On February 24, 2024, in St. Augustine, Florida, the inaugural Florida Man Games will take place. Unlike other competitions, this one is unique.
The strange news headlines that frequently emanate from the Sunshine State are the source of the Florida Man Games.
Pete Melfi, the founder of Florida Man Games, has covered these absurd headlines for many years, so he is no stranger to them.
The Florida Guy Games were created as a result of Melfi’s ambition to turn bizarre, widely shared “Florida man” news into a hilarious competition.
“There’s definitely a common theme that goes along with Florida man. I tried to think of a way that we can encompass that Florida man into an event,” Melfi told Fox News Digital.
“After we were talking about the event, it kind of evolved into, ‘Well, how do we make this a competition? How do we find out who’s the best Florida man out there or the best group of Florida men out there?'”
There are five primary team competitions at the Florida Man Games.
At the Florida Man Games, there will be a race against time involving a catalytic converter, two bikes, and a few copper pipes instead of tug-of-war or balloon toss challenges.
“While I was thinking of the courses — as I said, I’ve covered these stories forever — I just tried to think of some of the most common things with Florida man,” said Melfi.
“There’s often catalytic converters involved in these things in Florida. We have a big problem with stealing copper. I tried to encompass as many of those things into the competitions as possible.”
The fleeing arrest obstacle course is one of the Florida Man Games’ distinctive competitions. In this tournament, actual police officers who agreed to take part in the event will pursue competitors.
“I was definitely surprised by how many we got,” Melfi said of the police officers who volunteered.
“I have a great relationship with our St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and our sheriff Rob Hardwick is great. He loves getting involved in community events, and he’s a fun guy. So, it was a really cool fit that they offered this and that so many people were willing to take us up on this,” Melfi said. “It’s something they’re excited about being part of.”
A weaponized pool noodle mud fight, a category 5 cash grab, and a beer belly Florida sumo are among the other events held during the Florida Man Games.
There will be sixteen three-to-five-person teams selected to compete in the Florida Man Games. According to Melfi, the competition has already gotten well over 200 applications.
The top candidates will be requested to send in videos of their teams. Certain teams have gained an advantage over their competitors by submitting their applications with outrageous films.
“We got one guy who pulled a live alligator out of a lake on video just to submit for this thing, and he slips during the video, and the gator turns around and snaps at him,” Melfi said. “Please don’t risk your life to enter this thing,” he added — “but we’re definitely looking for wild.”
Team applications must be submitted by November 15th.
Along with a tonne of other events like mullet contests, obstacle courses, mechanical alligator rides, and chicken coop bingo, general admission tickets are also available for the event.
Melfi has a very straightforward objective for the inaugural Florida Man Games.
“My main goal is really just a day of laughter. If everybody walks away, just with their midsection sore, even if we don’t make a dime on the event — if everybody leaves laughing, that’s going to be a success for me,” Melfi said.
February 24, 2024, marks the start of the inaugural Florida Man Games in St. Augustine.
