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There's no pleasure too great for humanity to transform into a competition. Even the simple enjoyment of a meal has been turned into a sport by making eating a contest.
Competitive eating, a phenomenon that's gained traction in recent years, is now a global affair. Contests now exist for nearly any food you can think of—and even some that shouldn’t be classified as food at all. Here are ten of the most bizarre, off-putting, and genuinely risky eating competitions.
10. Garlic
Garlic consumption may be considered a typical French custom, but the World Garlic Eating Contest takes place in the quaint English village of Chideock, home to a garlic farm. Contestants must consume as many raw garlic cloves as they can within a minute. Chewing allows the intense flavor of garlic to be fully experienced. Previous contests allowed five minutes for garlic consumption, but the time was reduced due to the fact that in one minute, 'there wasn’t enough time for it to burn the mouth.'
As a gesture of goodwill, participants are permitted to wash down the garlic with water. However, this does little to relieve the aftereffects. The well-known warning about avoiding garlic on a first date has some truth to it. The odor of garlic comes from the compound allicin, which contains sulfur, the element responsible for the strong smell. The pungent byproducts of allicin will be expelled through sweat in the following days after the contest.
9. Nettles
Stinging nettles are a dreaded part of English childhoods, with everyone recalling the sting at some point. The leaves are covered in tiny, brittle hairs that release a powerful combination of irritating chemicals. A brush against these hairs results in immediate pain as the chemicals are injected into the skin, causing inflammation that can persist for hours. Most people learn to avoid nettles, but some still take part in stinging nettle-eating contests.
Contestants sit at long tables and face 0.6-meter-long (2 ft) nettle stalks, which they must strip of their prickly leaves using only their mouths. To enhance the challenge, they have a full hour to consume as many nettles as possible. The 2016 winner managed to eat 26 meters (86 ft) of nettles. He commented, 'It doesn’t hurt as much as you might think, you just get a tingling around your mouth.'
The competition started as a private wager between two farmers, who bet on whose nettles would grow taller. The loser had to consume the winner’s stalk. The fact that this annual contest is held in a pub may provide insight into its peculiar beginnings.
8. Cockroaches
What lengths would you go to in order to win a pet snake? A pet store in Florida decided to test people's tolerance for hunger by hosting a contest where participants had to eat insects and worms. The victor was crowned after consuming 60 grams of meal worms, 35 worms, and an entire bucket of cockroaches. Just moments after his win, Edward Archbold collapsed outside the store and tragically passed away.
Initially, it was believed that Archbold might have suffered an allergic reaction to the insects, but the autopsy revealed that he had choked to death. Arthropod body parts had blocked his airways. During the competition, Archbold had devoured the cockroaches so hastily that many went down whole and alive, and he even had to push some insects back into his mouth as they tried to escape.
None of the other participants fell ill after the event, and it seems this tragic incident was simply the result of eating too quickly and in large quantities, a mishap that could have occurred with any type of food.
7. Choking Hazards
Competitive eating is certainly a high-risk activity. While choking is a risk whenever you eat, not chewing properly and forcing food down increases the chances of it happening. In 2017, two competitors in separate competitive eating contests tragically passed away within days of each other.
In Denver, a doughnut shop organized a contest in which participants had to consume a 0.2-kilogram (0.5 lb) doughnut the size of a cake within 80 seconds. The combination of the dough's dense texture and the frantic pace of the competition led to Travis Malouff suffocating. The audience didn’t immediately notice that Malouff was struggling, and he collapsed still holding part of the doughnut. He was declared dead at the scene.
Earlier, Caitlin Nelson, a 20-year-old student, collapsed during a pancake-eating contest organized by her sorority. Despite all attempts to save her, she passed away two days later in the hospital.
6. Chilis
People love showcasing their ability to handle spicy foods, and chili pepper growers often compete to create the hottest varieties. Combine these two passions, and you get competitive chili-eating contests, where participants try to down progressively hotter peppers.
Chili peppers are ranked based on the Scoville Heat Scale to measure their spiciness. To determine a pepper's heat, an extract of the pepper is mixed with sugar water until the burning sensation disappears. The more the extract needs to be diluted, the higher the Scoville rating. A sweet pepper has a rating of 0, while a jalapeno falls around 5,000 Scoville units. The world's hottest peppers can reach ratings in the millions.
Choking isn’t the only risk in competitive eating. In 2016, a medical journal reported a man who ate ghost peppers (over one million Scoville units) in a contest. After vomiting and retching, it was discovered in the hospital that he had developed a tear in his esophagus, which, if undetected, could have been fatal.
5. Edinburgh’s Hottest Curry Contest
Kismot Restaurant claims to serve the hottest curry in Scotland—the Kismot Killer. Before you can try the dish, you must sign a waiver acknowledging that you're about to consume what is likely the world’s spiciest curry. The waiver also releases the restaurant from responsibility for any bodily consequences and advises you to store your toilet roll in the freezer.
In a curry-eating competition held at Kismot in 2011, two participants had to be hospitalized. The runner-up described the experience of eating the curry as “extremely painful” and compared it to “feeling like [he] was being chainsawed in the stomach with hot sauce on the chainsaw.” The winner, after finishing the curry, immediately ran into the street to vomit.
The two individuals taken to the hospital were released without any lasting injuries, though their pride may have taken a hit. The contest, which was organized for charity, raised over £1,000. One competitor joked that there must be less excruciating ways to fundraise, suggesting that perhaps paying not to eat the Kismot Killer would be a viable option.
4. Drinking Water
In 2007, a radio station held a contest where the winner would receive a Nintendo Wii gaming console. The event, called “Hold Your Wee for a Wii,” required participants to drink 8 ounces of water every 15 minutes. Anyone who needed to use the restroom lost. As the competition progressed, contestants were given larger bottles of water. Jennifer Strange, one of the 18 participants, complained of a headache afterward and was later found dead from water intoxication in her home.
Water intoxication, also known as hyponatremia, occurs when excessive water consumption lowers the sodium levels in the body, which are essential for normal function. Symptoms include headaches, nausea, brain swelling, and fluid buildup in the lungs. If the brain swells enough, it can press on the brain stem, leading to respiratory arrest.
During the contest, Strange consumed nearly 7.6 liters (2 gallons) of water within a span of three hours. One of the hosts remarked that with that much liquid, she appeared to be pregnant. Despite warnings from callers that such excessive water intake was dangerous, the contest went on. Following her tragic death, Strange’s husband was awarded $16 million in a wrongful death lawsuit.
3. Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest
Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is arguably the most renowned eating competition worldwide. Held annually at Coney Island, it draws competitors from all over the globe. According to Nathan’s Hot Dogs, the tradition began on July 4, 1916, when four individuals at Coney Island competed to prove who was the most patriotic by eating the most hot dogs. The first officially recorded contest took place in 1972, and the event has been held every year since. Contestants are given ten minutes to eat as many hot dogs as they can, and the event attracts around two million viewers on ESPN, who eagerly watch to see who will win the coveted Mustard Belt.
Joey Chestnut, the current record holder, devoured 72 hot dogs in 2017. To prepare for the contest, Chestnut fasts for two days before the event.
Competitive eating does come with its risks, as demonstrated by the dangers of “reversals”—a polite term used in contests for vomiting, also referred to as a “Roman incident.” Doctors are investigating how competitive eaters manage to consume such large quantities in such a short amount of time without rupturing their stomachs. It turns out that practice plays a key role. Competitive eaters’ stomachs can stretch far beyond what’s normal for most people. To prepare for Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest, some participants even attempt up to 30 practice runs in the months leading up to the contest to ensure they don’t end up having a Roman incident.
2. I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!
I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! is a British TV series where a group of so-called celebrities (often stretching the definition of the word) are sent to a camp in the Australian jungle and forced to complete various tasks, many of which are downright disgusting. A hallmark of the show is the infamous “bushtucker trial,” where participants must consume revolting, and often still living, animals.
In past seasons, contestants have been served delicacies like witchetty grubs, crocodile penises, kangaroo anuses, fermented eggs, fish eyes, and live spiders. Contestants are chosen by public vote and compete to win actual, and more appetizing, meals for their fellow stars.
While viewers may take pleasure in seeing celebrities endure these challenges, there have been criticisms about the treatment of the animals involved in the bushtucker trials. The show's concept has spread internationally, with celebrities from various countries now participating in similar trials.
1. Testicles
Many people enjoy showing off their ability to eat unusual foods. At testicle festivals, you can demonstrate your toughness by eating them. These events are more common than you might think, held in various locations. Participants come together at the festivals to celebrate these glands along with other unique activities. For example, at the Montana Testicle Festival, there's even a “big ball” contest, where men compete while wearing wet underwear.
The main event, however, is the ball-eating contest. The balls being consumed are from bulls, although they are often referred to by more palatable names like Rocky Mountain oysters, cowboy caviar, or calf fries. At this contest, there’s no hesitation, and the testicles are quickly eaten. The battered and fried testicles are served to competitors, who have four minutes to eat as many as they can. In 2015, the winner ate over 0.9 kilograms (2 lbs) of testicles, and the festival as a whole consumed around 320 kilograms (700 lbs).
