iStockphoto / Aneese
The first annual Florida Man Games were a major success in St. Augustine, Florida with events like ‘eat the (pork) butt’ challenge, one where contestants attempt to evade police, another involving catalytic converters and copper pipe, and more.
A huge crowd turned out of the event that wasn’t entirely a joke. Some of the state’s best BBQ pit masters came out for the event. There were alligator shows and attendees also had the opportunity to take selfies with real-life alligators.
Somehow, the event producers got the man, the myth, the legend omgitswicks to host the first annual Florida Man Games. He’s racked up 1.5+ million followers on TikTok posting weird Florida content. He was without question the perfect host for the first Florida Man Games.
The Associated Press sent a team to the Florida Man Games to capture the action which included the ‘Weaponized Pool Noodle Mud Duel’ and ‘Category 5 Cash Grab’ competitions.
The idea was to combine the outrageousness of ‘Florida Man’ news headlines with realities of daily life in Florida. This led to an array of events as there’s no standard definition of what being a ‘Florida Man’ really means aside from someone in Florida. The outrageousness presents itself in many ways, something local news seemed to capture with interviews at the event:
Events missing:
— Shuffleboard competition
— Reptile catching event
— Publix speed shopping
— Finding a parking spot at the beach in March
— Shark tooth finding contest
— Identifying if it’s going to rain or about to rain based on the smell outside
It did bum me out that the first Florida Man Games were held on the other side of the state from me. I’m a born-and-raised Floridian but over on the Southwest side.
Having covered ‘Florida Man’ and ‘WTFlorida‘ news here on BroBible for nearly 15 years, dare I say one of the early pioneers in the news genre, this event was definitely up my alley. Hopefully, the organizers will rotate the location to iconic Florida locations in the coming years.