TORONTO -- After one of the most highly anticipated sporting events of the year got postponed, one family is stepping up to the podium with their own Quarantine Olympics where anyone can win a gold medal.
The Presley family of North Carolina is now hosting events on TikTok from their home including the toilet paper toss, the quarantine 500 race and the straw challenge.
This new trend was started after 25-year-old Alex Presley and his family got tired of playing every card and board game they own. Instead of playing another round of Crazy 8s, they began competing in these challenges and posting the videos.
“Usually we’ll have family dinner and after we’d play card games or we’d play a board game but we played those so many nights in a row, I just decided let’s try one of these challenges and do something different,” Presley told CTVNews.ca on Friday.
The sporting event that kicked off the competition began with the straw challenge.
“We had to drink out of a cup while filling it up with our refrigerator and seeing who can drink it long enough before the water overflows,” Presley said.
Most of the challenges Presley has posted to TikTok have taken the internet by storm, with the straw challenge gaining more than eight million views.
While they may seem harmless, Presley says the challenges can get messy. The most recent video he posted featured the “watermelon challenge,” where each family member had to guess how many rubber bands it takes to cut open a watermelon.
While most parents would be against smashing fruit at home, Alex said his parents took it pretty well.
“Yeah that was a mess, my mom told me before, ‘Y’all better clean this up if you’re doing this,’” Presley said, laughing.
“But they loved it, these games are bringing out the kid inside of them and they’re having fun.”
TikTok has recently seen a surge in users during the coronavirus lockdown, making way for challenges like the Quarantine Olympics. The hashtag #quarantineolympics has hundreds of search results and Presley’s videos have been seen more than 24 million times. The now famous TikToker says he’s glad his videos are able to bring families closer together during difficult times.
“It’s pretty crazy because I didn’t realize it was going to be this big and now, I get messages everyday of people thanking us for doing these videos and how they started to do it with their family and it’s helping them bond,” he said.
Presley said while his family is highly competitive, he will continue to make these videos and hopes everyone continues to create their own Olympics at home.
“Just stay positive and make the best of the situation you’re in. Even though we’re competitive, we’re all having fun and staying positive,” Presley said.
