Hungry?
Have you ever been so hungry you ate 21 raw oysters on the half shell? How about 421? Welcome to the world of amazingly-crazy-jaw-dropping food challenges—that you could, should you want, try to conquer.
Wintzell's Oyster Eating Challenge (Alabama)
Might as well start with this one, since we just mentioned it. Located in Alabama, Wintzell's Oyster House has an oyster eating challenge that pits you against past participants. You see, there isn't a set number of oysters you have to down in an hour. What you have to do is beat whatever the current record is in the challenge—which, last we checked, was 421 for the men and 223 for the women. Beat the record and you aren't charged for the oysters—plus, you get $25.
Adam Emmenecker Challenge (Iowa)
Jethro's BBQ in Des Moines is home to this outrageous food challenge—a challenge so demanding that Mr Man v Food himself, Adam Richman couldn't conquer it. You're looking at: a pork tenderloin and buffalo chicken tenders sandwich topped with fried cheese curds, Texas brisket, bacon, a cheeseburger, a spicy pickle, and one pound of French fries—and you only get 15 minutes.
Hellfire Challenge (California)
At Smoke Eaters in San Jose, they have one hell of a challenge for you: Eat 12 chicken wings in 10 minutes. But wait, there's more. The wings are slathered with six ounces of habanero chilis. But wait, there's still more. Participants aren't allowed to eat any other food or drink anything during the challenge. Oh, and no napkins either! You have to lick your fingers clean.
Prisoner's Pardon Pizza Challenge (Kentucky)
Jailhouse Pizza in Kentucky embraces their name with this Prisoner's Pardon Pizza Challenge. You might think you can eat a lot of pizza, but can you eat 12 pounds of the stuff? Because that's how much this 30-inch pizza weighs in at when covered with the cheese, sauce, and multiple meat toppings, including pepperoni, sausage, bacon, salami, ham, and meatballs.
You get one hour and can bring a friend. If successful, you each get a T-shirt, your names up on the wall of fame, and $200 to split.
Kodiak Arrest Challenge (Alaska)
At Humpy's Alaskan Alehouse in Anchorage you will get one hour to clean your plate of: one foot of reindeer sausage, seven crab nuggets, three pounds of Alaskan King Crab, various side dishes, and a wild berry crisp with ice cream.
Stellanator (Nebraska)
Stella's Bar & Grill offers up an awesomely-named challenge consisting of a burger filled high with six patties, six fried eggs, six slices of cheese, 12 strips of bacon, lettuce, tomato, fried onions, pickles, jalapeños, and peanut butter. Don't forget the side of fries also. Finish it in 45 minutes or else you get your photo on the wall of shame.
Bealf Photography, Shutterstock
Chompie's Ultimate Slider Challenge (Arizona)
We know what you're thinking—sliders are small, this should be easy. Yes, they are small, but imagine eating 12 sliders in 30 minutes. Chompie's signature Jewish Sliders feature brisket, potato latke, and jack cheese within a challah bun. Oh, did we forget to mention the pound of onion strings you have to eat also?
from my point of view, Shutterstock
The 72-Ounce Steak Challenge (Texas)
Insert your own "everything is bigger in Texas" joke here. Now, with that out of the way we can introduce you to this massive challenge brought to you by The Big Texan in Amarillo. You get 60 minutes to down that 72-ounce steak—as well as a buttered bread roll, a shrimp cocktail, a baked potato, ranch beans, and a salad. If you're successful, the meal is free.
Gorup de Besanez, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Inferno Soup Challenge (Florida)
As the name implies, the main challenge with this one is the spicy factor—although, it is a 48-ounce bowl of soup that Nitally’s Thai-Mex Cuisine in St Petersburg wants you to finish. As for that "inferno" part: The soup is made using 12 different kinds of peppers from around the globe—the hottest of which is the ghost pepper.
Broken Yolk Cafe Special (Arizona)
Do you want to see your name on the Broken Yolk Cafe's wall of fame in Mesa, Arizona? Well, you can—all you have to do is clean your plate of a 12-egg omelet loaded with cheese, mushrooms, onions, cheese, chili, and a side of home fries and biscuits. And do it in less than 60 minutes. If not, your name stays off the wall and you have to pay for the meal (about 25 bucks).
Eagle's Challenge (Massachusetts)
Eagles Deli and Restaurant has what just might be the greatest food challenge in the entire state. You like hamburgers and French fries? Well, how about five pounds of fries, to go along with the six pounds of hamburgers topped with 24 slices of bacon and 24 slices of cheese. Oh, and a pickle. Participants get one hour to clean all that off their plates.
Godzilla Roll (California)
It might be easier to eat the actual Godzilla than this massive sushi roll at Sushi Delight in Lomita, California. We're talking a six-pound roll filled with multiple kinds of fish and sauces on top. Your reward should you defeat Godzilla? The wall of fame and a T-shirt.
Phozilla Challenge (Nevada)
Another challenge that harkens to the giant fictional monster that took down Tokyo, the Phozilla Challenge at Pho 87 in Las Vegas gives you 33 minutes to finish off an 11-pound bowl of pho. Do so and you win the jackpot (can be in the thousands). There is an entry fee though—so, like everything in Las Vegas, it's a gamble.
The Big Fat Ugly (Illinois)
This challenge at the Fat Sandwich Company in Champaign, Illinois requires participants to eat one sandwich in 15 minutes. What's in this sandwich? Well, get ready for this: two rolls; four cheeseburgers; double cheesesteak; chicken cheesesteak; gyro meat; grilled chicken; bacon, sausage; mozzarella sticks; chicken fingers; chicken nuggets; mac and cheese bites; fried mushrooms; jalapeno poppers; pizza bites; onion rings; mini corn dogs; hash browns; American cheese; ketchup; and mayo.
Bearwich Challenge (Connecticut)
Even a bear would have a hard time finishing this one. Okay, that's an exaggeration. A bear could down this sandwich easy peasy—but for us humans, it's more than most of us could handle. But should you wanna give it a shot, head on over to Bear's Smokehouse BBQ in Hartford, Connecticut and enjoy the two pounds of pulled pork, two pounds of brisket, and one pound of coleslaw, on top of one and a half loaves of Italian bread, topped with a ghost pepper bbq sauce. There's also two pounds of mac and cheese on the side.
Carnivore Challenge (Georgia)
The name tells us there's going to be a lot of meat in this one, but that's it. Well, at Big Pie in the Sky, the meat delivery system is a 30-inch pizza topped with 11 pounds of meat. The bad news is that you are not allowed to leave your seat for the 1-hour duration of the challenge and, should you puke—you're cleaning it up. The good news: You can bring a friend and work together to tame this meat-covered beast.
apasciuto, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Demon's Delight Challenge (Idaho)
With only a 2% success rate, you know this Demon's Delight Challenge at Superb Sushi in Boise isn't going to be easy. The challenge consists of a bowl of miso soup and a sushi roll. So, where does the "demon" come into play? Well, that would be with the fresh habaneros, wasabi, sriracha, death sauce, and cayenne pepper in the soup—and the jalapeños and habaneros in the roll, with the death sauce on the side.
Frankenstein Challenge (Connecticut)
We didn't understand the name of the challenge until we saw that the restaurant administering it was Famous Frank’s Milltown Grille in North Grosvenordale, Connecticut. But what is the Frankenstein Challenge, you ask? Well, it's a hot dog-eating challenge. You have to eat one hot dog in 30 minutes. Sounds easy, right? Well, we should probably mention that that one hot dog is made up of 24 sausages and three pounds of toppings—all on a hoagie roll.
Hibernator Challenge (Maine)
Taylor Montigny owns Sylvia's Café in Ellsworth, Maine—and it was he who came up with this crazy Hibernator Challenge, which is pretty much the equivalent of eating four breakfasts in 30 minutes. So, what exactly are you trying to scarf down in half an hour? Sylvia's scrambler with eggs, cheese, and a choice of vegetables, bacon, ham, or sausage, topped with corned beef hash, two more eggs, bacon, sausage, and ham. There's also a stack of buttermilk pancakes and a biscuit.
If you succeed, the meal is free, you get a T-shirt, and your name goes up on the wall of fame. Fail and you're out the $30 for the meal and your photo will live forever on the wall of shame.
MAC Daddy Pancake Challenge (Hawaii)
MAC 24/7 in Hawaii is home to the MAC Daddy Pancake Challenge, which consists of three massive 14-inch pancakes topped sky high with fruit. Think you can finish it all off in 90 minutes?
Jumbo Curry Challenge (New York)
At Kenka's restaurant in NYC you get: four and a half pounds of curry, three pounds of rice, and 20 minutes. Go!
Kitchen Sink Challenge (Indiana)
At J&J's Pizza Shack you can take on the Kitchen Sink Challenge, which means taking down a huge deep-dish pizza with 11 toppings. The thing is meant to feed six people—but if you can finish it solo, it's free. This isn't the only "kitchen sink" challenge out there either. How about a dessert version?
The Kitchen Sink Challenge (California)
To win this one you have to take down a huge sundae at the San Francisco Creamery. And when we say "huge" we mean: three slices of bananas, eight scoops of ice cream, eight toppings, whipped cream, almonds, and cherries. Finish it and you'll get brain freeze and free ice cream for a year.
Dog Central Challenge (Michigan)
This isn't like the hot dog-eating contest that takes place every year in Coney Island. This one takes place at Dog Central in Mount Pleasant, Michigan every time someone wants to try it. And by "it" we mean three foot-long hot dogs with lots of fixin's, eight onion rings, one and a half pounds of French fries, and a large drink. You only get 25 minutes.
Just know that Man v Food's second host, Casey Webb, failed when he took on this challenge.
Hail Mary Burger Challenge (Missouri)
One hour to eat a hamburger sounds easy. But let us tell you what the Stadium Grill puts in said burger: four beef patties that exceed one pound apiece, a fried egg, bacon, onion straws, and pulled pork situated between two massive ciabatta buns. If successful though, you get a pretty awesome prize—a $50 gift certificate to the restaurant every month for a year.
Three-Pound Burger Challenge (Arkansas)
To quote the Anglers White River Resort's Facebook page: "3lbs Ground beef, 12 slices bacon, 12 slices cheese and a pound of bacon cheese fries. Eat it in an hour and it is free 🙂 Good luck!"
The Giant Banh Mi Challenge (Minnesota)
This challenge at Lu's Sandwiches in Minneapolis is aptly named, as the banh mi in question weighs in at 3.75 pounds—and you only get 25 minutes.
Schwätzer's Schnitzel Challenge (Indiana)
We love schnitzel as much as the next person—but two pounds of schnitzel covered with mushroom gravy, and a double order of beer-battered fries sounds like a whole lot. Schwätzer's gives you one hour, but you get a special prize if you finish in half that time.
5 Malt Challenge (Missouri)
Drinking might seem like an easier challenge–but trust us when we tell you...it isn't! At Crown Candy Kitchen in St Louis, you have 30 minutes to gulp down five malts or shakes. We're getting an ice cream headache just thinking about this one.
The Mount Olympus Challenge (New Jersey)
The expression isn't, "everything's bigger in New Jersey"—but after looking at this food challenge, maybe it should be. At the Clinton Station Diner, they let you bring four friends and give you three hours to finish this one. That might sound like a lot but so does this: a 50-pound burger. No, that's not a typo!
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