Everyone gets haircuts, but 6-year-old Rory Ehrlich’s hairstyle choice has gained him notoriety. The hairstyle? A mullet, of course. The mullet has been around for centuries but was popularized in the 1970s and 1980s in the United States. It was sported by country music stars Billy Ray Cyrus, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, and Blake Shelton. Author Alan Henderson even wrote a book about the style choice, “Mullet Madness!: The Haircut That’s Business Up Front and a Party in the Back.”
For Rory, the choice allowed him to enter the USA Mullet Championships — and he WON! The 2023 Kids & Teens Contest offered stiff competition, with kids and teens sporting impressive hairdos. The competition included 300 entrants aged 3 to 8. Voting was conducted online and contestants with the most votes advanced to the final rounds.
The competition works to collect donations in support of the Wounded Warrior Project. During the voting phase, Rory’s 16,723 votes included $6,635.00 in donations to the project. In addition to donations to the WWP, Rory won personal prizes. He got to go to a Philadelphia Phillies game where he met John Kruk. Of course, they discussed mullets! Rory will tell you that Kruk is his best friend now.
Rory will also receive a cash prize of $5,000. While that may seem like a lot for such a small human, this kid has a plan. He wants to buy his sister an Alpaca. The average cost of an Alpaca ranges from $500 to $1,000. He also wants to attend wing night with his family. Continuing the display of how huge his heart is, Rory adds that he also wants to save a bit of his cash prize for an additional donation to WWP. This kid… Are you crying yet?
Life for Rory will never be the same in his hometown of West Pottsgrove Township. Rory’s mom, Airen Erhlich, states that a group of local teens began chanting “mullet kid” when they recognized Rory recently. Rory seems to love the attention, laughing along with his newfound fan club.
Rory nicknamed his hairdo “Cheddar Wiz” for the competition. The name was first adopted when his baseball team noted that his hair reminds them of “cheddar blowing in the wind” when Rory runs. When asked if he plans on cutting his mullet eventually, Rory stated that it will stay until he’s at least 8. When asked what he will do with his hair when he cuts it, his simple answer was from the heart: “Give it to kids with cancer for wigs.”
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