Zimbabwe’s William Masvinu is crowned Mr. Ugly

GlobalPost

By all accounts, Zimbabwean William Masvinu has a face only a mother could love.

But this week Masvinu's ugly mug won him $100 and a one-night stay at a Harare hotel, Zimbabwe's NewsDay reported.

The 38-year-old man was crowned Mr. Ugly 2012 in a pageant held at a sports bar in Harare, with his proud wife by his side.

According to the NewsDay report, "excitement among audiences as they awaited the contestants to take to the stage was interesting."

Members of the crowd were jumping on stage to "twist their faces to their best frowns in apparent mimicry of contestants."

More from GlobalPost: China’s new Zimbabwe strategy: Woo the opposition

When Masvinu finally took the stage, he was a clear winner to the all-female panel of judges, thanks to his "natural ugliness and confidence."

“I know that I am very ugly and when I heard of this contest I just said the crown is mine,” a triumphant Masvinu told NewsDay. “Being ugly is a gift from God … I am on my way to fame and I now have a few dollars in my pocket."

Masvinu's wife, Alice Chabhanga, said she never doubted that her husband was the ugliest man of all, the website New Zimbabwe reported.

“I know that my husband is very ugly, that’s the reason I supported his participation in this contest. We came here for glory and we got it,” she said.

Chabhanga added: “Because of his ugliness, I’m confident I’ve been able to keep him to myself since I believe other women would shun him.”

More from GlobalPost: Zimbabwe man wins Mr. Ugly pageant in Beitbridge 

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Sign up for The Top of the World, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.