This November, the fine folks of Topeka and Manhattan, Kansas, will get the chance to test their digestive limits at Fat Shack’s 5,000-calorie eating challenge. Think you’ve got what it takes to down a Fat Shack sandwich, double cheeseburger, fries, 12 mac and cheese bites, and five deep-fried Oreos in 15 minutes? Oh, and keep it all down? For the bargain price of $50, you can find out!
Let’s break it down. That’s 5,000 calories in one sitting—because why let a whole day of eating get in the way of your snack time? If you actually survive this culinary apocalypse, Fat Shack will not only refund your $50, but you’ll get a shot at a $5,000 prize. And if you don’t survive, well, I’m sure your next of kin will appreciate the gesture.
Fat Shack’s General Manager, Melinda Mitcham, shared an uplifting story from the trial run in Fort Collins, Colorado: “The last person left standing only had one Oreo to go… before he lost everything.” Inspiring stuff. Nothing says “winner” like almost conquering a plate of deep-fried shame.
But here’s the kicker: in a region where obesity and diabetes are basically local celebrities, you’ve got to wonder if a challenge like this is really helping. According to the CDC, Kansas is already carrying some extra baggage with obesity rates topping 35%. Do we really need a contest to see who can pack in another day’s worth of calories in a single sitting?
Still, in the spirit of “go big or go home”—preferably to a cardiologist—this challenge is bound to turn heads (and maybe a few stomachs). So, why not? If you’re going to live dangerously, might as well do it with a deep-fried Oreo in hand.
Up next: Can eating 5,000 calories in 15 minutes solve Kansas’s health problems? Maybe not. But it’s sure to leave you with one heck of a food coma.
