TAKE OUR POLL: The Search For Mr Ugly Zimbabwe 2017 - Good Idea OR Bad?

TAKE OUR POLL

Greetings from Zimbabwe, where the search for the country’s 2017 ugliest man is underway. The contest had taken a year’s hiatus due to a lack of funding. While the contest has been criticized in the past, its organizers say the pageant celebrates beauty in ugliness.

Zimbabwe will be selecting the ugliest man in the country at this year’s annual Mr. Ugly contest. It has attracted 13 participants, and the winner will represent the country at the maiden Mr Ugly Africa contest in South Africa in 2018.

The event was introduced in 2011 for people to have fun and celebrate who they are, just like any contest in the world. Just like a regular pageant, the participants have to impress the judges and audience with their personality and catwalk to emerge the winner or receive the cash prices and token hampers. It has become one of the country’s popular events.

Past Three Winners

In 2011, Austin Mbewe emerged the winner in what the judges called ‘tightly contested’, after beating eight other hopefuls for the tightly contested Mr Ugly.

Austin Mbewe - Ugliest man — *Austin Mbewe, the Zimbabwean man who took the coveted title of Mr Ugly 2011*

From 2012-2014, William Masvinu won the competition but in 2015, Mison Sere dethroned Masvinu. Mr. Masvinu told the BBC that winning the competition in previous years brought him fame and a few minor marketing contracts. “To be rewarded is a good thing, this competition has done a lot for me, it’s changed my life,” he said.

William Masvinu Mr Ugly contest — *William Masvinu took the Title of Mr Ugly Zimbabwe from 2012-2014*

In 2015, the event was dogged by controversy and melee. The judges selected Mison Sere as the winner because of his numerous missing teeth and grotesque facial expression. Masvinu contested the judge’s decision and claimed that Sere’s ugliness was not natural because it was based on his missing teeth.