A man walked into a bar and ordered a drink. As he was sipping on his beer, he noticed a small jar filled with money sitting on the counter. He asked the bartender what the jar was for.
The bartender chuckled and said, "It's for our ongoing contest! If you can complete three challenges, you get to take home all the money in the jar."
Intrigued, the man asked what the challenges were.
The bartender pointed to a large, burly bouncer at the door and said, "Challenge #1: you have to punch Big Tony in the face and make him cry."
The man thought about it for a moment, took a deep breath, and walked up to Big Tony. He wound up his fist and delivered a solid punch to Tony's face. To his surprise, Tony didn't even flinch. In fact, he just laughed and playfully punched the man back, sending him stumbling backward.
The man dusted himself off and asked the bartender what the next challenge was.
The bartender grinned and said, "Challenge #2: there's a wild, angry alligator in the back alley. You have to go out there and remove a thorn from its paw."
The man's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Nevertheless, he mustered up his courage, went out to the alley, and sure enough, there was a massive alligator with a thorn stuck in its paw. With shaky hands, the man carefully removed the thorn and the alligator calmly slinked away.
Feeling both relieved and exhilarated, the man returned to the bar and asked what the final challenge was.
The bartender handed him a shot of whiskey and said, "Challenge #3: you have to drink this entire bottle of the strongest whiskey we have in one gulp without making a face."
The man gulped and nervously looked at the bottle, which had a skull and crossbones on the label. He took a deep breath and downed the whiskey in one swift motion. Tears welled up in his eyes and he struggled to stop himself from gagging.
But to his surprise, he managed to keep a straight face. The bartender and the other patrons erupted into cheers and applause. The man had completed all three challenges and won the jar full of money.
As he counted his winnings and basked in his glory, the bartender leaned in and whispered, "Congratulations, but I have to ask… What drove you to punch Big Tony, face an angry alligator, and down that deadly whiskey all for some cash?"
The man shrugged and replied, "Honestly, I just really needed the money to pay my rent. But now that I think about it, maybe I should have just asked for a loan instead."