Freaky eaters who broke data with quickest, weirdest and most harmful snacks
Brit Nathan Davies has scoffed 15 fish fingers in a minute to smash the world record, as the Daily Star recently revealed. The dad-of-two had vowed to attempt the feat during an appearance on ITV quiz show The 1% Club.
But Nathan isn’t the first foodie freak to make the Guinness Book of Records. Here we take a look at some of the others…
Mac daddy: McDonald’s obsessive Donald Gorske holds the record for most Big Macs eaten in the lifetime – a worrying 35,000. The retired prison officer, from Wisconsin, US, has gobbled one almost every day since 1972.
Donald Gorske is really into his McDonalds(Image: Guinness World Records)
Nerves of steel: Michel Lotito, known as Monsieur Mangetout, claimed Guinness’ “strangest diet” crown by chomping down 900g of metal a day. The Frenchman died in 2007, age 57, and his record has now been retired.
Top dog: Competitive eater Joey Chestnut, from Kentucky, US, is said to hold a gut-busting 55 world records.
They include one for scoffing 76 hotdogs in 10 minutes at a New York contest in July 2021.
Sting operation: It’s been more than 20 years since Alex Williams set the record for most stinging nettles eaten in one minute. The Brit managed five feet of the weeds in a 2005 challenge on ITV’s Paul O’Grady Show.
Star power: The bizarre-looking star-nosed mole holds the record for the world’s fastest-eating mammal. Thanks to its fetching facial tentacles, it can identify, grab and eat prey like worms and insects in 120 milliseconds.
Lettuce eat: Former PM Liz Truss was only in power for 49 days – but Leah Shutkever can consume a head of lettuce even faster. The Brit munched one down in just 46.53 seconds in August 2023.
Michael Lotito would eat almost anything – except actual food(Image: Daily Record)
Spaghetti function: What’s more romantic than sharing a single strand of spaghetti with your partner, in the style of Disney classic Lady and the Tramp? Why, it must be 463 couples doing it simultaneously, achieved in Berlin, Germany in October 2023.
Hot stuff: Sometimes eating is more about style than nutritional value. Just ask Japanese fire eater Hirokuni Miyagi, who set a world record by putting out 57 flaming torches with his mouth in 2022.
Try and ketchup: Ever wondered how quickly a human being can drink a 14oz (397g) bottle of ketchup? German André Ortolf can help with that. He managed his in 11.09 seconds in February 2024.
Stick in the food: When just eating doesn’t seem complicated enough, try adding an element of danger. Like American David Boise, who set a world record by eating 49 peas using a cocktail stick in May 2018.
Crème of the crop: After all that, it’s time for some dessert. Like six Crème Eggs, eaten by world record holder Pete Czerwinski in Ontario, Canada, in April 2014.
