You may have heard about the big contest this Saturday. I don’t mean the Big Ten Football Championship. I’m referring to the World Famous St. Elmo Shrimp Cocktail-Eating Championship. A winner will be crowned, and it may not be pretty.
At 3 pm Saturday, Major League Eating’s most recognizable competitor and wearer of the coveted Mustard Belt from years of dominating the annual July 4 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Contest, Joey Chestnut, will take the stage on Georgia Street to defend his title. He has won all five previous bouts and hopes to take home another win and break his record of 15 pounds of shrimp swimming in what The Travel Channel calls the “world’s spiciest food,” St. Elmo cocktail sauce.
Think you have the stomach for competing in an eating challenge like this? If you’re in Indy, there are a few places to belly up to the bar and see.
Step inside Bub’s Burgers and Ice Cream and see the photos of successful challengers lining the walls. Eat just one Big Ugly Burger (1.5 lbs.) and get your photo up for the year. The more burgers you eat, the larger the photo and the longer it stays up.
Mug N’ Bun may be legendary for its root beer, but consuming their Monster meal (deluxe triple tenderloin, family fries, 32 oz. drink) in 30 minutes earns you a t-shirt, Hall of Fame status, and of course, no charge for all that food.
Rockstar Pizza gives you and a hungry friend 45 minutes to eat a 30-inch, two-topping pizza. If you're successful you win two $25 gift certificates and t-shirts. If you can't do it, you pay $50 and get "loser" t-shirts.
Become a “Croc King” by eating the two-foot, three-pound Croctail sandwich at Taste of Havana. The twist on a traditional Cuban contains lots and lots of meat. If you manage to leave only crumbs, you get the sandwich free ($25.99 value) and a t-shirt. One customer has completed the challenge in just 10 minutes!
Stacked Pickle's Plainfield location has a contest tomorrow (December 1) during halftime of the Big Ten Championship: Five competitors face off over four 8 ounce patties, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, four cheeses, and five oz. of fries for five minutes. The winner gets a $50 gift certificate, and all eaters receive promo items such as sweatshirts, hats, and coozies. Although there is no daily challenge available, the store plans more one-offs like this for the future.
I'm sure there are many others out there, so please let me know if you find one!