As It Happens

Some parents fed up with up their bottle-flipping kids

A New Jersey mother says she's had it with the "Bottle-Flipping Challenge" that her son, and many other teens, have been obsessing over for the last couple of months.
Screenshot of Michael Senatore performing the famous bottle flip routine the sparked an international bottle-flipping challenge phenomenon. (Youtube/Eddie Keogh/Reuters)

It's called the "bottle-flipping challenge" and some parents have had enough. 

The phenomenon started at a school talent show in Charlotte, N.C., when a contestant, Michael Senatore, held a water bottle and strutted towards a table with suspense-building music blasting in the background. With a dramatic pause, followed by a flick of his wrist, he flipped the bottle into the air. It landed upright on the table. The crowd erupted with cheers. 

The video, which was uploaded in May, has since been viewed over 6 million times.

Wendy Cinnamon of Rockaway, NJ is the mother of a bottle flipper. Her son Alex Venezia, 12, is obsessed with bottle flipping.



Carol Off: Wendy, when did you first learn or see this bottle flipping challenge?

Wendy Cinnamon: It was about two months ago. I came home from work to see my son throwing a bottle in the house and driving me crazy with it. 

CO: What is the objective of the bottle flipping challenge?

WC: To get the bottle standing up with only a certain amount of water in it.



CO: Why is this so annoying to you?

WC: Because when the bottle lands it's like a thud noise and you constantly hear thud, thud, thud, and bottles flying all over the place.

CO: Have you since learned how popular this game is?

WC: Oh yeah, I was looking on Facebook and all my friends were complaining that their kids were doing it, and sharing news articles and stuff about it. They mentioned some punishments like taking away the kids phones. And I was going to take the kids' water bottles out of the house and put it in my trunk and if he wanted water I was just going to take a cup outside and fill it up from the car so he couldn't get the bottle. 




CO: Have you tried to do it?

WC: Yeah [laughs].

CO: And are you any good at it? 

WC: Not so much. Not at all. I did it. He wanted me to do it once, and I tried it. And then — he doesn't even know this, he's in the other room. But every once in a while I just toss it, when I'm sitting by myself to try and get it to land.