Wellington Diner hosts professional eating challenge

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On the planet {of professional} aggressive consuming, Darrien Thomas appears to be like an unlikely champion.

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Don’t be deceived.

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The slim 23-year-old, who appears to be like even lighter than the 150 kilos he claims to weigh, is a munching machine. A king of carbs. A god of gluttony.

And when Thomas sat down Friday at The Wellington Diner to await the arrival of the 7,600-calorie Mac Daddy Problem, he conceded, “It appears to be like fairly powerful.”

How powerful? How about two huge double-patty burgers, slathered in cheese, pickles, onions tomatoes and particular sauce; a double order of “carnivore poutine”, all washed down with a thick peanut-butter and chocolate shake. Seven kilos of meals in all. That powerful.

Thomas travels the continent on the aggressive consuming circuit. He discovered the Mac Daddy on the web site foodchallenge.com and was there Friday to tape a phase for the CBC present This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Thomas arrived from his house in Bowmanville, Ont., whereas This Hour’s Trent McClellan flew in from Halifax for the occasion, one of many few occasions the present has been in a position to go on the highway because the starting of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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To provide Thomas just a little competitors, McClellan invited Ottawa pro-wrestlers Scrapper James Stone (aka James Schemre) and Massive Boy Junior Benito (Jonathan Benoit) to attempt to tag-team their means by way of their very own Mac Daddy Problem.

Thomas began consuming competitively after he was picked out of a crowd at age 15 for a pizza problem. He downed 3 1/2 massive pies and realized he had a present.

“It’s fairly enjoyable,” he stated. “I journey quite a bit, all around the States to do meals challenges,” he stated.

As soon as he ate 15 kilos of poutine in 10 minutes. On the King Corn Consuming Contest in Florida he stripped naked 40 ears in 12 minutes, holding the cobs vertically in true professional consuming fashion.

“The trick is to only continuously do challenges,” he stated. “You construct up a tolerance. I’m quite a bit higher than I was. You’ve simply obtained to modify out mentally and push by way of it.”

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Most professional eaters have YouTube channels the place they add movies of their meals. British consuming legend, Beardmeatsfood, garners tens of millions of views for his uploads, reaping the profitable promoting income they generate. He flew from England to make his means across the North American circuit, together with downing The Diner’s Mac Daddy Problem in file time. The video he posted has been watched 1.7 million occasions.

Diner proprietor Jeff Frost says he was amazed to learn the way standard such consuming challenges are. About one buyer every week tries The Diner’s problem however till Friday, solely two had succeeded throughout the 40-minute time restrict.

“I assumed the problem could be enjoyable to do and The Diner is meant to be all about enjoyable,” stated Frost, who admits he’s by no means tried the problem himself.

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“I’ve obtained a coronary heart to fret about,” he stated.

The YouTube movies have given the Wellington West restaurant good publicity. Frost has had calls from individuals who’ve watched the movies and wished to purchase among the memorabilia that hangs on The Diner’s partitions.

To arrange for Friday’s problem, Thomas says he fasted for 40 hours, consuming solely water to remain hydrated.

When the platters arrived, the end result by no means appeared unsure.

With McClelland’s teaching — “Maintain going! Don’t chew! Chewing shouldn’t be your buddy! Watch your fingers! Uh… can somebody open a window in right here?” — Thomas chomped and shovelled and slurped till his plate was clear.

Beside him, the pro-wrestlers appeared to barely make a dent of their dinners.

“Happy with your self?” Scrapper James Stone trash-talked. “You’re knowledgeable glutton.”

Thomas’s ultimate time was 23:49. Not a file, however a efficiency that left different Diner patrons amazed and maybe aghast.

“Vegans look away,” McClelland stated.

“Don’t do this at house,” Thomas stated.

This Hour Has 22 Minutes protection of the Mac Daddy Problem will air on Nov. 22.