The Winter Olympics is like the summer games on steroids: More extreme sports, better scenery, and more weird and wonderful viral moments.

Alongside the impressive athletic feats – including a string of skiing and snowboarding medal wins for Australia – viewers have been equally captivated by the adjacent action at Milano-Cortina.

From ski-jumping’s “penisgate” and curling’s moondancing ice technician, to cheating claims and confessions both sporting and romantic, here are eight surprise highlights.

Paw performance

Forget perennial Winter Olympics fan Snoop Dogg, it was a real dog who stole the show on the cross-country ski course. Nazgul, a Czechoslovakian wolfdog, escaped from his nearby home and ran onto the slopes during a qualification run for the women’s team sprints, delighting fans as he joined the skiers.

“I was like, ‘Am I hallucinating?” 21-year-old Croatian competitor Tena Hadzic said afterwards.

Nazgul’s owner told NPR that Nazgul was “stubborn, but very sweet”.

“He was crying this morning more than normal because he was seeing us leaving – and I think he just wanted to follow us. He always looks for people.”

‘Mistake of my life’

An interview with bronze-medal-winning biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid took a bizarre confessional turn when the weepy Norwegian used the occasion to apologise to his ex-girlfriend.

“Six months ago I met the love of my life,” he said through tears. “The world’s most beautiful, sweetest person. And three months ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life and cheated on her.”

A few days later Laegreid apologised to his teammates, especially gold medal-winner Johan-Olav Botn, for “ruining the party”. To make matters worse, he admitted his public apology hadn’t won the forgiveness of his lost love.

A skier in the woods

Fellow Norwegian Atle Lie McGrath also sparked headlines for what’s been dubbed an “epic meltdown” during the alpine skiing men’s slalom. McGrath was a favourite to win the event, but after crashing out, he threw his poles away, lay down on his back in the snow with his hands over his face, and then walked off to hide in the nearby woods.

“I thought I would get some peace and quiet, which I didn’t because photographers and police found me out in the woods,” he said later. “I just needed some time for myself.”

The disastrous run was especially painful for the 25-year-old because he had wanted to win to honour his grandfather, who died on the day of the Olympics opening ceremony.

Curling’s Michael Jackson

He may have been “just doing my job”, but curling ice technician Mark Callan’s moonwalking meant he became a viral sensation.

Clips showing the 61-year-old Scotsman shuffling backwards at the Cortina Curling Stadium with a backpack and hose while spraying water in the air – in a practice known as pebbling – have been widely shared, often accompanied by Michael Jackson music.

A bemused Callan told the BBC he’d come in for some ribbing from his mates about all the attention, but said: “If, with all the doom and gloom in the world, it puts a smile on people’s face, then I’m fine with that.”

Shockingly, curling also made headlines at the Games after allegations of cheating involving the Canadian team, which provoked an F-bomb laden rant on the ice from one of accused competitors.

Size does matter …

The so-called “penisgate” saga was rocking the Winter Olympics before the action even kicked off at Milano-Cortina, with claims ski jumpers were injecting hyaluronic acid to make their penises bigger.

It begs the question: Why?

Apparently it’s all about aerodynamic advantage: The idea is that a larger penis means they get a bigger ski suit – and the bigger the suit, the further they can jump.

The controversy, being investigated by the World Anti-Doping Agency, took another turn this week when a plastic surgeon who specialises in penis enlargements told USA Today he had worked on a ski jumper last month. The doctor did not disclose if the athlete was competing in the Winter Olympics, but said he had sought the procedure to avoid embarrassment in the dressing room.

‘Let the Minion skate’

A Spanish ice skater became embroiled in drama when it looked like he would be banned from using music from the Despicable Me animated movies in his Winter Olympics routine.

Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate, who skates in a Minions-inspired outfit of blue dungarees and a yellow T-shirt, ran afoul of Universal Studios, which had not given him permission to use the songs. Luckily, after last-minute legal wrangling – and outcry on social media, where the hashtag #lettheminionskate trended – he got the go-ahead.

Sabate didn’t end up qualifying in his event, but it was described as a “one in a Minion” routine.

‘Shouldn’t have had a drink’

Not to be outdone, Australia had its own bizarre off-field – but on-air – moment during a live cross involving Nine Network journalist Danika Mason. Speaking to the Today show from Milan, Mason spoke about everything from the price of coffee in Italy to iguanas in the US, stumbling over several words in her update before demonstrating snow angels.

Today host Karl Stefanovic suggested her slurred speech may have had something to do with the frigid air, but the following day the reporter apologised on air, saying: “I shouldn’t have had a drink, and especially in these conditions — it’s cold, we’ve got altitude, and not having had dinner probably didn’t help as well.”

PM Anthony Albanese was among those defending her, telling Nova: “I’m pro Danika.”

That’s Love, Actually

For pure feel-good entertainment, it’s hard to go past Australian snowboarder Scotty James’ Instagram video showing him performing an excellent re-creation of Hugh Grant’s dance from classic Christmas rom-com Love, Actually.

Dressed in a green and gold tracksuit, James is standing at a window looking out at snow-capped mountains as the clip begins and a voice states: “Here’s one for our arse-kicking athletes… a golden oldie for some golden Aussies.”

With the Pointer Sisters’ Jump playing, James moves his hips and breaks into the familiar routine, dancing down the stairs of the chalet and across a hallway before ending up in the kitchen.

The Winter Olympics veteran, who won silver in the snowboard halfpipe, captioned his clip: “Love, actually, is the green and gold”.