2001 At-Risk Survivor

The stupidity displayed by the participants in the following tales stops short of the ultimate Darwin Awards sacrifice. Nevertheless, we salute the spirit and innovation of their misadventures.

Tumble Dry 2001 At-Risk Survivor Confirmed True by Darwin (3 January 2001, Wales) In the Welsh seaside town of Tenby is a 24-hour laundromat... which closes at 6 pm. The change in opening hours came after the laundromat owner noticed a troubling trend: in a short period of time, several expensive dryers had been damaged from overload. "We hadn't (replaced a cog) in years. Suddenly we had a spate of eight in two weeks." To catch the "freeloaders", security cameras were installed on the premises. The culprits, when caught on camera, turned out to be local youngsters who were overloading the dryers with - themselves. Yes, a humble laundromat had become a veritable Darwinist Casino among these youngsters, who paid 20 pence each to see who could go for the longest "spin" inside a dryer. The gas-powered tumble dryers become dangerously hot within minutes, and carbon monoxide emissions may suffocate anyone who is foolish enough to stay inside. So for the chance of winning the fabulous prize stake of a few quids, they braved burning heat and poison gas to impersonate laundry. Once the game had been discovered, the youngsters could no longer gamble their genes late at night. Perhaps their game of "Spin the Bozo" would have lasted longer if these young daredevils had only cared to slim down... DarwinAwards.com © 1994 - 2012 Submitted by: Marehill Guest Writer: A.R.Yngve Reference: Reuters Share

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