Thanksgiving Special: 8 Greatest Eating Contests

1. Blue Ribbon Bacon Eating Contest–February; Des Moines, Iowa

The fact that there’s a month’s worth of saturated fat on each plate doesn’t seem to matter for those who ingest about three pounds of bacon in five minutes. From the young to old, everyone seems to love that smokey cured meat; last year’s Bacon Festival, during which this contest is held, blew through 1,200 lbs of the stuff. Spectators customarily moan, “Oooooooh, Bacon!” during the event.

2. Isle Black Hawk Rocky Mountain Oyster Eating Contest–August; Black Hawk, Colorado. For those who aren’t familiar with these Rocky Mountain delicacies, imagine ingesting as many deep-fried bull testicles as you can in 10 minutes. It’s a good thing that the top prize of $1,500 makes it one of the International Federation of Competitive Eating ‘s more lucrative contests.