2022 has come and gone, and it will undoubtedly go down as yet another memorable year.
But outside of the doom and gloom, some weird and wacky things happened in the world this year.
Here are some of the wildest and most WTF-inducing stories Newshub ran in 2022.
The straight-up weird and wild
There are some stories you come across that just make your jaw drop and think "Oh my god".
One such example is a Taiwanese retirement home that had to apologise after it hired strippers to give pensioners lap dances. They said they intended to "entertain residents and make them happy" and they were sorry for any offence caused.
In a strange twist in the world of chess champions, one up-and-coming star was forced to shut down rumours he used vibrating anal beads to help him win.
In Australia, a mother was horrified after walking in on what she called a "weird orgy" in a parents' room. She's now vowed to never use the parents' room without having someone else with her.
But while it might have been a creepy moment for the shopper, spare a thought for the women one self-proclaimed "personal coach" looks for. He was raked over the coals for saying he's only interested in women who have been celibate for at least six months because they haven't "been out there absorbing random DNA".
Hopefully this man isn't a meat eater though because in September, PETA called for all meat-eating men to be subject to a "sex ban", urging women to embark on a "sex strike to save the world".
Meanwhile, one father in the UK was ridiculed after claiming to be the "hot dad on the school run". He said in a TikTok video "some of you mummas be thirsty" - but some school mums said drop-off time is when they're least likely to be looking for eye-candy.
Back in New Zealand, one Kiwi went viral after they complained they couldn't return a multi-pack of underwear, one pair of which had been worn.
And if you've ever fantasised about getting revenge against a foe, earlier this year, Auckland-based charity Gutter Kitties offered Kiwis the opportunity to sully the name of someone they dislike. For just $10, the charity allowed people to put a name of their choosing at the bottom of a litter box and a cat would poop on it. That's certainly one unique way to donate to charity.
Celebrity antics
Of course, celebrities were busy this year also doing some strange things.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Kourtney Kardashian teamed up for a 'This Smells Like My Pooshy' candle collaboration. It followed Paltrow's 2020 candle creation 'This Smells Like My Vagina'.
Along the lines of scent-based products, Elon Musk - who's been busy buying and attempting to run Twitter - launched a perfume called 'Burnt Hair' that he claimed sold 10,000 bottles in just a few hours.
Elsewhere in the celeb-osphere, Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown confirmed she no longer believes the Earth is flat. She said it was "unfortunate" she thought this conspiracy theory was true as a 14-year-old and has since changed her mind.
Kim Kardashian gave her social media followers a glimpse into her post-divorce life of "things that make me happy" - but it was her "mausoleum" home décor that had the internet spiralling. Her tomb-like bedroom and a marble chair in her bathroom had people saying her house looked "sterile AF".
UK comedian James Corden was banned from an iconic New York restaurant for allegedly being its "most abusive" customer in its history. After a prompt and apparently "profuse" apology, he was welcomed back - but not everyone was happy he had been allowed to return to the famous New York diner.
And look no further if you need some style inspiration - Kourtney Kardashian and her husband Travis Barker were named the "fashion power couple" of 2022. According to Lyst's annual Year in Fashion report, the pair led the way in relation to celebrity couple dressing.
Medical madness
Of course, it wouldn't be a weird story list without including the odd medical news that graced the headlines this year.
Firstly one TikTok user revealed she needed surgery to remove a vibrator from her rectum. After waking up post-surgery, the vibrator was sitting next to her in a plastic bag - and apparently, still had some battery life.
Similarly in Brazil, doctors removed a 20cm-long, 2kg exercise dumbbell that was lodged in a man's rectum. The man admitted to an "accident" in which the dumbbell had become stuck inside him after insertion, and said he had already attempted to remove it himself to no avail.
It goes without saying, but please don't put random foreign objects in your bodily orifices.
In a similar story, a man in Ohio had to have both of his testicles removed after he discovered they were making a hissing noise. It was reportedly the world's first-known case of the condition of a scrotum making a strange hissing noise.
Another thing about the human body that is rather concerning is the hunched backs and clawed hands people may have by the year 3000. Humans in the future can also expect to have thicker skulls to protect themselves from radiation from smartphones.
One student in the United States had to have both of his legs and all 10 fingers amputated after he ate leftover food which triggered a potentially fatal disease. The 19-year-old has since recovered from illness.
And lastly, one TikTok user reignited an age-old question: How many times a week should we really be showering? The user revealed she showers just once a week, and even one doctor said if you are not visibly dirty or sweaty, you probably don't need to shower more than three times a week.
