Gurning is a term from the UK to describe the act of making the most grotesque face you possibly can. The world’s best (worst?) gurners gather at the World Gurning Championships at the Egremont Crab Fair in the northwest of England. Dating back to at least 1852, and likely long before, the Championships have been cancelled for the last few years. Fortunately though, the festivities return next month! Below, a brief documentary on “the world’s ugliest sport.” As a reminder, don’t try this yourself—your face may get stuck that way.
According to the book Yesterday’s Country Customs, as quoted by Weird Universe, “Gurning competitors have to distort their faces to try and make them as grotesque as possible. They do this in front of a panel of judges with their heads protruding through the middle of a carthorse’s collar, or ‘braffin.'”
image: Mark derivative work: David Kernow (CC BY 2.0)
