From colossal marvels of meat engineering to some of the spiciest sandwiches in the United States,
these are a few of the most notable burgers that have been featured on "Man V. Food."
How many pounds is too many for a burger? Whatever your answer might be,
we'd be willing to bet that Mallie's Ridiculous Burger transcends any expected
limit. This burger weighs 190 pounds and posed a heavyweight challenge for Adam Richman. It
took a three-man team an entire day to create — and after 16 hours of cooking,
it was far too big for Richman to hug. It even broke its own Guinness world record.
"We've actually set it and broke our own record twice."
"So you're an overachiever."
"Exactly."
"And now I have to pay the penalty of your overachieving."
"That's what I'm thinkin'."
The toppings included ten pounds of assorted cheeses and 15 pounds of mixed vegetables,
including onion, tomato, and pickles. So many pickles.
Four pounds of crispy bacon and three entire heads of iceberg lettuce were placed under
its 20-pound top bun, making it the biggest burger in the world — and a terrifying sight
to behold. The burger was served alongside bottomless bowls of condiments, naturally.
Thankfully, Richman was not alone in this challenge. He had a fierce army of forty
in his corner, including wrestlers, a Kiss cover band, and a hockey team to help him
eat the burger behemoth. The team's spirits were high for the first hour and a half,
but the contestants dropped out one by one, waving white napkins in surrender. When all
was said and done, they managed to annihilate 160 pounds of the 190-pound monstrosity.
The episode of "Man v. Food" featuring Lindy's OM*G Burger may have featured a difficult and
painful challenge, but it also highlighted one of the best burgers in the history of the show. The
OM*G Burger didn't look too formidable at first, but it still put Adam to the test. This burger
contained far beyond your typical patty count, with 12 beef patties weighing a quarter pound
each. Brave souls who dared to tame this dragon of a burger had their choice of cheese — or cheeses
— and would also receive toppings like lettuce, tomato, onion, and a house-made sauce. Naturally,
something had to hold this yummy mess together, so it also included a 14-inch sword — er, skewer.
The challenge was to finish the burger in less than 20 minutes to get the meal for free — and
to achieve endless bragging rights. While Richman seemed to enjoy the burger overall,
the constant chewing became tiresome, and left his jaw feeling quite overworked.
"It's like I keep eating… it's like I eat, and then it regenerates."
Richman successfully consumed the burger in slightly over 40 minutes. While he didn't
get his victory in the prescribed 20-minute timeframe, he still ate the entire thing.
In the end, Lindy's OM*G Burger remains an impressive challenge. This burger
is both delicious and attainable, even for us mere mortals. If you feel called to a
burger-based battle, you can visit Lindy's on 4th in Tucson, Arizona.
If you're a breakfast lover as well as a burger lover, then the Hash House Stuffed
Burger is the perfect meal for you. Adam visited Hash House A Go Go in Las Vegas,
Nevada and tried a few delicious breakfast-themed menu items, including the breakfast stuffed burger
that is definitely worth waking up for. The Hash House Stuffed Burger consists of
a one-pound beef patty stuffed with scrumptious ingredients like ham, eggs, and smoked cheddar
cheese. What could be better than breakfast inside of a burger, inside a homemade bun?
Richman met with owner Jim Rees, the man responsible for the stuffed burger breakfast
creation, and took a big bite to get all of the goodness at once. Considering the beefy,
cheesy, egg and ham delight this burger offered,
it wasn't long before Richman declared that he was already satiated after eating just one corner.
Even a viewer looking at this burger on "Man v. Food" can tell that it's a meal worth
having — which you can by visiting Hash House A Go Go in Vegas. It's well known for the spins it puts
on farm food, like the breakfast stuffed burger and the fried chicken eggs benedict. Delicious.
Coyote Bluff Cafe in Amarillo, Texas, brought the heat to Adam's palate with
its aptly named Burger from Hell. The beef burgers here are surprisingly average in size,
about half a pound each — but size isn't what matters here. Owner Rob Haas walked Adam through
the basics of this best-selling burger, and the host got hands-on by helping create the hellish
entrée himself. Once the patties are cooked, they're topped with a full cup of jalapeños,
followed by both habanero hot sauce and cayenne hot sauce. Finally,
it's topped with a heaping handful of cheddar and mozzarella — along with veggies, of course.
"That is artwork you can eat."
"Oh yeah, it's well seasoned."
As Richman chowed down on this burger, he had nothing but great things to say
about it. He was particularly impressed at how balanced the spices were with
the flavor. It seems like the burger from hell can make a diner feel like
they're in heaven. If you want to try it for yourself, you can jaunt over to
Coyote Bluff Cafe and see exactly how this small restaurant got its big reputation.
Bigfoot Lodge in Memphis, Tennessee, is known for its massive bigfoot-sized portions. It's
especially infamous for The Sasquatch, a seven-and-a-half-pound burger that only 4
out of 1,300 people have successfully finished. The bun is the size of a bar stool cushion,
and it weighs two pounds on its own. The Sasquatch burger is topped with an entire
tomato and a red onion along with a full cup of sliced pickles, seven pieces of leaf lettuce,
and eight pieces of American cheese. The burger that was made for Adam also had a
hefty portion of bacon and mushrooms, because it apparently wasn't huge enough without them.
"Let's go eat some burgers."
Adam reported that the burger was delicious for the first couple thousand bites — but in the end,
he had to tap out after taking in just under three-quarters of the monster meal. This food
beat the man, despite cheers from the other diners, a surprise kiss from a stranger,
and coaching from one of the only three successful contestants in Bigfoot Lodge history.
The restaurant and its food live on, but under a different name: it's now known as Kooky Canuck.
To try the Sasquatch burger today, you have to ask about the Kookamonga Challenge,
which is essentially the same burger under a different name.
Sports and indulgent junk food go together very well. Such is the case with the Fifth
Third Burger at the Fifth Third Ballpark in Grand Rapids, where Adam ate a major league
meal during a minor league ballgame. The famous Fifth Third Burger is a five-pound
burger that starts with a one-and-a-half-pound bottom bun. This monster sandwich consists of a
generous smear of chili and five beef patties topped with five slices of American cheese,
nacho cheese sauce, tortilla chips, an overflow of salsa, a mountain of chopped tomatoes,
and an obscene amount of sour cream. The top half-pound bun brings it all
together — but Adam had just 15 outs to eat the burger in its gigantic entirety.
Richman loved the first few bites and reported that it tasted like a Mexican taco burger,
with its starchy, delicious bun and overabundance of scrumptious ballpark toppings. However,
the quantity soon outweighed the yummy quality, making it a true "Man v. Food" challenge. Since
there were only three outs left in the game and Adam's time was running out, this burger
challenge was saved by a foul ball, allowing the host to conquer the Fifth Third Burger right in
the nick of time. To join Adam as one of the few who have succeeded in eating this burger,
visit the Fifth and Third Ballpark in Grand Rapids and enjoy the ballpark burger of champions.
After a brief stop at an Ohio tailgate, Adam visited the Thurman Cafe,
which is well-known for its deliciously messy Thurman Burger. This burger has
made itself so well known in the community that locals refer to eating it and getting
it all over yourself as being "Thurmanized." Adam hoped to achieve this rite of passage,
but not just with the Thurman burger. Instead, he hoped to also devour the Thurmanator,
a burger that isn't even on the menu due to its confidential, secret status.
"Come with me if you want to eat! Get down!"
The classic Thurman Burger is a three-quarter pound burger topped with sliced ham, onions,
mushrooms, and gloriously copious amounts of cheese. Adam dove in and immediately raved
about the delicious, complex flavor of the meat. It's part burger, part ham and cheese
sandwich — and the onions complement the burger as a whole, which left the host happy as can be.
However, the mystery of the Thurmanator had yet to be solved, so Adam spoke with
head burger technician Dave Martin to help orchestrate the preparation of the giant,
secret sandwich. The Thurmanator is part Thurman and part bacon-cheddar burger:
it transcends the best dishes on the menu, and is a favorite among local bodybuilders. If you'd
like to stock up on calories yourself, you just need to visit the Thurman Cafe,
which continues to grace the community with its massively savory offerings.
After a brief stop at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Casey Webb went off
to find some traditional comfort food. When Webb found himself at Mug N' Bun,
which is known for its signature root beer floats and pork burgers, he went after the monster pork
combo meal. The famous pork tenderloin sandwich is essentially three of its normal sandwiches in
one delicious pile — and that's alongside a big side of fries and a large root beer. Only ten out
of 300 people had won this challenge by the time Casey arrived — and he hoped to become number 11.
"It's not too intimidating, it's pretty thin! Right? Although when you fry it up,
it's gonna, it's gonna grow. It's like a Chia Pet."
This burger comes to life with plenty of fried pork tenderloin, half a fry-basket of
French fries, and a synchronized deep fryer dip. After that, onions, tomato, pickles,
and sauce are added between every layer until a perfectly tasty, towering monolith is made.
Casey had 30 minutes to complete the challenge, and he started off strong. He enjoyed the tender,
crunchy pork layers, delicious root beer, and crispy French fries, but ultimately struggled
with the last remaining carbs. He was beaten by a tiny bit of remaining bread in the last
five seconds. Mug N' Bun still stands, ready for its next Monster Pork Burger recipient.
Casey visited Orange County, California,
to warm up before taking on Bourbon Street's El Diablo Burger. This spicy sandwich consists of
a giant three-pound burger topped with ghost chilis, scorpion, and Carolina reaper sauce.
When Casey arrived, he learned that around 200 people had taken on the challenge — but only 19
were successful. This makes sense, considering the contents of the burger: in addition to the
three pounds of meat and spicy fury, the El Diablo is topped with sautéed bell peppers,
onions, and celery. As the veggies were mixed with the dangerously hot peppers,
gas masks were distributed to protect Webb and Chef Cody from coughing fits.
"Basically, we're getting pepper sprayed."
This burger also contains shrimp, which is also sautéed in the spicy sauce, bacon, and cheese.
The whole thing is even held together with a steak knife, which seems appropriately intense. Casey
had one hour to eat up the burger inferno and came close… but not close enough. In the end,
the all-consuming heat got the best of him. You might also find the heat overpowering — but if
you desire not to feel your face after a scorching hot meal, then the El Diablo is waiting for you.
Casey headed over to Hawaii not just for the sun and beaches,
but also to visit the Cool Cat Cafe for a dose of paradisal dining and gratuitous
portion sizes. Cool Cat Cafe has won the award for "best burger in Maui" for over a decade,
and for one good reason: they simply are. Two of the tourists that Casey spoke to
mentioned that they had already visited up to three times during their one-week-long visit.
To create the 808 burger, Webb worked with owner Sean Corpuel to
grill up eight patties that were then topped with garlic, pepper,
and mystery seasonings. Each patty receives its own slice of American cheese and sits atop a
mayo-slathered bun with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and Maui's famous sweet onions.
Finally, a hefty dose of homemade Thousand Island dressing tops off the burger,
which just barely stands before it's speared with two long wooden dowels. Casey loved the beefy,
cheesy flavor and tackled the 808 one component at a time to finish it within
the 30-minute time limit. Casey conquered the challenge with one
last mouthful of lettuce and won a celebratory T-shirt. To enjoy this burger and try to win a
shirt for yourself, enjoy a trip to Hawaii and visit the Cool Cat Cafe.