Honey Boo Boo and barfing Biebs top FAILS of 2012

From high-profile infidels like Kristen Stewart and David Petraeus to the amazing incompetence of the NFL replacement referees, there was no shortage of stumbles and bumbles throughout 2012. The best of the worst are being honored in the annual list of the most memorable gaffes and antics by the hugely popular Seattle-based FAIL Blog.

“It really started because people like to laugh at other people. It makes you feel a little better when you see someone else fail,” says Emily Huh, Editor in Chief of Cheezburger, the company that publishes the blog and a number of others that draw millions of users who just can’t resist getting a chuckle at others’ transgressions.

When it comes to the most memorable FAIL people, there were plenty to choose from. Huh says they could have easily gone with Stewart, Petraeus or even the US Secret Service agents embroiled in a prostitution scandal in Columbia. But in the end, the honor went to 7-year-old pageant princess Honey Boo Boo and her misfit family made popular by the trashy reality show “Toddlers and Tiaras,” and her new spin-off series this year.

“I just think the whole family in general, America absolutely either hates or loves. If you look at what they do, it is definitely deemed a failure,” Huh says.

“From Honey Boo Boo Child’s “Go Go Juice” (a concoction of Red Bull and Mountain Dew she drinks to prep for pageants) and her quote ‘A dollar makes me holler,’ to her coupon pushing mom, it’s a lot of different things to look at and to laugh at. It’s like an accident. You kind of just want to watch it and gawk at it.”

The Honey Boo Boo clan beat out Kristen Stewart and her widely publicized cheating, the incompetent NFL replacement referees, Patricia Krentcil, the “Tanning Mom” who gained notoriety for her otherworldly skin color, and failed presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.

Romney also made the list of the top FAIL moments for his ill-fated comment about the “47 percent” that helped derail his hopes for the White House. But he couldn’t compete with teen singing sensation Justin Bieber, who barfed on stage in front of a huge crowd in Arizona after drinking too much milk.

“Not only was it once, it was twice. He had to just be at the top of the list for that, especially for something innocent like drinking milk. I think it was just hilarious for us,” Huh says.

It’s a repeat appearance for the Biebs on the list, but Huh says he actually has a great sense of humor and embraces the ignominious honor. Just behind Bieber on the list of top FAIL moments was the elderly amateur art enthusiast who badly botched the restoration of a prized, century-old Spanish painting. Romney’s 47 percent, the complete failure of Apple’s iOS 6 maps and Jason Russell’s meltdown after all the worldwide attention for his KONY 2012 video round out the list.

The biggest fails caught on video include a guy trying to fend off an aggressive Canada goose:

And a boneheaded dad who puts his kid in the dryer at a laundromat, but the door gets stuck and panic ensues as they try to get him out:

It sounds mean-spirited, but Huh insists the honors are given in the spirit of fun.

“It’s really just looking at what people are connecting to and sharing,” she says of the awards, which are selected by readers from among the most popular posts of the year.