The Jim Rose Freak Show Circus

The Jim Rose Circus is known the world over for bringing some of the world’s strangest people together to delight, scare and mystify audiences with their various talents.

Take Enigma, for example. A man completely covered in blue puzzle piece tattoos, he is comfortable on stage in front of hundreds of people using his modified body as a statement against “normalcy.”

Then there’s the female duo of sumo wrestlers, Judy “The Bull” Jenkins and Katie “The Piledriver” Wilson, who weigh in at a combined total of over 800 pounds! They shimmy, stamp their feet and wrestle in front of frenzied crowds who come for this spectacular show.

Rose, who has brought together  numerous talents over the years, just aired his latest tour on the Travel Channel, the ‘Jim Rose Twisted Tour.’

There are many other wonders to see in his show, which has a revolving door of performers who come and go as the tour progresses.

See them all in our special photo-essay, which takes you inside the heads of each of the performers.

To see pictures from the whole story, click here.

Cat Walks 2000 Miles To Come Back Home

Stormy the cat is one incredible animal. The frisky gray kitty walked all the way from California to Minnesota in search of his home and family, on the farm where he had been raised, covering an unthinkable distance in his wake.

The amazing 2000-mile journey for the handsome little devil started when owners Wendy and her daughter Vanessa, rescued the cat from an animal shelter in 1995, raising him on their beloved Minnesota farm.

In 1998, the family moved to Solvang, California, and took Stormy along with them. “We’d been there about three months last Halloween when something must have scared him,” remembers Wendy.

“He bolted out the door and that’s the last we saw of him. We lived in rough country and as the days went by, I was sure some coyotes or or other wild animals had gotten poor Stormy.”

The next year, Wendy and Vanessa went back to Minnesota to visit her parents and got a huge surprise. She just happened to see a lost and found ad for a gray cat, and thought, “What if?”

Wendy and Vanessa went to see the cat, and as a vet confirmed later, it was definitely Stormy, although worse for wear.

Across his 2000-mile trek, he had shrunk to about four pounds and his claws were worn down to the roots. Wendy and Vanessa were amazed that Stormy not only survived, but had tried to find his way back to the place where he was raised, and now take every precaution to make sure Stormy stays safe.

“We make sure to close the door before that frisky kitty can sneak out for another cross-country adventure.”

To see pictures from the whole story, click here.

Adopting Pets as Children

OK, I know almost everyone loves dogs, and they’re extremely intelligent, but some people take this whole “dogs-as-surrogate-children” thing a wee bit too far.

Case in point: Beth Joy Knutsen and her husband have six adopted children. However, the “children” are their adopted pets rather than human offspring.

The Manhattan couple has founded an unusual family unit. They made the decision to adopt pets instead because of their love of animals. The couple even has tattoos dedicated to their three dogs, Bella Starlet, Oscar, and Riff — love really is painful, apparently!

The other half of their family members are feline. Among them a pretty tabby named Beastie that has often appeared in American TV ads. When asked if they have children, both of them answer yes. Beth even anthropomorphizes her little dog by speaking as Bella Starlet’s voice, saying: “Mom and I have saved each other’s lives, and we shall be sister souls forever.” Beth wants to share her family with the world and does so in the role of acting agent for Bella Starlet.

This professional canine actress can be seen in movies, TV shows and magazines. Bella even has her own website and is the local darling of neighbors as well.

She even credits Sarah Jessica Parker as one of her fans! The animals also share their happiness by attending charity galas, parties, beauty contests, conferences, and school shows just to name a few. But each animal has his or her own personality and special set of skills. Bella, for instance, understands instructions in French as well as English.

Riff officially graduated from “dog therapy” school in New York City where she was trained to go into the homes of frightened children and help them overcome their fear of dogs. Families who aren’t lucky enough to have their own dog can hang out with Riff for a day if they want. They pay for her to visit for a few hours, and she cuddles and comforts them in her own special way. This may seem a bit too stage Mom of Beth but she says most of the income goes to animal welfare associations.

To see pictures from the whole story, click here.

The Human-Powered Races

In a time when gas prices are skyrocketing and airfare can cost thousands of dollars, people are really rethinking the way they want to get around.

And what better way to get around efficiently than using your mind and body to create a contraption that will send you flying across a road?

Bystanders gawked and clamored over one another to get a better look at the man whizzing by them at dizzying speeds who lay completely flat in a clear coffin-like box on wheels.

Welcome to the Human Powered Races held in Ontario, CA. Contestants from all over the country come to this unique event to build and race their custom aerodynamic bicycles and contraptions that will win them the ultimate prize.

Contestants come up with the most unique designs they can and try to make themselves as aerodynamic as possible to win the coveted title. Powered only by themselves, the racers have come up with some of the coolest designs ever seen. There are giant boxes with banners flying in every direction, bullet-like bikes, six-wheeled contraptions and one guy who even lay flat on his stomach to ride his bike.

To see pictures from the whole story, click here.

Daredevil Crashes Jet Ski Through Boat

Ricky D, the daredevil extraordinaire, attempted what most people would call a death wish: straddling a relatively small jet ski, Ricky D plowed right into the hull of a boat, creating a huge hole and emerging victorious on the other side.

Defying injury and even death, the smiling adrenaline junkie hurtled right through the red and yellow 35-foot boat while riding his jet ski at 60 mph.

This jet ski had a little more protection that your average one, though. Using a supped-up engine and a custom front end that is made of the same material as a bullet-proof vest, Ricky D was prepared for the worst but hoping for the best.

The stunt was done near Ricky D’s Sacramento home, and as he emerged from the one-inch thick mahogany hull with a trail of debris behind him, the audience let out a collective sigh of relief.

To see pictures from the whole story, click here.

Planking: New Extreme Game Involves Just Lying Down

What do you like to do for fun? How about, lying face down with your arms at your sides in public spaces? Well, Karren and Jinyu have gained fame throughout their native Taiwan and around the world for doing just that.

The duo, known as the “Pujie Girls”, have become two of the most recognizable figures in the “planking” or “lying down game” circuit. The game was invented in 1997 by Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon in Britain, and was originally called the “lying down game”. Since then, the game has become popular in Asia and Australia.

As you might have already guessed, in order to play the game, all you have to do is lie face down with your arms at your sides in an unusual place, and upload a photo of the act onto the internet.

The Pujie girls plank to promote various causes, such as tourism in Taiwan. “If people from other parts of the world can learn more about Taiwan through these photos, then our photos become very meaningful,” Karren said during an interview with Bigpondnews.com. The girls have planked in metro stations, night markets, and popular tourist destinations, including Taipei’s trendy XiMenDing shopping district.

But here’s the twist—fans of the game try to outdo each other by planking in the most unusual places possible. People plank on tree branches, moving vehicles and even railroad tracks. An Australian man named Acton Beale fell to his death after planking on his balcony’s railings. Many, including Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard, have subsequently spoken out against planking. The Official Lying Down Game website states, “Please don’t risk your life or health for the sake of a photo!”

Identical Quadruplets Premiere Reality Show

The Durst teens, a foursome of identical quadruplet girls, have premiered their first-ever foray into the world of reality TV, with their show, ‘The Quad Squad’ on Lifetime Television.

The 17-year-old girls are being showcased going about their daily lives as the extremely rare identical quads they are. Followed by an 18-person TV crew, the girls are shown playing sports, hanging out with friends, studying and basically just being the teens they are, with the added twist of having three other girls looking exactly like them. Naomi Durst, the quad’s mother, beat the odds 17 years ago, when she gave birth to her girls without the use of fertility drugs. The chance occurrence of identical quads being born is 1 in 700,000. The fiery redheaded teens, Megan, Kendra, Sarah and Calli are among an elite group of quads. There are only 60 known sets of identical quads worldwide, with 37 of those sets being girls.

The teens have dazzled the world since an early age, appearing on countless talk shows and wowing celebrity guests even at a young age.

To see pictures from the whole story, click here.