Monsieur Ordinaire 2026: 

France, Bad Bunny and the Greatest Men's Swimwear Contest on Earth

A couple of years ago, we took our iconic Search for the Most Ordinary Rig to France. 

On 11 July, we completed round two on the Atlantic coast in Hossegor — and it was, in a word, extraordinary. Ironically. Congratulations to Louis, the 2026 Monsieur Ordinaire. His perfectly choreographed Bad Bunny routine — complete with backup dancers, flares and cowboy boots — secured him €5,000, a Budgy Smuggler modelling contract and a trip to Australia. Guillaume took second place, an XXL phenomenon who surprised the entire crowd with cartwheels and a full WWE entrance. Thomas rounded out the podium in flared disco pants, throwing in circus tricks for good measure. Just your typical Saturday in Hossegor, really.

A huge merci to our hosts JB and Nans — that grand entrance set the tone for the whole day and you absolutely delivered. To our judges Justine, Diego and Valentin, who somehow had to make an actual decision: we don't envy you. DJ Fabien kept the crowd pumping from start to finish, the trophy designed by Migloo was genuinely one of the finest objects we've ever had the pleasure of handing to a man in swim briefs, and to Les Planches Cap Breton — thank you for the hospitality and for tolerating the whole thing.

What Is Monsieur Ordinaire — And Where Did It Come From?

For the uninitiated: Monsieur Ordinaire is the French edition of our Australia's Most Ordinary Rig competition. A stage, a crowd, a DJ, and a lineup of real, ordinary blokes in Budgy Smugglers — no filters, no six-packs, no Instagram-worthy anything. Just personality, confidence and a genuine willingness to back yourself in front of a crowd of strangers on a Friday afternoon on the Atlantic coast of France. Honestly, more impressive than it sounds.

The original contest was born in Australia in 2015. It started with a single overheard comment — a teenager from Penrith announcing, with full conviction, "we're gonna get so ripped for Schoolies." For us, that was the moment it clicked: the same body image pressure that had long been directed at women was landing on men and boys too, and social media was making it louder every year. So we did what any sensible Australian swimwear company would do. We created a national competition to find the most perfectly average bloke in the country, made a six-pack an automatic disqualification (unless visibly carried), and turned it into a full pageant. The idea was simple, and we still stand by it: what's most important is being someone who's good to be with, not just good to look at. The whole thing went national in Australia, then crossed to the UK, and eventually made it to France — where, it turns out, ordinary rigs are just as welcome as anywhere else, and the dance routines are considerably more theatrical.

Why France? (A Brief History of Smuggling the Atlantic Coast)

When we launched Budgy Smuggler France out of Bordeaux, we weren't entirely sure what to expect. Turns out the French took to Australian made swimwear faster than anywhere else on the planet. To put it in context: it took us ten years to crack 100 orders in a single day in Australia. Three years in the UK. France managed it in six hours. Not a typo. Six hours, on day one, before we'd even organised La Poste to come and collect the parcels. (We ended up carrying a quarter of a tonne of swimwear 700 metres to the post office by hand. Worth it.)

Hossegor was a natural home for Monsieur Ordinaire — a surf town on the Atlantic coast that takes its summers seriously and its body image standards with the exact amount of scepticism they deserve. Two years into the French chapter of this competition, it's found its own identity, its own crowd, and its own tradition of backup dancers and WWE-inspired entrances that we absolutely did not see coming and are very much here for.

The Ordinary Rig Lives On 

 If you weren't in Hossegor on 11 July, you missed something genuinely special. If you were there — you already know. Either way, the spirit of the Ordinary Rig is alive and well, on both sides of the world and now firmly planted on the coast of France. 

 Browse the full men's swimwear range worn by every champion, finalist and audience member who fully committed to the vibe. Cowboy boots optional. Smugglers mandatory.

 With Smuggler Love, 

 Linny & the Budgy Smuggler Team