Whether it’s inhaling a heaped spoon of cinnamon, pouring an ice-cold bucket of water over your head or demanding a room full of people stand stock-still whilst you pan around with your iPhone camera, there’s nothing quite like an internet craze to get people doing wacky, wonderful and sometimes just downright bizarre things. 

And if you’ve been online in the past few weeks then you’ve most likely come across the latest random video phenomena, the Bottle Cap Challenge.

For reasons beyond our comprehension, the humble bottle cap has become the latest social media fixation, with celebs such as Ellie Goulding, Ryan Reynolds and Jason Statham all taking part alongside members of the public.

So WTF is the Bottle Cap Challenge, and how on earth did it start? Here’s everything we know so far. 

What is the Bottle Cap Challenge?

Apparently, the internet has decided that opening your drink using your hands is way too easy (sometimes even that is a struggle, but whatever). Instead, partakers in the Bottle Cap Challenge have to kick the cap off with their feet.

Sounds impossible, right? Well, it turns out you’re allowed to loosen the bottle cap BEFORE launching into your best martial-arts style kick. The videos are slightly less miraculous with this detail in mind, but it’s still no mean feat. 

How did the viral trend start?

It all started after Taekwondo fighter and instructor Farabi Davletchin posted his own expert fly kick last month and challenged others to do the same, including actor and stuntman enthusiast Jason Statham. 

Several other professional martial artists soon took to social media to post their own attempts, including MMA star Max Holloway who tagged musician John Mayer, who is categorically not a professional martial artist but just your average celeb. 

Both John Mayer and Jason Statham rose to the challenge in style, and the video craze has since gone viral. Other stars such as Shawn Mendes, Diplo and Guy Ritchie have all since graced our feeds with their own nimble leg work. Nobody even nominated Diplo, but that didn’t stop him. 

Who’s winning at the Bottle Cap Challenge so far?

We’ve seen a lot of spirited attempts at the challenge over the past few weeks but, for some reason, most contestants in the latest peculiar social media competition have been men. Enter, Mariah Carey.

Carey took to Instagram on Sunday to bring home the crown, keeping two feet firmly on the floor and instead using one of her signature high notes to knock the top off what looks like a bottle of wine. That’s our girl. 

The internet jury’s still out on whether Carey employed some nifty editing tricks with the video, but she’s the winner in our eyes regardless – just make sure your volume isn’t turned up full when you watch.

Since Carey showed the internet how it’s done, we’ve had a welcome flood of ladies following suit. Justin Bieber tagged Hailey Bieber, who aced the challenge whilst somehow making a ride-on lawn mower cool. 

Beiber then tagged Kendall Jenner, who cruised into her high-kick on a jet ski against what looked like a Meditarrean back drop complete with super yachts and a glowing sunset. Jealous? Us? 

And finally, you can always count on Lizzo to bring joy to your day. Her attempt at the Bottle Cap Challenge isn’t exactly seamless, but it’s all the more fabulous for it. 

So that’s the fairly self-explanatory Bottle Cap Challenge, explained. If you’re in the market for a new internet-based time-wasting activity, just search the #bottlecapchallenge or #challengeaccepted tag on Instagram. You’re welcome! 

Images: Getty, Instagram