Brit gets “best job in the world”

Ben Southall will spend six months swimming, blogging and soaking in the sun. Tourism Queensland picked the Brit from 16 finalists yesterday – not to mention 34,700 video entries from nearly 200 countries. The job pays A$150,000 (US$110,000) for Southall’s “efforts.”

His thoughts: “I hope I can fill the boots as much as everybody is expecting, my swimming hopefully is up to standard and I look forward to all of the new roles and the responsibilities that the task involves.”

My thoughts: Don’t hurt yourself, Ben. Nobody’s really expecting anything profound from a publicity stunt.

To secure his new gig, Southall overcame finalists from 15 countries, including students, journalists, a receptionist and an actress. Oh, and a porn star. MSNBC forgot that one.

Meanwhile, Tourism Queenland‘s already thinking ahead. This gimmick could become an annual event.

Best job in the world candidates touch down

Sixteen people from 15 countries set foot on Hamilton Island yesterday. They will be subjected to the final round of interviews for the “best job in the world” competition, with only one picking up the free digs and $150,000 salary for six months of absolute bliss.

Tourism Queensland‘s CEO, Anthony Hayes, is more than happy to sign a check for that amount. A good idea turned out to be amazing, and he’s recouped much more than that already. Hayes says, “We think we’ve just tipped over $100 million in international publicity with hopefully another $20 to $30 million coming this week.”

We’re waiting for a winner now, and it won’t take long. The cameras are rolling, and the candidates are ready for prime time.

Soon, we’ll have an answer. The countdown is currently at 34 hours.

For now, meet the finalists here. As you may have guessed, I’m hoping Mirjam wins.