Congratulations to Eric "Jizzy Peaches" Pylkas, the 2008 Undisputed HOBO World Mustache Champion. Pylkas is now the holder of the UHWMC Belt until next year's contest. He overcame great challenges to take this victory.

Above is the replay of the live webcast. I apologize for the audio quality. Pictures of the night's happenings will be posted on the Flickr account shortly.

For those who haven't been focusing on the 2008 Mustache Contest, I just wanted to post this friendly message to let you all know that THE CHAMP IS STILL HERE!! Sometimes after some hardcore training, I talk to the belt. He tells me that he likes it here in Pulaski. He is sad sometimes because he might have to leave here in November. I then soothe him by saying, "There, there now, championship belt. You are gonna be just fine. Nobody's taking you away from me anytime soon." If you aren't thinking about the day before Thanksgiving, I hope this pic fuels your fire.

My bookie got back to me this week with some updates odds. There's been some changes in the standings, but the favorites remain the same. Let's hear what everyone thinks. Let's hear some Mustache Smack Talk. I want to know who will really have the best mustache. Post a comment and let everyone know!

Giles 2/1

Giles' had a very strong showing in his rookie mustache contest. With the added experience he could easily win this.

Shankbone 3/1

Shankbone is a grizzled mustache veteran and was crucial in starting the mustache revolution of 2004.

G-Mac 3/1

One of only two people who have participated in all three mustache contests.

Bibbles 4/1

He's been growing it a long time in anticipation of this day.

Giant 5/1

If he could attend in-person he may move up a few spots.

Brownie 5/1

JJ 6/1

Dropping because he likely will not be attending

Smokey 7/1

Vatto 8/1

Brady 9/1

Showstoppa 10/1

The other person who has participated in all three mustache contests.

Peaches 10/1

Trone 10/1

Scotty 15/1

Turdbisket 15/1

Farva 15/1

Big T.O. 15/1

Doc 15/1

Biz 18/1

A confirmation of participation would lead to a large jump in the rankings for Biz

Cheeks 20/1

Cozzi 25/1

The possibility of the power of the red mustache is causing a jump in the rankings

Kurta 25/1

Marbles 25/1

C-Gar 30/1

Her goal is two votes this year.

Gheller 40/1

Squirt 50/1

Unfortunately, he has confirmed he will not be showing for the contest.

Hoda 50/1

Jonesy 75/1

Mott 100/1

Reuben 200/1

Fitting 500/1

Two Words... Eric Fitting

The mustache contest is just over month away. I hope everyone is growing their mustaches well. The 'V' is looking forward to seeing a large group of HOBOs sporting mustaches. Word is, the 'V' may advertise the contest up on their sign.

Now, place your bets... The bookies got back to me and here are the early Vegas Odds.

Giles 2/1

His Super Power is everything, so you know he's going to have a good mustache. He comes out as the early favorite.

Shankbone 3/1

Always a strong mustache.

G-Mac 3/1

Can he win back the belt?

Bibbles 5/1

G-Mac has proven the blond mustache can win, can Bibbles do the same?

JJ 5/1

Defending champion still ranked high, even though chances are he won't be able to attend to defend the title.

Showstoppa 5/1

My Mustache will be solid and maybe stop a show.

Giant 5/1

It will definitely be a Giant Mustache, possibly on the big screen again.

Brownie 5/1

Has to be considered a favorite, he was once the mustache man of the year.

Smokey 8/1

Has Pearce passed on the mustache growing gene?

Vatto 8/1

Former champ has dropped in the rankings

Brady 10/1

He usually comes through in the clutch, can he grow a mustache that does this too?

Peaches 10/1

Scotty 15/1

Turdbisket 15/1

I saw Turd recently sans mustache. He'll have to start growing if he wants to compete.

Farva 15/1

Trone 15/1

Doc 15/1

Biz 18/1

Big T.O. 20/1

Don't make fun of his mustache or he'll perform a "Display of Power" on you!

Cheeks 20/1

Kurta 25/1

Marbles 25/1

Squirt 25/1

C-Gar 30/1

Managed to get votes last year, who knows?

Gheller 40/1

Cozzi 50/1

A Mr. Rooney showing would be surprise in the field and a definite contender.

Hoda 50/1

Mott 75/1

Jonesy 99/1

He surprisingly had a mustache last year, but he probably wont' be able to make the contest.

Reuben 100/1

We all know Ruppe will shave the day of the contest just to spite everyone... I guess we do need an emcee though

Fitting 500/1

It's Eric Fitting... That explains it all.

Who's that man in the garbage can?
With a big round head and a farmer's tan?
HOBO, to the soul from toe to toe,
That man in the can must be the Show.

Thanks to everyone for their entries, I really liked them all.
I hope you guys keep competing for future contests. But, how can you deny Showstoppa from winning the T-shirt? Not only did he make a creative rhyme that worked in his HOBO brothers but getting something for free is his super-power.

Good show, Show.

The mustache contest was a "Giant" success, especially since we were able to include Giant via webcam. The V was packed and the Old Style was flying out of the coolers. You could tell that HOBOs were in town.

First off, I will introduce the new Undisputed HOBO World Mustache Champion... JJ Johnson!

It was a tremendous turnout. I don't know when the last time the V saw this many people when it wasn't a wedding. More information will follow shortly. For now, I need to get some sleep. What I want everyone to do is vote in the poll on the left side of the screen. Pick your favorite stache. To get a better look at all the mustaches, make sure you take a look at the photos in our Flickr photo album.

Here's a group shot (missing a couple people).

It's Mustache Contest Eve, and the mustaches are growing. It's looking like there may be a record number of mustaches at the V. Current numbers are showing 19 competitors for the contest and there may be more.

I just want to make sure everyone invites as many people as they can to the contest. We need as many judges as possible. This means invite your friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, moms, dads, grandparents, dentists, or your posse. We'd like to have at least as many judges as there are competitors and more would be even better. The more the merrier and I'm sure it will be fun for all. People will start meeting at around 8-9:00 at the VFW in Bessemer. This isn't when the judging will be, so don't worry if you may be late. I'm sure alot of people won't be there until a little later. We will have the official judging sometime later in the night when we feel everyone is in attendance.

Also remember, that the HOBOWL is on Friday at 1:00. This will be at the Barber School Field in Yale Location in Bessemer. We currently are expecting a large number of competitors for this too. Even if you don't want to play, make sure you stop by and hang out. Again, invite everyone you can to come watch. There will be FREE BEER and food for all.

To start us off, here is a new video produced by the great Justin Bravatto. This is the official promo for this years contest. Who will win? Will it be you?

On to the odds. IT's crowded at the top and a dead heat. Gregas has lost a little ground but still keeps the lead. With more confirmations, the field is starting to take shape. Who will come out the winner?

Gregas 2/1

Still holding a slim lead.

Shankbone 5/2

JJ 3/1

Vatto 7/2

Will now be in attendance.

Giles 5/1

He's a monster.

Bibbles 6/1

Farva 7/1

Showstoppa 7/1

Giant 8/1

Rumor is that his videoconferenced mustache will be allowed to compete.

Turdbisket 9/1

Word is there is a mustache growing on the turd.

Jizzy 9/1

Brownie 9/1

Scotty 10/1

Trone 10/1

Newly confirmed competitor. Could be a surprise as nobody knows what his growth is like

Doc 11/1

Big T.O. 12/1

Cheeks 13/1

Confirmed to be entering the contest.

Biz 15/1

Rumors are floating around that his mustache has been shaved.

Squirt 20/1

Reuben 23/1

Smokey 23/1

Gheller 25/1

Dwight 25/1

Kurta 50/1

Marbles 50/1

Cozzi 50/1

Hoda 80/1

Mott 150/1

Fitting 250/1

Jonesy 499/1

Still going to be here, odds are still the same.

As the Mustache Contest creeps closer and more people are confirming their participation the odds are starting to change. As you can see there are a few clearcut favorites at the top and a large group of solid competitors just below that could pull out some surprises.

Descriptions are not present for all, as I don't fell witty enough to write something funny for everyone today. Final odds will be posted on Tuesday, November 21, one day before the competition.

Gregas 3/2

Holding strong as the favorite.

JJ 3/1

Very strong growth and almost sure elimination of Vatto from competition moves him up.

Shankbone 3/1

Confirmation that he will be in attendance makes Tim one of the favorites.

Giles 4/1

He's a monster.

Farva 8/1

The fact that he will be there boosts his rating immensely.

Biz 8/1

Showstoppa 9/1

Bibbles 9/1

Turdbisket 9/1

Word is there is a mustache growing on the turd.

Jizzy 9/1

Brownie 9/1

Vatto 10/1

It's nearly certain that he will, unfortunately not be able to be in attendance. His mustache power still keeps him high in the odds for this week.

Doc 11/1

Big T.O. 12/1

Scotty 13/1

Giant 13/1

Rumor is that he is close to winning his bid to allow a teleconferenced mustache to compete.

Cheeks 18/1

Squirt 20/1

Says he just shaved a mustache, but could he surprise the crowd at the V?

Reuben 22/1

Doubts still present on if he will shave the 'stache or not.

Smokey 23/1

Gheller 25/1

Dwight 29/1

Kurta 30/1

He is growing, but more than likely will not be in attendance.

Marbles 40/1

Cozzi 40/1

Hoda 75/1

Mott 125/1

Fitting 250/1

Jonesy 499/1

Is not leaving for the Coast Guard until after Thanksgiving now, so as I said, his odds improve to 499/1

HOBOs, this is what you are competing for. This is what will be up for grabs at the 3rd Annual HOBO Mustache Contest.

For the first time, there will be an award given to the winner of the Mustache Contest. This year, we will crown the Undisputed HOBO World Mustache Champion (UHWMC) and award him with this beautifully handcrafted title belt. As of now, the current UHWMC Title Holder is Andrew "The Torso" Gregas.

The belt was finely crafted by The Showstoppa out of only the best possible parts. The belt starts with a $2 serving dish from the Salvation Army Thrift Store. The dish is attached with the strongest, highest quality screws that were 98 cents at Home Depot, to a $20 weight lifting belt purchased from Dunham's Sports. Attached to the belt is a luxurious $20 HOBO belt buckle from a kiosk in the mall. The lettering and mustache in the center of the belt are made of the finest gems know to man, Bling Things Stick-On Crystals, $15.

This fine piece of artsmanship comes in at a price of approximately $58. Thanks to the Adopt-A-HOBO program and the generous donations by HOBOs and Friends of HOBO this is possible.

The life of a HOBO is a mysterious, frightening, and some might say, sad existence. HOBOs have proven themselves adept at thriving in many different environments, and indeed have proliferated throughout a multitude of locations. This ability to adapt to their surroundings, does not change the fact that there are some behaviors that are common to all HOBOs. While the many intricacies of the HOBO lifestyle are beyond the scope of this article, I would like to point out an aspect of HOBO psyche that some may find surprising: The HOBO love of numbers.

You see, in the HOBO vernacular, to “look at numbers” means to play fantasy sports. The common HOBO spends much of his time absorbed in analyzing and crunching fantasy sports statistics. If you were to engage a HOBO on the topic of fantasy sports, you would be assured of several hours of heated exchange. While some HOBOs take this more seriously than others, fantasy sports nonetheless ranks in the top three favorite topics of conversation for any HOBO.

In an effort to appeal to these HOBOs, I have compiled some statistics from the most intimate perspective currently available on the day-to-day life of a HOBO: The HOBO picture collection. Here are the totals on a variety of topics compiled from the collection:

HOBO Salutes: 159
HOBOs wearing hats: 544
Kegs: 10
HOBOs holding beers: 401
Video Games: 6
HOBOs wearing glasses: 147
HOBOs sporting mustaches: 62
Quigleys: 27
Norm: 7
HOBO Parents: 21
Peace signs: 13
Hang Loose: 5
Thumbs up: 52
Flip Off: 4
Metal: 9
West Sides: 3
Arms Wide Open: 13
High Fives: 7
Thumbs Down: 17
Hand-to-chin: 18
Gregas Flex: 11

So what have we learned from these stats? HOBOs like to wear hats, drink beer, and grow mustaches. Not exactly new or surprising information, but it will serve as a baseline for future observations of the bizarre and elusive HOBO.

BONUS QUESTION: According to my counts, Jizzy the Peach appears in 155 pictures. In how many of those pictures is Zero NOT wearing a hat?

Closest guess wins a surprise.