Rio Olympics Close with Super Mario Tribute, Return of Oiled-Up Hunk

The 2016 Summer Olympics came to an official end on Sunday night.

And it did so in a couple of ways that made us temporarily forget all about the complete and utter spoiled nonsense of Ryan Lochte.

For starters, the Internet now has a new favorite Prime Minister.

His name is Shinzo Abe, he’s form Japan and he really knows how to make an entrance.

Toward the end of the Closing Ceremonies, Rio passed the Olympic baton to Tokyo, which will be hosting the Summer Games in 2020.

To send this message to viewers and attendees, a short video presentation depicted Abe in Tokyo, concerned that he wouldn’t make it to Rio in time.

The Prime Minister therefore transformed into Mario from Nintendo fame and built a pipe from his city to the one that played host this month in Brazil.

Yes, for a brief, shining and memorable moment, the prime minister of Japan went into full Mario cosplay mode.

You have to see him do it in this video:

Shinzo Abe Makes Like Mario

The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games is set for July 24, 2020.

How will you kill time before then?

By ogling more photos of Pita Nikolas Taufatofua, clearly.

As rain poured down on the Closing Ceremony, the taekwondo competitor from Tonga – who went viral during the Opening Ceremony – once again took center stage.

This time, he came out during Julia Michaels and Kygo’s performance of their hit “Carry Me,” dancing away as the water hit his greased-up muscles.

Taufatofua became an Internet sensation two weeks when he showed this same serious skin while serving as flag bearer for the Polynesian country of Tonga.

Between his sexy appearance and that of Abe as Mario (again: The Japanese Prime Minster as MARIO!!!!), we forgot all about Ryan Locthe for a few hours last night.

It was glorious.

Rio Olympics: NBC Makes Divers Look Naked, Internet Doesn"t Complain

On August 9th, the Men"s Diving Synchronised 3m Springboard Final took place, and Great Britain won gold.

Also, a strategically placed score bar made the competitors look naked.  And since they wore nothing more than a standard Speedo, it turned out to be quite the evening for viewers at home.

Naturally, the internet found the whole thing funny, and Twitter was chock full of with Naked Swimming comments.

 

1. Hello, Boys!

Just watching a bit of competition. Certainly not oogling nearly naked bodies.

2. Must-See TV, Indeed

She’s not complaining.

3. Men’s Diving Is My New Favorite Sport

This should be a nightly competition. Does the International Olympic Committee have a suggestion box?

4. Classic Caption, NBC

Yup, that’s his actual name.

5. Don’t Mind Us, Tom Daley

Carry on…

6. Are You Boys Wearing Anything Under That Bar?

Asking for a friend.

View Slideshow

McKayla Maroney: Forget the Olympics; Check Out These Gold Medal Curves!

Back in 2012, American gymnast McKayla Maroney became an overnight sensation.

Sure, she was part of the Olympic team that won gold at the London games, and she took home an individual silver medal in the vault, but it wasn’t her performance so much as her reaction to coming in second that made her a household name.

Four years later, “McKayla Maroney is not impressed” memes still pop up on occasion.

More importantly, however, McKayla is now 20, and her active Instagram presence has led fans to an important realization:

McKayla Maroney is super hot.

McKayla chose to sit out the Rio games, and these days she’s shifted her focus from gymnastics to something even closer to her heart.

No, not risque selfies (though she’s clearly fond of those as well).

We’re talking about music – which is apparently Ms. Maroney’s true passion these days.

She recently celebrated reaching one million followers with the above pantsless and the following caption: 

“Sending love to all one million of you Also, I haven’t talked about it much, (mainly cuz people wouldn’t take me seriously) but for the last year I’ve dedicated all my time to writing/making music, and I can finally officially say that I’ve got some cool stuff on the way for u guys!!”

She added: “Hope u like dancing!”

McKayla, at this point, we’re liking pretty much anything that involves you.

View Slideshow: McKayla Maroney Instagram Photos: The Gold Standard!

Michael Phelps: MARRIED to Nicole Johnson?! Rumors Surface in Run-Up to Olympics!

Hard to believe, but it’s been 16 years since Michael Phelps put the swimming world on notice – and became a household name.

Becoming the youngest male to make the U.S. Olympic team in nearly 7 decades, the Baltimore Bullet quickly became a legend.

This year, he will compete in his fifth Olympic games, and needless to say, a lot has changed in his life in the years since he first hit the global stage.

In February of last year, Phelps got engaged to Nicole Johnson.

In May, Phelps welcomed his first child, a boy named Boomer.

Needless to say, he’s come a long way since the brash, occasionally trouble-prone young man we met so many years ago.

And now, there are rumors that Phelps, still only 31, may have recently passed another milestone in his personal life.

You may have seen the headlines pop up in your social media feed:

Something along the lines of “Is Michael Phelps Married?”

Well, as it happens, that question mark is there for a reason.

Because, as far as anyone knows, Phelps and Johnson did not get hitched in a quickie pre-Rio ceremony, as some folks are claiming.

We imagine the couple will walk down the aisle shortly after the games, but thus far, they have yet to announce any specific plans.

And why rush things at this point?

They already have a baby together, and despite global health concerns, Phelps is going to the Olympics, not war.

They may as well wait, and hopefully Phelps will come home with some new hardware to wear to the ceremony.

Just kidding; there’s no way the guy could walk with all the medals he’s won around his neck at this point.

So our premature congrats go out to Michael and Nicole!

All these two have to do now is steer clear of those Brazilian mosquitoes and put past mistakes behind them.

Sorry, Taylor Lianne Chandler. We couldn’t resist.