Arts and Culture

Meet this year's child Mullet Championship finalists

Vanessa Romo, NPR

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Emmett, from Carthage, N.C., made it into the finals of the kids' division sporting this blunt, baby-fringe haircut.
Emmett, from Carthage, N.C., made it into the finals of the kids' division sporting this blunt, baby-fringe haircut.
USA Mullet Championships

Call it a Kentucky Waterfall, a Tennessee Top Hat or a Missouri Compromise, at the end of the day it's the same iconic haircut: the mullet.

And now fans of the business in the front, party in the back hairdo have a chance to vote on their favorite styles in this year's USA Mullet Championship.

Finalists in the kids and teens categories were selected earlier this week, and it's up to online voters to decide who wins the dubious honor of champion mullet-head before polls close on Friday.

According to organizers, the contest has grown from a local competition in Michigan in 2020 to a national extravaganza of flamboyant and questionable taste. This year's participants are supporting the full spectrum of the infamous haircut from patriotic vibes, featuring a shorn-in American flag, to the classier Mozart-esque flowing curly locks look.

Contestants pay $10 to enter and CBS reports that "all of the donations are going to the Michigan Wig Foundation for kids." First place winners each take home a whopping $2,500 prize. For those who are curious and have the time to mull-et over, below are a few of the top finalists. Who do you think deserves to win?

Rustin from Pocahontas, Ark., is among the contest's youngest participants.
Rustin from Pocahontas, Ark., is among the contest's youngest participants.
USA Mullet Championships
Cash has been rocking this blazing mullet around his home town of Ulysses, Ky. He is a teen finalist.
Cash has been rocking this blazing mullet around his home town of Ulysses, Ky. He is a teen finalist.
USA Mullet Championships
Epic, from La Joya, Texas, proves that a full mullet effect isn't complete without a pair of reflective sunglasses.
Epic, from La Joya, Texas, proves that a full mullet effect isn't complete without a pair of reflective sunglasses.
USA Mullet Championships
A mullet like Fisher's takes years to grow. The effort by the teen finalist from Hillard, Florida, could earn him the first place prize of $2,500.
A mullet like Fisher's takes years to grow. The effort by the teen finalist from Hillard, Florida, could earn him the first place prize of $2,500.
USA Mullet Championships

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