Please let this be a joke!

If you are new to lifting them a couple of points. These are supposed to be doing what is called a 'continental lift', it is an old time strongman lift, which is fine. I like oldtime lifting, but this was a disaster. What we have here is valgus knees (knock knees) during the lifts, asymmetrical lifting. God these people are without a clue! If you EVER see stuff like this being done without the person getting banned from your gym then it's time to move on. Compare that to something like this:



This is how you'd want to see this done.
A continental lift isn't just heaving up the lift up. Don't you just love youtube!

I know none of you do this, but really check out a new gym, THIS is what gives crossfit a bad name, these people should not be doing this, no one should ever do 'that' (whatever 'that' was they were actually doing?)

They're using a reverse grip though at the beginning. That's a big part of why it looks so awful. It is scary looking. I don't see the point of a continental lift no matter if it's done "correctly".

Bigger guys (guys with a gut that is) can lift more using the lift than when they clean it. It was a popular lift on the European continent for years & a 'war' raged between the Olympic lifts being cleaned or continentaled with the Germans favouring the continental & the English/French favouring the clean style of lift. The style is coming back with the introduction of strongman contest.
No, I disagree the form isn't bad because of the lift being mixed grip, in a mixed grip continental you'd change grip with the bar on the belt, that's the correct form for this lift.
Here's a recent world record doing the same style:



Note he starts using a mixed grip, swaps at the belt, then continues on. This is for a World record, so obviously at, or very near the guys max, but you see no knee valgus. Knee valgus (or knock knees during a lift) is a MAJOR cause of knee & hip issues. Look especially at the woman in blue, her knees do not track in either the start of the lift or on the jerk, it is truly frightening, the other have asymmetries in their lifting, they should NOT be doing that advanced a lift, none of them are actually ready for it. Lifting has to be a progression. You start with a simple movement, personally I'd move the women in blue to something like a squat with bands around the knees, that will FORCE her to push outwards with the knees as she bends the knees, once she has that I'd start weighting that movement. EVERY single person needed to do something else & slowly build towards those lifts as they simply were not ready for them in my view.

Here's some guy doing a mixed grip continental & push press for reps at a strongman event again compare the form to the first one:

In that first video, in addition to the goofs noted earlier:

( 1 ) No one in that gym is in good enough condition to safely handle that much weight.
( 2 ) Was anybody actually coaching those people?
( 3 ) Was anybody actually in charge of that session?
(If so, they should be taken out and shot.)
( 4 ) The plates were held on the bar with spring woodworking clamps.
( 5 ) There were several loose plates laying around on the gym floor.
( 6 ) While people were lifting, someone's dog wandered through the gym.

( 7 ) As I mentioned elsewhere in a similar context, I wish they would remove the U.S. flag from their wall.

This is a certified crossfit gym having an events day, so a fully controlled event. It was considered so good that it's on the gyms Youtube page! Now, I am not saying all crossfit are like this, but the bad rep crossfit has got about form in some circles REALLY isn't helped by this!
Getting the flag down will be trickier. OK with crossfit they like high reps for everything so how about a max rep flag folding contest, fold until your fingers bleed! that way they will be too sore in the digits to put it back up there...Phew, saved your countries reputation again...I should get a medal for all the work I put in, & the Whitehouse would be cool to visit (that's a hint Mr Prez - I know you must be a lurker on here somewhere )

The good news is that President Obama keeps himself in pretty good physical condition.
Maybe we could steer him toward going vegan.