Here's How Fast Matt Stonie Can Eat A McDonald's Happy Meal
How fast do you eat a Happy Meal? Don't try to weasel out of this by saying you haven't had one since you were six — we all eat them from time to time, especially when there's a really cool (or super-weird) toy in the box. So do you take it slow, savoring every bite and slowly sipping your drink? Or do you stuff it down as quickly as you can? If you're in the latter category, what would you say your best time was — two minutes, maybe three?
Well, that's pretty fast, alright, but you've got a long way to go if you want to break any records. Watch and learn from the champ, YouTuber and competitive eater Matt Stonie. In December of 2014, Stonie inhaled a cheeseburger Happy Meal, fries, soda, and all (he didn't opt for the healthy apple slices and milk version), in 15.22 seconds flat (via RecordSetter).
Who is Matt Stonie, anyway?
Matt Stonie, who weighs in at just 130 lbs. according to his Major League Eating bio, is the unlikely crown prince of competitive eating who, at the age of 22, (temporarily) dethroned perennial champion Joey Chestnut at the 2015 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Stonie's contest-winning feat? Polishing off 62 hot dogs in just 10 minutes.
Stonie, like Chestnut, hails from San Jose — a city evidently known for hungry people as well as haunted houses. In addition to eating, he's an avid gamer, and his nickname "Megatoad" comes from Toad in Super Mario Bros. (via Mercury News). Stonie's 10+ million subscriber YouTube channel, which he produces with the aid of brother Morgan (via The Next Web), is dedicated to showcasing the numerous eating challenges in which he's taken part, but he's shared with fans on Reddit that he'd like to get into making music, as well.
How did Matt Stonie get into competitive eating?
Matt Stonie's entire career in competitive eating started out on a whim at the age of 19, at which time he was enrolled in Santa Clara's Mission College and majoring in — bet you couldn't guess this! — nutrition. Yes, really. Anyway, this young nutritionist-in-training saw an ad for a lobster roll eating contest at a restaurant just five minutes from where he was living at the time. He thought it would at least be a way to score some free lobster rolls, but much to his (and everybody else's) surprise, he beat the guy who was favored to win by half a roll and took home the $1,000 prize.
Once he realized that a) he had a natural talent for stuffing his face and b) there was good money to be made from said face-stuffing, there was no looking back for Matt, who told GQ, "I've made this [competitive eating] my full-time job."
How does Matt Stonie keep from gaining a ton of weight?
Stonie told GQ that he works out in the gym five times a week, doing cardio or weights. He also preps his body for those constant eating challenges by consuming two "serious meals" per week, while living off protein shakes, multivitamins and the occasional carrot or apple, or a handful of nuts the rest of the time.
Even with all of his training, he admits that it takes him several days to recover — on the first day he is bloated, by the second day he's losing water weight, and the third day he's trying to get back to normal.
What are some of the other things Matt Stonie can scarf down in record time?
The first major record listed on Matt Stonie's web site consists of him consuming 10 1/2 froyos in 6 minutes — talk about brain freeze! Some of Matt's other dessert-related records include 20.8 pounds of pumpkin pie in 8 minutes, 120 Twinkies in 6 minutes, 85 Moon Pies in 8 minutes, 203 cookies in 27 minutes, and 255 Peeps in 8 minutes.
Stonie has also set quite a few pork-related records: 182 strips of bacon in 5 minutes, 34 pepperoni rolls (a West Virginia specialty) in 10 minutes, 15 pork rolls (that's Taylor Ham to you North Jerseyites) in 10 minutes, and 71 pork ribs in 5 minutes. He doesn't diss other meats, though, having eaten 103 carne asada tacos in 8 minutes, 241 wings in 10 minutes, and 28 1/2 gyros in 5 minutes. Matt has even set another Mickey D's record, gobbling down 25 Big Macs in 22 minutes.
Warning: don't try this stuff at home, kids. Binge eating, for the uninitiated, can have some pretty unpleasant side effects, and over-consumption of fast food, on the whole, is not recommended for anyone who doesn't have Stonie's phenomenal metabolism or follow his fitness routine.