He came, he saw, he conquered. All 7,000 calories of Poppa’s Revenge.
Yes, the American professional eater and bodybuilder Randy Santel put every sinew of his towering 6ft 5in frame up against the mighty meatfest that is Rascals Bar’s artery-clogging cholesterol colossus for a second time. And won.
Since Randy, who takes part in eating contests similar to TV’s Man v Food, was defeated by the St Andrews eatery’s monster munch he’s been plotting revenge. And he got it.
The 28-year-old from Missouri has become the first man to hoover up the mammoth mouthful a feat he performed in an astounding 40 minutes and nine seconds well within the 60- minute limit.
Randy has now won more than 210 food challenges in 22 different states and eight countries around the world.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=4_uXHQoIRe0%3Frel%3D0
But gnawing away at the back of his mind was his failure to claim victory over Poppa’s Revenge. So when he embarked on his latest tour of the UK and Ireland, he made sure a stop would be made at St Andrews.
“I don’t like it when there is a challenge I know I could have won but lost. That bothers me,” he said.
“So I make sure I go back and do it and when I win, like I did in Rascals, it feels very good.”
Randy planned his comeback tactics. “Last time I made the mistake of doing the fries first. This time I did the meat while it was still warm and juicy.
“If you leave the meat longer, it is not as good it takes longer to chew.”
First time out, Randy didn’t even get to the wings but this time everything went, much to the delight of those who piled into Rascals to see masticating history being made.
THE MEAL DEAL
Randy Santel trains hard before tucking in to his mammoth meals.
He doesn’t always feel tip-top after his challenges and he thinks he knows why.
On his website, he reflects on a particular day when he felt below par, saying: “I ate seven big biscuits, 1lb hash browns, four slices of bacon, and 70 ounces of sausage gravy. After that…I had a piece of peanut butter pie, and then I drank a few beers to celebrate. I woke up the next day feeling very sluggish and slow.”
Yet, is it only his own health he is putting at risk?
In these times of austerity and foodbanks in every town, many people have criticised so-called eating challenges.
How, they argue, can such food waste be justified?
Of course, as a veteran of more than 200 challenges, Randy would doubtless argue very little goes in the bin after he tackles a championship chow down.
AN ACHIEVEMENT FOR THE AGES
An amount of cow weighing the same as a newborn baby. Quite a bit of pig. Pieces of chicken so spicy they scorch your ancestors’ throats. And, oddly, a side salad, writes Jack McKeown.
Two years ago I tried and abjectly failed to consume Poppa’s Revenge. I ate and I ate. I ate with gusto (the burger really is quite good), then with dogged determination and finally with despair as the mountain of food before me refused to diminish.
I had consumed the equivalent of seven quarter-pound burgers, yet 21 more remained uneaten.
My mouth burned for hours from the spicy chicken. My sweat smelled of meat for days.
I doff my hat to Randy Santel. He has done what I was sure no one could.
The first man on the moon. Supersonic flight. Unravelling DNA. Female bishops and gay clergy. Test tube babies.
The list of things once thought impossible or inconceivable just grew longer.
Video by Steve MacDougall