YouTube has become the stepping stone for many celebrities who are musicians, actors, gamers, make-up artists, and chefs, but who would have thought that it would make a star out of a competitive eater?
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Matt Stonie has turned his love for food into a full-time career and become one of the top-ranked
00:05competitive eaters in the world.
00:06So how did Stonie go from a skinny college kid to a professional eater?
00:10His journey to competitive eating success might surprise you.
00:14When you eat 20 pounds of food in one go, it can take quite a toll on the body, so Stonie
00:18works hard to stay in shape.
00:20Weighing in at a slender 120 pounds is no easy feat, especially when your job requires
00:24you to eat so many calories.
00:26Stonie told GQ that he makes sure to take care of himself so that, in spite of how
00:29much food he eats, he's still staying healthy.
00:32He explained,
00:33It really just comes down to diet and watching what you're eating after a contest, but I'm
00:36definitely in the gym five times a week doing cardio or weights.
00:39I've made this my full-time job, and I spend a lot of time taking care of myself.
00:43It's hard.
00:44It's not like we have superhuman metabolisms."
00:46I'm doing my cardio, I'm doing my weights.
00:47I'm no superman or anything, you know.
00:50It's a pretty normal diet, especially around contest time, you know, I'm cutting back,
00:53I'm eating pretty minimal."
00:56Stonie didn't exactly dream of becoming a competitive eater as a kid.
00:59He entered the sport as a broke college student looking for free food and the chance to win
01:02some prizes.
01:03In an interview with Tailgate Fan, he said,
01:05I started off eating big burgers and pizzas for a free meal and a t-shirt.
01:09In an interview with First We Feast, Stonie admitted that competitive eating is a rather
01:13unusual career choice, and not one he had ever imagined for himself.
01:16It all began when he entered a lobster roll eating contest close to his home with a $1,000
01:20prize.
01:21He said,
01:22I was the guy who was expected to win, and I beat him by half a lobster roll and took
01:26home $1,000 cash.
01:28After that competition, I thought, hey, it's not so bad.
01:31I've always been a competitive guy, and I got hooked on that competitive high.
01:35Breaking into the world of competitive eating is not easy.
01:38Stonie said that his first few years on the circuit were miserable.
01:41His body had to adapt to consuming so much food.
01:43In those early years of learning just what his body could and could not handle, Stonie
01:47says that he was bloated and dehydrated.
01:49He's perfected his craft now, though, and can pack away 10,000 calories a day while
01:53prepping for a competition.
01:56Stonie's talents don't end at consuming an insane amount of food.
01:59He's also passionate about music and has played the guitar for most of his life.
02:02He fielded questions from fans on Reddit and said he truly enjoys performing for people.
02:06He added that once his competitive eating days are behind him, he'd like to continue
02:09to amaze his fans as a professional musician.
02:13Not only has Stonie won several eating competitions, but he's also shattered many world records
02:17along the way.
02:18Some of the records he has broken are astonishing, and a little nauseating.
02:22The average person would become ill trying to accomplish some of these things.
02:25But Stonie isn't your average person.
02:27According to Pacific Citizen, just a few of Stonie's records include consuming 25 McDonald's
02:32Big Macs in 22 minutes, 241 Hooters chicken wings in 10 minutes, and 182 slices of bacon
02:37in five minutes.
02:38It's added up over the past few years, but everything from gyros to Japanese dumplings,
02:44pumpkin pie Twinkies, you name it."
02:47Stonie is currently on hiatus from school since he's eating full-time.
02:50But before he took a break from his university studies, he majored in nutrition.
02:54It's an interesting course of study for someone who pushes their body to its limits.
02:57But Stonie says his nutrition courses helped him figure out how to be a competitive eater
03:01and stay healthy.
03:02Since competitive eating isn't exactly something you can study, it took a lot of trial and
03:06error for him to figure out what worked best for him.
03:08He told The Telegraph,
03:09"...what I've learned in my various classes has drastically helped my understanding of
03:13the human body."
03:15Being a competitive eater isn't for everybody, but it is a pretty good gig for those who
03:19really love food.
03:20Stonie has said that he doesn't have a favorite food, telling the Red Bulletin,
03:23"...it depends on what contest I'm training for.
03:25When it's more enjoyable, you can eat more.
03:27That's why a lot of pro eaters do a range of contests.
03:30There are a lot of good sponsors out there with great contest food.
03:32Sometimes it's hard not to enjoy it when you're up on stage, but you've got to focus.
03:36If you enjoy the food, you'll slow down and lose."
03:39Stonie might not have a favorite dish, but he does have a favorite Ben & Jerry's ice
03:42cream flavor, milk and cookies.
03:45Stonie also gives back to the community, donating some of his earnings to charity.
03:49He told CNN he's very lucky to be able to eat professionally, but acknowledged,
03:52"...hunger is a big issue in the United States and around the world."
03:55While some people might think eating for sport is wasteful, Stonie uses his platform to help
03:59the less fortunate.
04:00He explained,
04:01"...what we do on the stage is bluttony.
04:03But whether I eat two hot dogs today or 60, it's not going to make a difference anywhere
04:07else.
04:08Major League Eating does a lot for charity.
04:10I've generated a few thousand dollars for charity from my YouTube videos."
04:15Stonie also shared,
04:16"...it's not a waste of money.
04:17It's not a waste of time.
04:18It's not a waste of money.
04:19It's not a waste of time.
04:20It's not a waste of time.
04:21It's not a waste of time.
04:22It's not a waste of time.
04:23It's not a waste of time.
04:24It's not a waste of time.
04:25It's not a waste of time.
04:26It's not a waste of time.
04:27It's not a waste of time.
04:28It's not a waste of time.
04:29It's not a waste of time.
04:30It's not a waste of time.
04:31It's not a waste of time.
04:32It's not a waste of time.
04:33It's not a waste of time.
04:34It's not a waste of time.
04:35It's not a waste of time.
04:36It's not a waste of time.