Two con men try to rig the Special Olympics so they can pay off a debt. But in order to do so, one of them must pose as a contestant in the games.

Pressured by a greedy uncle (Brian Cox) and a pile of debt, lovable loser Steve Barker (Johnny Knoxville) resorts to an unthinkable, contemptible, just-crazy-enough-to-work scheme. He pretends to be mentally challenged to rig the upcoming Special Olympics and bring home the gold.

But when Steve's fellow competitors get wise to the con, they inspire him to rise to the greatest challenge of all: becoming a better person.