The first recorded pie-eating contest occurred in 1878 in Toronto and was won by a man named Albert Piddington. His prize was a โhandsomely-bound bookโ and the event was described by the Indianapolis Journal as โthe latest new entertainment.โ
They were right. Competitive eating has absolutely exploded in popularity since then. Nathanโs Hot Dog Eating Contest garnered 2.8 million viewers in 2014 (although that number tanked in 2020 when TV viewership took a major hit during the pandemic).ย
These days, those on the Mount Rushmore of competitive eating have become household names. Weโve all heard of Joey Chestnut, the hot dog-devouring human vacuum cleaner out of Kentucky. We all know the name Takeru Kobayashi, the gluttonous god who put Japan on the map in the world of competitive eating.
And who could forget about Sonya Thomas, the South Korea-born eater out of Alexandria, Virginia who earned the nickname โBlack Widowโ for her ability to viciously tear apart hot dogs like a spider does the head of its prey?ย
While all of these incredible eaters absolutely deserve the recognition that theyโve gotten, thereโs a relatively new face on the scene that deserves his time in the limelight as well: Matt Stonie.
Heโs proven himself on the competitive eating stage, dethroning Joey Chestnut at the 2015 Nathanโs Hot Dog Eating Contest and rising to the rank of number four in Major League Eating. However, where Stonie has really gained his fame (as well as his estimated $3 million net worth) is through his YouTube channel. In honor of the art that is shoveling massive amounts of food down your gullet, here are the top five eating challenges that Matt Stonie has ever done.
Eating an Entire Super Bowl Party
The Super Bowl is one of the biggest days for stuffing your face in the United States. Everywhere in the country, people cook up tons of buffalo wings, pizza delivery boys are raking in the tips, and ungodly amounts of Doritos get crunched on. However, no one does the Super Bowl like Matt Stonie. The man took down over 20,000 calories of artery-clogging trash and kept a straight face the entire time.
This challenge has to be considered one of Matt Stonieโs greatest feats because itโs one of the highest calorie counts heโs ever reached in a sitting. The man ate three fully loaded burgers, an entire pizza with all the fixings, a salad bowl full of chicken wings, three king-sized bowls of chili, and enough Doritos to make the average person feel sick. This food challenge truly defied all logic. No human should be able to fit that much food inside of them.
Taking Down Over 1,600 Pocky Sticks
Eating over 1,000 of anything, regardless of how small or unfilling it is, is just absolutely ludicrous. To be exact, Matt Stonie ate a whopping total of 1,620 Pocky sticks for a grand total of 15,300 calories. Personally, I get tired of cookies and other sweets after eating like ten of them. I canโt even imagine how unappetizing the 1,620th Pocky was. But, then again, it doesnโt seem like Matt Stonie even tastes the food that he eats.
Per Pockyโs motto โshare happiness and bring people together,โ it would seem like these tasty treats are meant to be shared. However, Matt Stonie apparently didnโt get the memo considering he devoured around 100 boxes of them all by himself. Where does one even buy that many boxes of Pocky sticks? Did he go to every convenience store within a 100-mile radius?
Consuming an Explosive Amount of Pop Rocks
Now, Iโve never been a huge fan of Pop Rocks. The way that they tingle your tongue has just never really sat right with me. So, eating 350 packs of Pop Rocks (like that sick maniac Matt Stonie) is just completely unfathomable.
I feel like eating that many Pop Rocks cannot be safe whatsoever. What detrimental effect could that have on your tastebuds? Wouldnโt that many Pop Rocks make your tongue swell to the size of a small whale? Yes, eating 14,000 worth of Pop Rocks is very impressive, but watching Matt Stonie accomplish this feat made me sick to my stomach.
Devouring His YouTube Creator Award
Getting a Diamond Play Button, the prestigious YouTube Creator Award that you only get when you get 10 million subscribers, is not an easy thing to do. Most people put their Diamond Play Button up on their mantle or maybe make a video thanking their fans for this impressive accomplishment. Matt Stonie, who continues to push the boundaries of ridiculousness, decided to eat his YouTube Creator Award instead.
So, I would guess that the question on your mind is: what is a Diamond Play Button made of? Well, no, itโs not entirely made of diamond (I donโt think you can eat diamonds). Itโs actually made of metal with a different kind of gemstone in the middle.
But, Matt Stonie did not eat metal. Instead, he made an entirely new Diamond Play Button out of Rice Krispies and food paint. Sure, it may have been more insane if Stonie had eaten the metal, but it also may have killed him. And we need Matt Stonie to survive so he can continue to create incredible content.ย
Defeating the Worldโs Largest Gummy Worm
If youโve ever seen the iconic cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants, then you already know about the Alaskan Bull Worm. Well, Matt Stonie essentially got the gummy worm version of the Alaskan Bull Worm and ate the entire thing in under eight minutes. Maybe this is how Matt Stonie earned the nickname โMegatoadโ (you know, because toads like to eat worms). Just kidding; he was named after the famous mushroom-headed character from Mario games.
Anyway, this challenge is extremely impressive mostly because I canโt believe that thereโs actually a gummy worm of that size in existence. Apparently, this gummy worm is 128 times the size of a normal gummy worm, stretches 26 inches long, and contains a grand total of 4,000 calories. You can buy your own online (they even come in seven different flavors), but why in the world would anyone want to eat that much gummy worm?