Kids' USA Mullet Championships Finalists Delight the Internet

Mullets are about as all-American as it gets—at least according to the USA Mullet Championships, a national contest that honors only the best and the bushiest of the iconic hairstyle. Some of this year's finalists from the kids' division have received viral attention thanks to a tweet featuring their entry pictures, and the internet couldn't help but be charmed by the championship's youngest competitors.

The contest has 25 children from 15 states listed as finalists on its official website, four of which were featured in a tweet sent out by @piscesgurl69 on Tuesday. Though the original post, which racked up over 200,000 likes and 22,000 retweets, pokes fun at the names of four of the contestants, other users quickly took an interest in the "rad" styles on display.

"Looks cool as hell," said one user, while another lamented that they wanted to be "half as cool" as one of the kids. Even cooler is the $2,500 prize offered to the winner, according to the competition's website.

Mullet Mania

The business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back hairstyle earned its official name in 1994, thanks to the Beastie Boys song "Mullet Head," and though the classic Kentucky Waterfall may have fallen out of fashion by the late '90s, the time-honored rebel's 'do has certainly not been forgotten. In fact, a 2021 study by OnePoll on behalf of Sports Clips Haircuts found that one in five men are ready for the mullet to make a comeback. Of the 2,000 men surveyed, 20 percent chose the mullet as a superior option to other old-school styles, including "curtain bangs" and "undercuts," putting the iconic '80s look a leg above the rest.

Though the USA Mullet Championships touts its own online Hall of Fame, which includes well-recognized figures like Billy Ray Cyrus, the TV character Kenny Powers (portrayed by Danny McBride), Blake Shelton and Patrick Swayze, younger generations have also noticed a surge of interest in the "neck warmer" style. Research gathered by Cosmetify determined that the mullet saw a 142 percent increase in searches in 2021, making it the most searched hairstyle of the year, with 15.5 million hits.

Kevin Begola, founder and president of the championships, said he's noticed this trend since he launched the competition in 2020.

"I knew that the mullet was kind of coming back and I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen," Begola told Newsweek. "Originally, I was like 'man, there's a lot of people with mullets still out there rocking them after all these years,' so I wanted to find those people."

While some have speculated the popularity of Joe Exotic's trademark look from the infamous pandemic-watch Tiger King (2020) may have something to do with it, or just the general uptick in DIY haircuts during the COVID-19 lockdowns, others have noticed the trend finding its way into celebrity culture.

Miley Cyrus, apparently taking after her father, sported a fresh take on the look called a "modern mullet" in late 2019, arguably leading the resurgence with a style that emulated the classic shag with slightly less front-to-back contrast. She is in good company in 2022, with other big names like Demi Lovato, Zendaya, Billie Eilish, Kesha and Rihanna jumping on the train. Just yesterday, JoJo Siwa made a splash by debuting her own controversial mullet style.

There Will Be Winners

As far as the USA Mullet Championships winners, fans will have to wait a little longer for results. Voting is open online until August 19 for the Kids and Teen Division, while those interested in joining the Men's Open should plan to submit their registrations soon.

The event, which started in Begola's shop Fenton, Michigan shop Bridge Street Exchange, originally drew in-state only competitors. It quickly exploded, however, from a 103-person gathering at Begola's store to something much larger, leading organizers to take to the national stage.

"It was just kind of lightening in a bottle from there," said Begola, "the mullet was, like, crazy and now we're at the point where it's all over the place and it's getting more mainstream."

The championships, which have swelled to over 1,000 participants in 2022, have also invited those with worthy heads of hair to attend live events in multiple states across the U.S., in partnership with competitive eating organization Major League Eating.

"It's definitely growing...People that didn't get into the contest, they wish they would have gotten into it," said Begola.

The youngest contestants, though, are already "having a blast," according to The USA Mullet Championships' official Facebook page.

"The Kids Contest has officially went [sic] viral! Wow!" reads a post from Wednesday, "These kids are having a blast and we love it."

Though Rustin of Arkansas, Landry of Oklahoma, William of Ohio and Epic of Texas were the four kids featured in the original viral tweet, all of the contestants seem to have made fans out of many netizens.

"The kids deserve it. As a former owner of a mullet I know how difficult they can be to tame and keep under control," said Facebook user Joey Baker.

Heavy Competition

One Twitter user urged commenters to "Vote for Rowan! This kid grew his hair out for 3 years just for this!" Another endorsed votes for contestant Lincoln, saying "he's going to donate all the proceeds to help with the victims of the [Buffalo, New York] shooting."

Another joked that maintaining a mullet is "not a look, it's a lifestyle," while some others made quips about just how down-home "American" mullets are.

"Pretty sure they coulda just called it the 'Mullet Championships.' I can't imagine confusing this with any other country," said Twitter user @USBP_ret. Another reply called the style "America core."

Some even began making bets on their favorites to win, donning amateur judge's caps to debate their choice.

"Just don't see how Epic doesn't walk away with this. The competition is good," said @RudeAwakening13, "William definitely a seasoned vet ..."

"Tough competition in the mullet race. I do believe the Wisconsin kid has the best Mississippi mud flap," said one aficionado. "However, Austin in AR has a great Kentucky waterfall. Really could come down to the judges preference in styles."

The stiff competition hasn't dampened the USA Mullet Championships' charitable attitude, however, as a portion of funds raised from the events will be donated to multiple philanthropic organizations.

For the kids contest, $5 of every $10 entry fee went to Michigan charity Maggie's Wigs 4 Kids, which received a $3,500 donation this year. The championships has also paired up with Stop Soldier Suicide, which will also receive check after entries for the men's contest close down.

"Although we're having a lot of fun with it, we do like to tie a charity in and try to give back," said Begola. "The mullet community is super supportive and that's definitely something that we like to push."

Other Viral Tweets

Mullets have not been the only topic keeping Twitter abuzz. On Monday, The Office alum Rainn Wilson, known for playing Dwight, went viral for his snarky tweet about the FBI Mar-a-Lago raid.

Another Tweet showing benches outside the launch party for the New "She-Hulk" movie also went viral after users deemed the architecture "anti-homeless," sparking controversy shortly before the August 18 premiere. As further proof that nobody is safe on Twitter, rock band Metallica also came under fire last week, with young users debating "cancelling" them over past controversies.

Updated 08/18/2022, 1:02 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with comments from Kevin Begola and additional information.