Viral Internet challenges have been taking netizens by storm for a few years now. These trends pop up every now and then, spreading like wildfire until everyone and their dog has tried them at least once.
The Kiki Challenge, the Harlem Shakes, and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge are some of the more famous yesteryear trends that went viral on a global scale.
So of course, nobody is really surprised to know that 2019 has birthed its own viral online challenge. It’s called the #BottleCapChallenge and its been sweeping celebrities around the world off their feet.
The Challenge that’s Got Tinseltown Kicking
From Hollywood to Bollywood, tinseltown superstars are going for the #BottleCapChallenge like there’s no tomorrow! Star MMA fighters and musicians too are taking up the challenge, giving actors a run for their money.
After we spent last year dancing on the streets and jumping off running cars, the Bottle Cap Challenge now asks participants to uncap a bottle with a kick.
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well, let me assure you, it’s not!
Here’s how the challenge works:
First, you need to place a bottle on a tall surface such as a table or a large piece of rock. Then, you must ensure that the cap is fitted loosely onto the bottle, so that you wouldn’t need to twist it open in order to take it off.
So what’s the point of all this, you ask? Well, the goal is to uncap the bottle, not with your hands, but with a solid roundhouse kick!
The kick must send the bottle cap flying off into the distance, but without moving the bottle or dislodging it from its position.
If the bottle falls down or breaks, you lose. If the cap doesn’t come off just in time, you lose. If you break your toe doing all this? Well, the jury’s still out on that one.
The Originator of a Visual Extravaganza
And before we forget, you of course need to record a video of yourself performing this herculean task. To add a sense of suspense to the proceedings, a slow motion effect is layered onto the original video before it is posted online.
Kazakhstani Taekwondo fighter and instructor Farabi Davletchin was the originator of the Bottle Cap Challenge. Last month, Daveltchin Instagrammed a slow-mo video of himself knocking the cap of a water-bottle off with a kick without dislodging the bottle itself or allowing any water to spill.
#Farakickschallenge was the hashtag that accompanied this video.
In the caption, Daveltchin challenged Conor McGregor and Jason Staham, both of whom have since taken up and completed the challenge. Jean Claude Van Damme and Jackie Chan were also tagged in the caption.
Max Holloway, the current UFC Featherweight Champion, later picked up the challenge and helped it go viral. Musician John Mayer was challenged by Holloway and proceeded to shock the Internet with a kick that would do a professional athlete credit.
Jason Statham of Fast and Furious fame was next in line to give the #BottleCapChallenge a shot. His epic video was widely watched and shared in India, which inspired our own ‘Khiladi’ Akshay Kumar to take up the challenge.
The Challenge Comes to India
On Wednesday morning, inspired by his ‘action guru’ Statham, Kumar aced the challenge that he apparently ‘couldn’t resist’, and posted the video online.
Known for his exacting fitness regime and strenuous workout sessions, Akshay Kukmar was the obvious candidate when the Bottle Cap Challenege finally came to India. Asking his followers to give the challenge a try, Kumar said he would retweet the best videos made by his fans.
Southern star Arjun Sarja, nicknamed the ‘Action King’, was one of the first actors from South India to give the challenge a try. He dedicated his video to his fans, and to his idol Bruce Lee. Not to be outdone, Siddhant Chaturvedi of Gully Boy fame took up the challenge and then tagged fellow actor Ishaan Khatter, encouraging him to try it too.
So what about you? Would you give the #BottleCapChallenge a try as well?
