Delt vs Food
Jason Hasselquist (University of Nebraska at Kearney, 2000) does not run from a challenge; instead, he eats it. When it comes to food challenges, nothing is better than doing it just because you can and say you did.
How did you get started with food challenges?
It was just for the fun of it. An amusing thing for myself, I guess, to see if I could and say that I did [it]. I would watch “Man vs. Food” when it was on [TV] and would always think stuff like that would be fun to try.
Which type of challenges do you prefer?
I don’t mind spicy. I enjoy spicy food. As for the large volumes of food, I’m getting to that age where I can still do it, but it’s just not as fun as it used to be. Sometimes it’s just to try something new and sometimes it’s fun to have the added pressure to eat something spicy or have a time constraint.
How do you prepare to participate in a food challenge?
I don’t prepare that much. It’s more of a spur of the moment thing. When I did the Barnyard Massacre, I didn’t even know it was a thing until we walked into the restaurant. A friend and I just went in because we heard the food was excellent. I wasn’t even thinking about doing it until I was talked into it. I wish I was more prepared, but I finished with a couple of minutes to spare.
How does it feel when you complete a challenge?
The food is always delicious, but it’s not something you can usually stop to enjoy. It’s fun getting a T-shirt or your picture up on the wall. It’s always one of those silly things, kind of fun to say you did it.
What challenges have you done?
I have done the Buffalo Wild Wings Blazing challenge, twice. The Barnyard Massacre challenge at HF Crave, the Big Pig BBQ sandwich challenge, the Hell Fire burger at Angus Burgers & Shakes and the Sasquatch burger from The Lodge Sasquatch Kitchen.
Big Pig
Half-pound barbecue sandwich with scorpion and ghost pepper barbecue sauce and another sauce with pure capsaicin extract plus Carolina reaper and ghost pepper dust with jalapeños.
Blazin’ Wing Challenge
This is Buffalo Wild Wings’ spiciest challenge. The Blazin’ Wings challenge requires you to eat 12 wings in six minutes.
Barnyard Massacre
Twenty-five minutes to eat a 24-ounce triple cheeseburger topped with ham and bacon, three eggs cooked to order, six slices of cheese and one pound of French fries.
SASQUATCH Burger
Two half-pound burgers, made with three grilled cheese sandwiches, one on the top, one in the middle and one on the bottom and a plate of French fries.
Hell Fire Burger
Chili pepper seasoning, pepper jack cheese, capsaicin mayo, hot pepper relish, pickled jalapeño, tomato and lettuce on a house roll.
Do friends and family expect you to do challenges?
I don’t know that it’s an expectation. Depending on the group of friends I’m with, they might goad me into it, “You can do it,” one of those, but we’ve walked into restaurants that have challenges. We will kind of laugh about it and joke amongst ourselves, but no, there’s not an expectation. Like I said, it’s just for fun and amusement.