Who are we to judge what is normal and what is odd. Well,
let’s just say we’ve seen a lot of weird stuff. “Odd” is a mild term to
describe the 17 strange and unusual couples we collected on this list.
A woman dating a shorter man, or a man marrying someone ten years his
senior – those are all children play compared to the unique stories you
are about to read. Prepare to send all your taboos to the recycle bin
and embrace the odd reality of our foul century.
Of course, you should always look at the bright side. This article
can also appear as a celebration of love conquering all obstacles and
bringing people together despite the obvious differences.
We do warn you! Don’t attempt what you’ve seen unless you are
comfortable with people talking nasty things about you and laughing in
your face.
1. Sultan Kösen and Merve Dibo
When the tallest man in the world gets married, you can bet we are talking about an odd couple.
Sultan Kösen holds the Guinness World record for the world’s tallest
man, standing a phenomenal 251 cm above the ground, Sultan probably had a
hard time finding a woman like him, and eventually settled with someone
enjoying the air richer in oxygen found at lower levels in the
atmosphere.
Merve was introduced to Sultan through a mutual friend and love
quickly led to the walk down the aisle. Merve is just 1.75 m tall, and
the two look indeed odd together.
At this point, it helps to add that despite his stature Sultan was a
shy man who always ended up scaring the women in his life. Things became
easier for him once Guinness offered him the title. We wish them the
best!
2. Ahmed Muhamed Dore and Safia Abdulleh
Africa is home to some of the oddest couples, and the explanation is simple.
People here have nothing against young girls sold into marriage. It
doesn’t matter if prince charming is competing against a creepy old
grandpa. The winner is the one with the higher offer (or with the
largest number of cattle in his herd).
Ahmed Muhamed Dore was 112 years old when he married Safia back in
2009. The Somali elder already had five wives at that time, and the
17-year-old was a prized addition to his collection.
3. Joelison and Evem
Love conquers all obstacles, and 1 meter in height difference is nothing.
For Joelison and Evem, each kiss is a challenged. The 2.30m Brazilian
giant met the love of his life when he was 28 years old. It might sound
strange for a man of his stature to be shy, but Joelison spent most of
his young years avoiding social contacts as much as possible.
Evem started by being one of the many ordinary folks that admired Joelison. Soon enough, their friendship bloomed to love.
Take a look at those candid shots of the couple in the bedroom. If
what they say about foot size is true, things should get pretty
interesting when the lights are off. Unfortunately, the couple was not
willing to share such details with their anxious fans.
4. Maria, Paul and … Peter
Ever wondered if three-wheeled relationships have a shot at survival on the long term?
Just take a look at Maria and the two men with who she shares her
life. The setup is unusual because it did not sparkle the expected
rivalry and drama.
The lover and the husband accept each other around the house and
details what happens in the bedroom are kept private. Could this be the
solution many desperate love triangles seek?
Although heartbreaking for the children at first, they did learn to
accept their mother’s inability to choose between the two men. You could
see they are one big happy family now.
5. Amy Wolfe and 1001 Nacht
Amy Wolfe is jealous each time someone else rides her lover.
Stop right there! We are not talking nasty bedroom details here.
Amy’s unusual love interest is a rollercoaster called 1001 Nachts
(nights), for which she fell after riding a record 3,000 times.
How is that even remotely possible? Scientists say “yes, ” and they
even have a name for it – objectum sexuality. Amy was most likely a
child that faced difficulties while trying to get along with the others,
not to mention finding a romantic partner. The ride offered her thrills
never experienced before, thus explaining the unnatural connexion.
How is Amy cherishing her love? She has a photo of the fairground
ride on her bedroom wall and keeps nuts and screws close by. Amy even
contacted Park management and proposed.
6. Sanele and Helen
Early on the list, we had an old marrying a little girl. What if we tell you it can also go the other way around?
Look no further than Africa for the next couple that defies all
taboos the modern world has regarding romantic relationships. Not only
did the marriage was arranged and paid for, but it took place before the
eyes of the real husband.
8-year-old Sanele married 61-year-old Helen in a ceremony that went
by the book. The two exchanged rings and even shared a kiss, all under
the eyes of Helen’s man.
The boy wanted the ceremony to be a way of cherishing and pleasing
his ancestors. Don’t even attempt to understand the backbone of this
tradition. South Africans might have imported the white wedding
ceremony, but their tribal beliefs still thrive.
7. Liu Ye and Liu Ye
You might be over-obsessed with your person and still be light years away from what Liu Ye did.
The 43-year-old Chinese from Zhuhai married himself in a ceremony
that raises a couple of interesting paradoxes. The ceremony in which he
“exchanged vows” with a cardboard copy of himself wearing a traditional
Chinese wedding gown might be the most absurd thing ever.
Do you count as gay if you marry yourself? How did the Chinese
Communist government allow such an abomination to ruin the country’s
reputation as extremely ethical and conservative?
“There are many reasons for marrying myself, but mainly to express my
dissatisfaction with reality. This marriage makes me whole again.” That
was Liu’s toast held in front of 100 guests.
Can you imagine the audience trying to act casual as Liu Ye invites
himself to dance and kisses the lifeless cardboard? Love can be
incredibly strange sometimes.
8. Mangli and Sheru
Forget about parents telling you who to marry.
This poor 18-year-old from Eastern India listened to the village
elders and married a stray dog. What’s the explanation behind this
strange and unusual human-canine union?
The superstitious folks of rural India were convinced an evil spirit
possessed young Mangli and that her first husband will get to suffer.
Sheru’s role was to perform a cleansing and prepare her for a real
marriage.
Just imagine being a tourist visiting the village while the ceremony
was well underway. Your gut feeling would be to run away as quick as
possible and don’t look back. Or would you stay, hoping that a
Bollywood-like scenario is seconds away from unfolding?
Let’s recap the reasons that make such a marriage not a bad idea.
Dogs never cheat and don’t spend the nights down at the local pub. On
the other hand, all that they can provide for the family are bones and
the occasional dead cat.
9. Jayla Cooper and Jose Griggs
What happens when the doctors give you only a couple of weeks
left to live, and you still didn’t start chasing your biggest dreams?
When 9-year-old Jayla Cooper was diagnosed with leukemia in a
terminal phase, her biggest regret was that she would never get to wear a
white dress and go down the aisle. However, her family walked all the
needed miles to make that dream come true.
The hardest part about staging a wedding is finding a groom ready to
play his role. During her stay at the Children’s Medical Hospital in
Dallas, Jayla befriended Jose Griggs, a kid whose battle with leukemia
went the other way.
At this point, it needs to be said that the state of Texas allows
marriage with parental consent for teenagers older than 14. That’s why
the union between Jayla and Jose was merely symbolical.
Uplifting as it is, this story did not have a miraculous
continuation. Jayla Cooper lost her battle with leukemia but left with a
smile on her face.
10. Zatera and Calvin Spencer
Zatera and Calvin Spencer form
the luckiest couple in the history of humanity.
Winning the lottery and enjoying a care-free stroll through life is
everyone’s biggest dream. This couple bought a winning ticket three
times in just under one month.
Yep, you heard right. Ms. and Mr. Spencer did not settle with winning
$1 million in the Virginia Powerball lottery. They kept on playing, and
luck smiled back at them again.
A modest sum of $50,000 followed by another million made them
confident they can join guys like Bill Gates at the top of the table
without doing something revolutionary.
Nevertheless, one should remember all the incredible stories of those
who won the lottery in the past and lost the money afterward. “We’re
not finished yet.” are the exact words with which the Spencers announced
they are not yet ready to give up the habit of picking numbers.
Let’s just hope they don’t spend all their money chasing what most experts consider mathematically impossible to happen.
11. Chadil Deffy and Ann Kamsuk
The story of Chadil Deffy and Ann Kamsuk proves one crucial point – life is short, and tragedy can strike at any moment.
Uninformed viewers might take the photo above as something that
happens on a constant basis at weddings. The ceremony exhausted the
bride, who fainted and had to be brought back to life with a kiss.
Unfortunately, that scenario works only in tales for children. TV
producer Chadil Deffy granted his dead girlfriend the wish of getting
married, in a funeral ceremony that made everyone cry to the point of
dehydration.
Ann died in a car accident when she was just 29 years old. The two
knew each other for ten years and had postponed the wedding on countless
occasions due to their busy schedules.
This odd couple might prove the point that love is eternal. However,
some of the viewers will probably get offended and see it as a manner of
desecrating a corpse.
12. Paulo Gabriel da Silva Barros and Katyucia Hoshino
Paulo Gabriel da Silva Barros and Katyucia Hoshino made it to the Guinness Book of World Records as the shortest married couple.
Dwarfism is a condition that typically sends people spiraling down
into depression and hating the rest of the normal world. It was not the
case here.
The two met on social media and got off on the wrong foot. Paulo used
cheap pick-up lines and probably put their similarity too much up
front. However, it didn’t take long until love prevailed.
Seeing little people enjoy life so much in this oversized world can
make anyone’s day brighter. Although odd in the full sense of the word,
this couple shows that it doesn’t matter what others say of think about
you. Once you find your other half, all the background noise tunes down.
Paulo and Katyucia are still not sure if they should have a baby. The
doctors told the potential mother that her small uterus would label a
pregnancy as high risk.
13. Josef Fritzl and Elisabeth Fritzl
It’s a bit sick to call Josef Fritzl and Elisabeth Fritzl a couple, but their disturbing relationship fits the profile.
2008 was the year when the horror story emerged, shocking Austria and
creating waves of indignation around the world. Josef Fritzl held his
daughter Elizabeth captive for 24 years inside a basement.
No, that was not the biggest grounding ever administered by a parent.
Josef raped poor Elizabeth numerous times, and the abuse resulted in
seven children.
Everything happened just meters below the house where Fritzl lived a
normal life together with his wife, the mother of Elizabeth. The couple
even adopted some of the children born out of incest, passing them as
foundlings.
You will be sad to know the ordeal of Elizabeth and her children did
not end with the abusive father sentenced to life in prison. Spending
you entire adult life isolated from the outside world leaves permanent
mental trauma.
The poor souls are still undergoing therapy, and we can only hope they will soon recover.
Let’s move one to another odd couple. No gruesome stuff this time, only Mother Nature toying a bit with the growing genes.
14. Anna Swan and Martin Van Buren Bate
Imagine being so different from the rest your only hope of solace is to share your life with someone just like you.
That was probably the argument that pushed Anna Swan and Martin Van
Buren Bates to marry, a ceremony that mortified the ones who feared this
was the first step towards a new race of giants.
19th-century newspapers called them the Giants of the Hills, but their
existence was much more than a freak show. Their friendly nature made
them most wanted wherever they traveled.
As for their ceremony, it took place in London and recorded an
impressive attendance. Queen Victoria offered each a custom-made pocket
watch, a gift worth $1,000,000.
What is even more remarkable about the Bates is that they lived long
and healthy lives, something rather unusual for people suffering from
gigantism. They commissioned a house and furniture built to accommodate
their proportions.
We know what goes through your mind. Unfortunately, the historical
records share no details of the things happening in the family bedroom.
Can you imagine Anna and Martin living in today’s tabloid world?
15. Amanda Rodgers and Sheba
Even the Western culture can keep a blind eye on human-animal couples that walk down the aisle.
Meet Amanda Rogers, a 48-year-old socialite whose negative
experiences with men pushed her into the arms of her beloved pet dog. As
we look at the poor mutt’s face, we feel our mind exploding with
questions.
Is this relationship strictly platonic? How did the minister
interpret Sheba’s bark as a “yes?” Should someone call the police for
animal abuse?
The strange wedding took place back in 2014 and had 200 guests
(humans and pets) that went all the way to Split, Croatia, to attend
what most considered an abomination.
We could laugh all we want at this odd couple, but no one is spared
from the cruel lesson it serves. Amanda explains she chose Sheba because
offered what no other partner was ever capable.
Listening and not judging, comforting in times of feeling low, and
being there all the time are all arguments capable of striking a
venomous arrow. Let’s add a great licking technique to conclude with a
laugh.
16. Sal9000 and Nene Anegasaki
Technology has become so advanced that a new breed of couples is gradually taking over.
One Japanese young man decided that having a flesh and bone
girlfriend is too much of a hassle and also incompatible with his otaku
lifestyle. When you spend most of the day playing games, the virtual
world becomes an obvious place to seek meaningful interactions and
romance
Sal9000 married Nene Anegasaki, a video game character he met while
playing a dating simulation game called Love Plus. The awkward ceremony
was broadcasted live and concluded with him kissing his Nintendo DS.
Note that this odd couple came into being before augmented reality
kicked off last year with Pokémon Go. With sex robots already a big
thing in Godforsaken places like Japan, no one knows if romance the way
we know it today will survive in the future.
We can’t hope but notice this relationship is destined to end in
tears. While Sal9000 pledged never to play another game, we doubt the
husband will be able to resist the new game consoles Nintendo is set to
release.
17. Jenna Bentley and Ben Brown
When it comes to odd couples, nothing beats seeing a bikini
vixen frolicking with a much older and completely unattractive sugar
daddy.
Pictures of Jenna Bentley and millionaire Ben Brown made headlines a
couple of years ago when they first emerged on the Internet. People who
struggle to find a reasonable explanation are being silly. It is legal
for a gifted Playboy model to hang out with whoever she wants.
Of course, it is love we are talking about here. The kind of love
that conquers all differences and which is not shy to show itself to the
world.
Well, technically speaking those are paparazzi photo and the two were
supposed to be alone on that exotic beach. The same way blood attracts
the sharks, an odd couple at work makes candid photographers lose their
minds.
