Bertoletti, churned 13 lbs of the stuff, and won himself a $750 prize and a cool trophy. Asked what he was going to do with his prize, Pat said he will spend it in a bar.

REUTERS photos by Mark Blinch via Daylife

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Now what can be more embarrassing, for a bunch of dudes, than to lose a bra untying contest to a member of the weaker sex? I’m sure she did have more practice than most of the male contestants, but still, humiliating.

During a promotional event, organized by a Chinese department store, in Gungzhou city, China, contestants were invited to test their bra untying skills. In order to win, participants had to untie the bras of eight models, in the shortest time possible, using only one hand. All the male show-offs, eager to prove their skills, were humiliated by a woman, who managed to untie all eight bras in just 21 seconds.

For her impressive achievement, the lady won 1,000 yuan ($146,5) and infinite satisfaction.

Photos via ImagineChina

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No mother likes it when her toddler starts crying, but at the Naki Sumo baby crying contest wailing is actually encouraged.

Held every year, at the Sensoji Temple, in Tokyo, the baby crying festival is a 400-year-old tradition, believed to keep rug-rats in good health. Amateur sumo wrestlers hold the babies high in the air, and try to scare them into crying, while a sumo referee judges the match. The toddler who cries longest and loudest is considered the winner.

Japanese parents bring the babies to the contest, of their own free will, and truly believe the sumo induced crying keeps their children in good health, and wards off evil spirits. This year, 80 babies, all under one year old, participated in Naki Sumo. As you might have guessed, the whiniest contender won.

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In an event organized by Odor-Eaters, 11-year-old Trinette Robinson proved she had the stinkiest sneakers, and took home the $2,500 prize.

The 35th edition of the Annual National Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest had nine kids, aged six to sixteen, battle it out for the title of “wearer of the stinkiest sneakers”. It was a hard contest to judge, considering all participants had already proven their stinky valor, at regional level. To make sure the winner was decided fairly, organizers brought in members of the jury with some serious sniffing abilities. Among them were George Aldrich, chemical specialist for NASA space missions, and Rachel Herz, author of the Scent of Desire, and professor at Brown University.

Pungent sneakers were judged on the condition of the sole, tongue, heel, toe, laces, overall condition, but especially odor. This year’s winner of the Rotten Sneaker Contest was Trinette Robinson, an 11-year-old girl from Bristol, Connecticut. She confessed she played hard in Girl Scout Camp, did a lot of community walks for charity, and took part in the “no-child left inside” program, in order to get her sneakers to smell as bad as they do.

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Alligator wrestling has been a big part of Seminole culture, and a popular sport, until the 1990s. Now, Seminole entrepreneurs hope to bring it back to its former glory, and make a fortune, in the process.

The Seminole Indians have come a long way, from living and hunting in swamp areas, to owning the Hard Rock chain of restaurants and hotels. Now they’re getting involved in a business venture closely tied to their native culture: alligator wrestling.

Richard Bowers, president of the Seminole Indian tribe of south Florida, says alligator wrestling has immense growth potential as long as there’s always going to be a part of the population who will want to see blood sports. And it doesn’t get much bloodier than going toe to toe with a reptile that could turn a human limb from limb.

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The Pig Contest of Guanshan Village, Guangdong Province, China, is a centuries old tradition dating back to the Qing Dinasty.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists, from all over China, travel to Guanshan, every year, to take a look at the hundreds of pigs on display at the Pig Contest. This year, around 500 oinkers were sacrificed, cleaned up and set on display to be admired by passers-by.

After the most handsome pig is allected, the festivities end in a gargantuan feast, when the tasty participants are sliced up and served to the public. Read More »

Have you ever considered making your prom dress or suit out of duct tape? No? How about for $3,000?

Duck brand Duct Tape have been organizing the “Stuck at Prom” competition for 10 straight years, challenging students to create original prom costumes using as much duct tape as possible. Competitors’ costumes are judged according to the following criteria: workmanship, originality, use of color, accessories and amount of duct tape used. The 10 best costumes are subjected to an online vote.

First place winners receive a $3,000 scholarship, second place gets $2,000, third place $1,000 and runners up receive $500. It may not seem like much, but in these troubled times any penny counts. And plus, you get to wear a cheap prom costume that will definitely catch everyone’s eyes.

via Guidespot

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On November 25, a yam and taro contest crowned the largest yam of 2009, in South-West China.

As one of the biggest yam and taro supplier in China, Anhe Township held the seventh annual Yam King Contest. Farmers from all around the area brought their biggest harvested yams hoping they’ll snatch the title of yam King 2009.

The winner of the contest was a 1.66 meters-long yam that weighed 38 kilograms. I bet that’s big enough to feed the farmer’s whole family for a long time.

via Xinhua

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Well, if there’s such a thing as the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, you’d better believe we also have a Cardboard Tube Fighting League.

It’s actually an international organization promoting events where people face each other in fair combat, wielding deadly…carton tubes. To be honest, it focuses more on fun and costume creativity than on violence. Anyone over 5-years-old can participate in a cardboard fight, so it’s not dangerous at all.

The rules of cardboard tube fighting are simple. To win a tournament or cardboard battle, you have to break your opponents cardboard and keep yours intact. If it should happen that both fighters break their tubes, the fight is declared a draw and the competitors are both declared winn…, losers. Parrying hits with the arm is forbidden and so is hitting an opponent in the face and stabbing.

During cardboard tube fighting tournaments, shields of any kind are forbidden, but they can be worn during cardboard tube battles, where two armies face each other and pound away until the last cardboard tube breaks or unravels.

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‘Surprisingly’ the US Texting Champ is a 15-year-old girl.

Kate Moore, a young girl from Des Moines, Iowa, took home the title of 2009 US Texting Champion and a prize of $50,000. But she had to work hard for every cent. LG, the contest organizer, made this year’s competition a very difficult one.

Contestants had to type tough messages while blindfolded, text acronyms, run an obstacle-course and text at the same time, and even text tongue-twisters while being taunted by actors dressed as emoticons. Moore made it to the final tie-breaker with runner up Dynda Morgan, and won the championship by typing “Zippity Dooo Dahh Zippity Ayy…MY oh MY, what a wonderful day! Plenty of sunshine Comin’ my way….Zippitty Do Dah Zippity Aay! WondeRful Feeling Wonderful day!” faster than her opponent.

15-year-old Kate Moore stated she texts between 400-500 times a day and an average of 12,041 times a month.

CNN via Switched