Life without sports hasn’t been easy, but Major League Eating is doing what it can to fill the void. MLE is hosting the Quarantine Challenge on April 17, as eight competitive eaters – including Eric “Badlands” Booker, Joey Chestnut and Matt Stonie – will participate.
The four-round event will be broadcast on numerous platforms, including MLE’s YouTube channel. The first event? Two pounds of sliced bologna.
“I like bologna,” Booker said on The DA Show. “Everybody likes bologna. But that’s more of a kids’ thing. I haven’t had bologna in years, but I’m still confident that I could crush it, though. Bologna’s bologna. I’m just going to pick up the whole stack and try to eat it all and pace myself. Bologna is kids’ stuff. I think I got this.”
The second round includes 48 Oreos and a half gallon of milk, the third round is 1.5 pounds of baked beans, and the fourth round is 10 Nissin Chicken Cup Noodles.
Booker, who said he plans on literally drinking the baked beans, is perhaps most excited for the Oreos and milk.
“There’s a lot of chomping, a lot of crunching and munching, but the fun part about that is I get to chug the half gallon of milk,” he said. “I think the finals will be tough, but other than that, the other three rounds, it’s good. I can move through those easily.”
Booker, like many Americans, is navigating the coronavirus pandemic as well as possible. He is eating at home a lot, but he’s also trying to support local restaurants.
“I’m really down with the restaurant-takeout thing,” he said. “I’ve been ordering at my favorite Italian place, getting some penne alla vodka and stuff like that. I think I had Red Lobster the other day, so I’m definitely supporting my local businesses.”
Wait, you “think” you had Red Lobster? Do you not remember?
“I actually did, I actually did,” Booker said, laughing. “I didn’t have my coffee yet [this morning], but I actually did. I did have my Admiral’s Feast.”