The Florida Man Video games are again for Spherical 2, as groups from across the state collect to show they’ve what it takes to hitch the ranks of the world’s worst superhero.
Following the success of final yr’s inaugural Florida Man Video games in downtown St. Augustine, organizers have moved Saturday’s occasion a number of miles away to the St. Johns County Fairgrounds, the place they anticipated to have room for extra spectators and tailgating.
The video games had been hosted by Florida comedians Josh Wicks Robinson and Kevin Flynn.
Poking enjoyable on the state’s fame for weird tales, final yr’s groups competed in Florida-themed occasions just like the Evading Arrest Impediment Course and Beer Stomach Sumo Wrestling. New occasions added this yr embody Hurricane Social gathering Prep: Grocery Aisle Brawl and Human Beer Pong.
Ten groups from across the state, from Fort Myers to Pensacola, had been competing. Final yr’s winner, staff Hanky Spanky from St. Augustine, had been returning to defend their snakeskin championship belt. Additionally competing this yr was an all-female staff referred to as the Ball Busters.
Croix Bruns, a 29-year-old technician for Dave & Buster’s, participated within the weaponized pool noodle competitors. He has lived in Florida his entire life, with the tattoos “to point out for it,” and he stated he believes {that a} “true Florida Man” doesn’t put together for the video games.
“They’re simply born able to be nice,” Bruns stated. “They’re born prepared for the trophy and prepared for the title, and every year somebody new must be born for it.”
The Florida Man Video games are one thing you received’t discover anyplace else, he stated.
“We’ve acquired the Olympics and so they’ve been round eternally, however they don’t have gator tossing,” Bruns stated. “They don’t have a contest the place you’ve acquired to carry your beer and struggle another person on the similar time.”
In addition to watching the occasions, company have an opportunity to rise up to Florida Man shenanigans themselves. They will work together with alligators from Gatorland and experience a mechanical alligator. The video games additionally characteristic a present by ” Midget Wrestling Warriors ” and lawnmower racing hosted by NASCAR driver Jeffrey Earnhardt.
To announcer Che Durena, the video games embody Florida in a aggressive sense.
“It’s precisely on-brand the way in which I assumed it could be,” he stated. “It’s the suitable degree of dirty and extravagance and debaucherous. It’s precisely what I need. It’s lots of people day consuming, lots of people getting sunburnt, lots of people simply partying and performing silly in the easiest way.”
The “Florida Man” phenomenon seeped into the nation’s consciousness thanks partly to a Twitter account that began in 2013 with the deal with @_FloridaMan. The account touted “real-life tales of the world’s worst superhero,” sharing information headlines equivalent to “Florida Man Bites Canine to ‘Set up Dominance’ ” and “Florida Man Tried to Pay for McDonald’s With Weed.”
