Can You Finish The 50 Pound Burger And Win $1,000?
ABCNews took a look at "Free if you can finish it" challenges all over the US — and even sent the reporter to attempt one — with the help of a championship competitive eater. So, was the 50-pounder a bargain?
The 50-pound burger, dubbed "Mt. Olympus" by the man responsible, Mike Zambas, the owner of the Clinton Station Diner in rural New Jersey, has never been conquered. If you and 4 friends can eat the burger in 3 hours, it's free — and you'll win a $1,000 prize. If not, you're on the hook for $159.95.
The best way to describe this burger is: gargantuan. Zambas has to bake a special bun big enough to hold the thing. An entire package of American cheese is used to cover it, as well as a whole head of lettuce and several tomatoes.
When the burger arrived at the table, every customer in the diner turned and looked at us. Several came over to check it out. And that's exactly what Zambas wants. We turned a normal Saturday afternoon lunch into a spectacle. Suddenly that couple two tables over got a side of entertainment with their BLT.
Of course, the reporter wasn't the first to finish it — even though he brought a professional eater with him. Maybe if he'd brought 4 of them? Ultimately, it was the eating champ's expert opinion that there was simply too much bun.
Recession Bargain or Fool's Challenge [ABCNews]
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Comments:
I don't think it's humanly possible to put back that much meat in that time period. Maybe a 10-lb burger among four people, but not five times that much.
Holy crap.
That burger will put you and three of your closest compadres on the fast track to cardiac arrest, toot sweet (or tout de suite, if you want to be all literal).
Thats Nothing!
Denny's Beer Barrel Pub has 100+ lb Burger!
And they taste great! I almost conquered the 2 lb one alone, it was 7 lbs total with Bun and extras...
One guy finished the 15lb one!
The cheese will get you. Hello Lactose Intolerance (Everybody is lactose intolerant past year 1, just different levels of tolerance to it. But just like not being able to drink a gallon of milk in an hour, that much cheese will make anyone sick.
Will the inevitable triple-bypass surgery cost me less than $1000?
Or what about the procedure to mend a colon ruptured by ground beef and 5 lbs of condiments?
Didn't think so. Not worth it.
@silver-bolt: I came within ~1/4 of a cup from finshing the milk challenge in college. I did drink the whole gallon, but had a "reversal of fortune" of one mouthful right at the end. I'm not sure if I could/can still do it, but I'd try again if the price is right.
This seems fun and all, and I've done this with many steaks...but to showcase this while everyone is stressed about money doesn't seem right. Think of all the wasted food by those who can't finish it. I don't mean to be a stick in the mud, perhaps because it's Monday :-P
WTF? Is this American gluttony, or what, with all these ridiculous eating contests and gimmicks? Glad to know everyone's able to eat when they want, even when it's not a 50lb heart attack. Cute, but insane. I wonder how many people actually attempt this.
Hmm, could I get it with bacon and fried mushrooms and onions? It just doesn't look that appetizing now...
I have trouble finishing three jr bacon cheeseburgers from wendy's. This is not for me.
Anyways just wait until someone finishes it and dies from it. Reminds me of that woman drinking the water for the wii.
@silver-bolt: I can drink a gallon of milk in 3 minutes. I used to do it in college for extra money. When I do it though, there better be plenty of Charmin (TM).
Sorry for the TMI.
@AlteredBeast: I'm sure they can take the rest home after paying the $160 and hanging thier head in shame that dead animal flesh kicked their ass. :)
@silver-bolt: Cheese is low in lactose. Not likely lactose would be the issue. http://www.milkpail.com/lactose.htm
Gross. I am a delicate flower about such things, though. I can't watch those eating competitions without feeling physically ill. Contemplating this puts me off my feed the way a graphic surgery show (for example) never could.
@MrsLopsided: I never thought I would see a photo of a man who appears to have broken a sweat from eating.
mmmmm all those tomatoes and cheese and beefffffff
To the main question raised by the OP: So, was the 50-pounder a bargain?
I guess it really depends on your definition of "bargain." Here's what I get out of it:
A humongous meal.
Quality time spent with friends.
Some good entertainment, even if it is at my own expense.
Split a $160 check five ways, and you'll get the equivalent of what I'd pay for a shitty meal at Applebee's, followed by a movie or something similar. Not to mention, I'm sure there's plenty of food left over to box up and take for lunch the next day or something.
If you're just looking for a free meal, you should probably pass. But for my dollar, I'd say it'd be a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon or something.
@MrsLopsided: Both you and the story mention it, and I just need to throw my hat in the ring as well - that bun is waaaaayyy too much. Other than that, it seems doable.
@hellinmyeyes: probably a good handful...with room for dessert
i google mapped the place is in "rural new jersey", but still fairly north. i can't imagine many people from new jersey trying something as 'savage' and 'unrefined' as this though.
Endless giant cheesburger? That might be the best thing ever, besides endless giant taco salad. I doubt I could conquer that with three friends, but I would totally nom on that thing all day long. Awesome.
@CountryJustice: exactly. And for that size you could bring 10 friends and split it and still probably have leftovers. I doubt most people could eat a five pound burger.
@MrsLopsided: One person's undercooked meat is another person's nom-nom-nom.
Cut the horns off, walk it past a fire and throw it on a plate.
as awful as that might seem to have to try & eat, can you imagine how much more terrible it would feel when it eventually comes out?
It sounds like a lot of fun, but I wouldn't touch it unless they'd substitute actual cheese for that industrial waste American "cheese." Gross. Also, I would prefer pickles instead of out of season tomatoes. Ah f*ck it, I don't think they'd even let me enter.
@weakdome:
Seriously? Two of my three best friends sweat every time they eat. One is fat and sweats pretty much all the time. The other is Italian and sweats... well, pretty much all the time.
When the Italian one starts sucking down some jalepeno peppers on a sandwich, he looks like he just came from running a 10K.
Yup! Start doing the math, and if you have a sense of humor and some fun friends, I'd say it's money well spent.
People need to lighten up about this type of thing!
Best eating contest menu item ever... The Old 96'er.
RIP John Candy...
@silver-bolt:
Homer: mmmmm, 64 slices of american cheese *chomp* 63 two *chomp* One
Marge: Homer, did you stay up all night eating cheese?
Homer: I think I'm blind.
It amuses me that these "average" people go in and think they can eat it. I mean, com'n, how big do you think your stomach is? I wonder if anyone's ever eaten so much that they damaged their stomach.
And people wonder why America is the fattest nation on Earth...
@hellinmyeyes: It's not just Americans. I'm pretty sure other countries have similar contests.
I once saw a noodle stall in Japan which offered a free meal if you could polish off 2 wash-basin sized bowls of ramen in like 30 minutes.
@silver-bolt: Considering that the cheese they're probably using is 100% oil I doubt it would be a problem
Gross. The 72 oz porterhouse they do at Morton's is disgusting enough, but this takes the cake. Personally 8-10oz is perfect for me. Usually I broil a 1lb steak to feed both myself and my girlfriend, so this would make us about 50 dinners.
I do think that fast food and corn syrup have more to do with obesity than this kind of media whoring though.
I'd do the pancake challenge, its only $12 if you lose which is totally reasonable as opposed to $100+
@james: I got a 6oz steak the other night and was suprised by how small it was, but with the side of veggies and rice, it was just perfect. Wasn't overstuffed and I felt healthy after it all.
@silver-bolt: I had a friend who completed the gallon challenge while hiking the Appalacian Trail. One day, he didn't drink or eat anything until after he hiked 15 miles. Then he easily completed a gallon of chocolate milk.
@JPinCLE: "...But theres nothing left but grisle and fat..."
Most famous words ever spoken about a piece of meat. Besides "That's what she said."
I think it'd only be sporting if one of the losers were strapped to a table, then four bulls were given three hours to eat him! With more lettuce, 'natch: no reason to be species-ist about it.
@hellinmyeyes: I think Japan has more competitive eating contests than the US, heck over there its practically considered a sport.
This is mostly a challenge to yourself though to eat it, its not really a formal contest in the sense of the July 4th Nathans contest.
If you're allowed to smoke a huge ass blunt before and during the eating, anybody can conquer this.
@james: I agree, this kind of media isn't really doing anything to fuel America's obesity epidemic. Its more just like an extreme way of having some fun, these people don't go out and eat a 50lb burger or a 72oz steak every day. Also the obesity epidemic is hitting other countries as well, so its not just the US.
I also believe a big cause of it is the industrializing of cities, most of the green space where I live that used to be free exercise areas and free playgrounds for the kids has now been turned into retail or used for some other purpose then that of the above. Or worse yet more fast food restaurants have been built on those green spaces! Playgrounds have all but closed up and have been replaced with a swing set and one plastic play structure built to accomodate only 4 year olds and under. When I was a kid in the 80s I would do anything to get taken to one of the massive playgrounds that used to be around here. Most outdoor parks around here charge for parking even if you are just a local from down the street coming to walk or taking your kids to play. Take away most of the free exercise out of an area and the people will get fat.
I've seen this burger in person. I ran an event where Mr. Zambas brought the burger to an office to see if it could be consumed.
Now, I love burgers. L-O-V-E hamburgers.
Howver, the smell of this thing - and the lingering smell - turned my stomach. The office had a STENCH of baked burger for 2-3 days afterwards.
It's nothing against Mr. Zambas. He's a marketing genius and the article is right -it's pure spectacle. But this was just a WALL OF MEAT and it was too much.
50lbs /5 people = 10 lbs each in a 3 hour period? Totally totally doable. The reporter should have brought FOUR professional eating champs with him, it'd have been a piece of, umm, err, hamburger?
@banmojo: 10lbs of meat each + 2lbs of veggies + 5lbs of bread..
still think its doable? LOOK AT THE BUN! It's like 6 inches thick!
I once put down a 15 by 15 at In-and-Out but don't think I'd try to mess with that beast.