Food challenges have been around for decades. In the earlier days, people would gather around restaurants to see how fast contestants could gobble enormous amounts of food. Today, most of these challenges are posted on social media, where they get millions of views. The likes of James Webby and Adam Richman have forged successful careers in this niche. Whether you find food challenges interesting, hilarious, or disgusting, here are some of the most insane records that various competitors have set over time.
1. 36 Live Cockroaches in 60 Seconds
Cockroaches can’t be categorized as food, except in countries like Vietnam. As much as most people find cockroaches to be extremely disgusting, Ken Edwards from the United Kingdom ate 36 live cockroaches in one minute.
The most fascinating thing about this challenge was that Ken ate the famous Madagascan hissing cockroaches. These roaches are more prominent than regular ones because they can grow up to three inches long. If you add that to the fact that these roaches were still alive, the record set in 2001 becomes more disgustingly impressive.
In 2006, PETA, as a means of rebuking this challenge, offered a free VIP pass to anyone who could break this record. Edward gave it a go once again but failed.
2. 12 Inch Pizza in 23 Seconds
A 12-inch pizza is equivalent to a medium pizza in most restaurants worldwide. It’s also a meal most people wouldn’t have trouble finishing alone, especially on a hungry stomach. Even so, an average person will take some time before clearing it. That was not the case for Kelvin Medina.
In 2015, a Philippines national, Kelvin Medina, ate a 12-inch pizza in just 23 seconds. He beat the previous record holder, who had eaten a medium pizza in 38 seconds. What makes this record insane is that Kelvin ate the pizza using a knife and fork. He didn’t use his hands as most competitors do. As if that’s not interesting enough, this wasn’t a one-time competition. It was more of a knock-out challenge, and Kelvin made it to the final round.
3. 5ft of Nettles in 60 Seconds
For those unfamiliar with Nettles, they are plants that taste like spinach but have stinging hairs on their leaves, making them super difficult to chew. Because of this, nettles are among the least favorite herbs, even among vegetarians.
In 2005, Alex Williams from the United Kingdom went on live television and ate 5ft of a Nettle plant in just 60 seconds. The idea to break this insane record started in 1997 at a pub where Alex dared to eat a Nettle plant that was longer than 15ft. Eventually, when someone found a 16ft Nettle plant, he took up the challenge and broke this crazy record.
4. 25lbs of Raw Kale in 8 Minutes
The average person eats around 8 ounces of kale per serving; many people do not like this vegetable. Gideon Oji from the US holds the record for eating 25 lbs of raw kale in just 8 minutes. 25 lbs is the equivalent of 400 ounces, 50 cups, or the size of a two-year-old baby! This record was broken during the 2016 World’s Healthiest Eating Championship contest. A year later, Gideon tried to break his record, but he failed.
5. 128 Ounces of Mayonnaise in 8 Minutes
Mayo sauce adds a unique flavor to hotdogs, burgers, salads, and a wide range of dishes. However, only a few drops are needed to get the desired taste. The same can’t be said for eating 128 ounces, the equivalent of 16 cups of mayonnaise. In 2017, Oleg Zhornitskiy consumed 128 ounces of mayonnaise in 8 minutes. This made him the only person to ever successfully break such a record in decades.
6. 75 Hotdogs in 10 Minutes
Every year, New York hosts the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating contest that draws competitors from all over the country. However, this contest has a reigning champion, Joey Chestnut, who in 2020 broke the record of eating 75 hotdogs in 10 minutes. This was Joey’s 13th title at the competition.
In an interview with ESPN, Joey mentioned that the challenge was more complicated than it looked. He praised the hotdogs for being cooked really well. In the same event, Miki Sudo broke the women’s record by eating 48 and a half hot dogs in 10 minutes. This was her 7th title in the competition.
7. 57 Cow Brains in 15 Minutes
Takeru Kobayashi, aka the Tsunami, isn’t a newcomer in food challenges. Some of his records include drinking 14 Twinkies in 60 seconds and eating 106 tacos in 10 minutes. In 2002, he did something crazier; Takere ate 57 cow brains in 15 minutes. Fifty-seven cow brains weigh around 18lbs. This is equivalent to thirteen basketballs!
8. 28 Ounces of Butter in 5 Minutes
Twenty-eight ounces of butter is equivalent to 3 ½ cups. Don Lerman, also known as Moses, ate 28 ounces of butter in 5 minutes, breaking the record in 2002. This begs the question: how much butter did he consume when training for this competition? This isn’t the only challenge Don Lerman has participated in. He once ate ten burgers in 10 minutes and 6lb of beans in 1 minute and 48 seconds.
9. 141 Eggs in 8 Minutes
This is the second time Joey Chestnut is being mentioned on this list, this time setting the record for eating 141 hard-boiled eggs in 8 minutes. This challenge was done in October 2013 and was inspired by a 1967 film called “Cool Hand Luke,” where one of the actors eats 50 eggs.
In 2023, the vocalist from FANGZ, Josh Cottreau, released a video claiming that he had eaten 143 eggs, breaking Joey’s record. Though it is yet to be recognized by the Guinness World Records, this video got Josh and the FANGZ a lot of publicity, which was the vocalist’s primary goal.