Internet star sets bizarre world record for ‘gurning’ longer than anyone else
World records come in all shapes and sizes, from feats of Olympic athleticism, to the downright bizarre.
It could be the heaviest train pulled with beard, the fastest speed for motorcycle ridden blindfolded, or the fastest time to push an orange one mile with the nose (22 minutes 41 seconds if you were wondering).
But one man from New Orleans has taken the crown for a very particular record, the longest time someone has gurned.
For the uninitiated, 'gurning' is the act of pulling the most hideous face you can, often by extending the lower jaw over the upper jaw.
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While gurning competitions are more commonly judged on who can pull the ugliest face, Jovante Carter took a different approach.
Rather than focussing on the ugliness of his gurn, he decided to emphasise how long he could hold the bizarre expression.
The 22-year-old has gained an astonishing 16.9 million followers on TikTok under the username HolyGxd for his gurning antics.
But Carter is no ordinary gurner, being able to completely cover his nose with his lower lip.
I bet you just tried to do that, didn't you?
And it's not as easy as it seems either, even if you do have Carter's extraordinary facial flexibility.
Adjudicator Marco Frigatti explained: “When performing this trick with the face, you can’t breathe.
“Effectively you need to suspend your breath, and also all the muscles involved get really tired.”
But how long did Carter actually manage to hold the hilarious face for?
Well, the previous record holder, Shuquan Tang from China, managed to sustain the expression for 53 seconds in 2012.
Carter took to the same TV show in Milan, 'Lo Show dei Record' ('The Records Show', unsurprisingly) to make his attempt.
And the new record that Carter set?
One minute and two seconds. Gurntastic.
The record-holder explained how he discovered that he had this bizarre ability.
He told Guinness: “I was eating lunch and my classmate told me that when I eat, my whole face disappears.
“He asked me to chew without food, and I chewed, and I did this thing with my face. Everyone laughed obviously, and my teacher went crazy.”
Unfortunately, Carter experienced some bullying as a result of his ability, but didn't let it get him down.
He said: “I decided to turn the tables, show positivity to everyone, and take back control of my uniqueness that was so made fun of.
“Basically all that I do is try and make people more comfortable with the things that make them different.”
Kit Roberts