The Exploding Watermelon at the Sun of a Beach Festival [VIDEO]

We kicked off the fun on Saturday at the Sun of a Beach Festival with an exploding watermelon contest. I wondered if it would actually happen, having never seen it done before. But J.R. Mitchell knew what he was doing when he set it up!

We started out with all the supplies; watermelons, safety glasses, elastic bands, and plastic ponchos. Then came four teams of two people, including J.R.'s Mom!

And finally, the instructions. Contestants had to wrap rubber bands around their watermelon until one of them exploded. The trick is to lump the bands together so they constrict the melon with ever-increasing pressure.

One husband-wife team had seen it done before, so we were watching them closely. Their watermelon even began to swell around the top. But, while we were watching that couple, two of J.R.'s buddies from the Anah Shrine (who had also seen it done before) put on that last band and BOOM! Watermelon everywhere!

The explosion happens at around 1:16 in the video. Listen for J.R. to mention that a (different) watermelon was starting to bow.

Thanks to everyone who took part! It was a fun way to start a fun day!