Joe Mahavuthivanij, the guy behind Twerk From Home, has this idea. He wants to do for twerking what Dana White did for mixed martial arts. You know, make it a real sport. Or at least, something that feels more like one. His organization, TFH, is kicking off its first big tournament this weekend.
Dancers from all over are going to be competing from their own homes, which is pretty much the whole point of the name. They’ll be on webcam, going head-to-head for a shot at a $10,000 grand prize. The way it works is interesting. Viewers vote by buying digital “gifts” for their favorite performers. Every single dollar from those gifts goes straight to the dancer, Mahavuthivanij says. The one with the most gifts wins the round.
How It All Works
There’s a gambling angle, too, if that’s your thing. A sportsbook called Bet105 is taking bets on who will win each battle. And because a lot of dancers have trouble with regular banks—a problem Mahavuthivanij says he noticed is pretty common—they can choose to get paid in cryptocurrency. The whole tournament runs with weekly streams leading up to a final on October 4th.
The whole concept came from talking to dancers in Vegas and hearing about their struggles, especially around being taken seriously. He looked at how the UFC turned fighting into a mainstream thing and wondered if some of those lessons could apply here.
The Judge Question
But here’s the thing. Right now, there aren’t any judges. It’s purely an audience vote. He admits it might come across as a popularity contest at this stage. He compared it to old shows like “American Idol,” where the audience texts in their votes. It’s meant to be interactive.
Of course, this isn’t the first twerk competition out there. There’s something called the International Twerk Champions, which actually uses qualified judges—often twerking teachers—because, let’s be honest, the average person might not know what makes a move technically good. Mahavuthivanij argues that those events are too irregular and don’t draw big crowds or offer large prizes. His goal is to build something more consistent.
Looking Ahead
He’s hoping that over time, adding expert commentary will help teach the audience what to look for. Maybe then the voting can become a little more about skill and a little less about who’s the most popular. He’s pretty open about the stigma that comes with this world, something he says he’s felt himself while building TFH. A lot of dancers get their bank accounts shut down, which is why the crypto payment option is there.
It’s a strange idea, maybe. Turning webcam twerking into a sport with betting and prizes. But he seems to believe there’s a path forward for it. Whether it finds that legitimacy he’s talking about, well, I guess we’ll have to see.
