If you’re a fan of MunchPak, odds are – you LOVE food.
And while devouring an entire MunchPak in one sitting is already a worthy accomplishment (hands up if you’re guilty!), this feat is tiny compared to some of the crazy food challenges out there in the world. Popularized by the reality series, Man vs Food, daring food challenges can be found in restaurants worldwide. The concept is simple: patrons tackle monstruous food portions for a shot at victory (and usually a free meal or prize). For these voracious eaters, the goal is to gulp, slurp and gorge their way to glory.
So, curious about what challenges are out there? Time to loosen your belt. Here’s a list of six extreme food challenges you can find in the USA:
The Pho Superbowl Challenge
Pho real. If you can finish this monster bowl of pho from Seattle’s Dong Thap Noodles, featuring “3 lbs of noodles, 3 lbs of meat, and 3 liters of broth” your reward is a free meal and a cool $100 cash (for a future gym membership perhaps?). Unsurprisingly, only a handful of people have completed the challenge so far! You can catch a video of the first ever finisher here.
The Kitchen Sink Challenge
This insane ice cream sundae can be found at California’s San Francisco Creamery Co. and features “three sliced bananas, scoops of your choice of up to 8 flavors of ice creams, 8 servings of toppings, mounds and mounds of whipped cream, chopped toasted almonds and cherries.”
The prize is free ice cream for a YEAR, but to win, you need to do more than just finish it… in fact, you need to beat the current record time (or within 30 min, if the record time is below that). Did somebody say brain freeze?
The 72 oz Steak Challenge
This challenge, believe it or not, has been going strong since 1962 at The Big Texan Steak Ranch and Brewery in Amarillo, TX. Here, customers can attempt the conquest of a 72 oz steak, which is free if consumed within an hour.
Here’s how this famous challenge all began: one day, the restaurant’s owner Bob (RJ) Lee hosted an eating contest among cowboys to see who could wolf down the most 1 pound steaks in an hour. The eventual winner managed to consume 72 ounces of steak, a baked potato, a shrimp cocktail and even an extra bread roll, which prompted Bob to declare that anyone from that day forward would get their meal for free if they could stomach the same.
The Kodiak Arrest Challenge
If seafood’s more your thing, Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse in Anchorage, Alaska offers up a ridiculous challenge featuring “7 crab nuggets, 14 inches of reindeer sausage, 3 lbs of Alaskan King Crab, side dishes, wild berry crisp and ice cream”. It’s a pricey meal at 179.99, which is why you need to beat the fastest time (12 minutes and 10 seconds) to get it for free, but completing this beast in an hour will score you a free t-shirt and a spot in Humpy’s coveted Hall of Fame.
The Mount Olympus Burger Challenge
If you ever find yourself in Clinton, NJ, a 50 pound burger (aptly named the Mount Olympus Burger) is waiting for you at Clinton Station Diner. Already getting meat sweats? Don’t worry! With this challenge, you can recruit the help of four friends. Finish this mammoth burger in 3 hours with your team you can get it for free. If you’re craving something “lighter”, they also have different options weighing in at 7lb (the Zeus), 3lb (the Atlas) and 2lb (the Hercules).
The Carnivore Challenge
At Big Pie in the Sky (a pizzeria with locations in Kennesaw and Roswell, GA), you have 1 hour to tackle an 11 pound pizza alongside a partner of your choice. The prize? $250 cash if you manage to complete the challenge, which only 7 teams ever have. If you’re feeling extra competitive, try your hand at beating the current record, which stands at 33 minutes.
So, brave foodie – tell us! Which ones of these would you try?
