Sproat, Tolson bite off more than they can chew
April 4th, 2010 Posted in Arts and LifeStory and Photos by Cassidee Cline
Wild Bill Sproat and ASUSU President Tyler Tolsen took on too big a slice Thursday.
Aggie mega-fan Sproat and his slimmer sidekick, Tolson, were outfoxed by the mother of all pizzas at Fox’s Pizza Den in Logan as they attempted what only two two-man teams nationwide have ever accomplished—consuming a 30-inch, 10-lb. pizza in an hour or less.
One of the two teams downed the monster pie in Logan.
Before the big event, the Utah State duo said they were pretty excited and confident. Tolson said he had competed in eating contests before and had studied up on ways to prepare. Sproat and Tolson said they spent two days prior to the chow-down stuffing themselves full of cabbage and water to stretch their stomachs.
As for tackling the humongous pizza itself, Tolson planned a slow and steady pace, while Sproat said he was going to hit it hard.
“I’m a sprinter when it comes to eating, not a marathon runner,” said Sproat, whose impressive belly has helped make him one of the nation’s most famous super-fans. “I don’t do something unless I think I can do it.”
The pair ordered varied toppings prior to the start—one quarter was BBQ chicken, and the others three were onion, green pepper and tomato. They didn’t want to get bored, they said.
The 2-1/2-foot pizza emerged from the kitchen around 6:30 p.m. After posing for photos, the gourmands dug in. Folding the large slices in half and stacking them on top of each other, they chased pizza glory.
But at about the halfway point, at around 7:11 p.m., a bucket reached Sproat just in time for him to empty his stomach of cheese, tomato sauce, dough and all. The taste of the cheese was too much to handle, Sproat said.
Tolson wasn’t disappointed. “I was ready to be done,” he said. “It got down to the point where the pizza started getting cold and gross.”
He said he could have eaten more, but after Sproat filled the bucket, Tolson was glad to throw in the towel. “I think we did a good job,” Tolson said.
Sproat, who went out for ice cream a half an hour later, said he would probably try again. “I don’t like to lose at anything,” he said.
There are 159 Fox’s Pizza Dens in eight states. The owner of the Logan pizzeria, Candace Huebner, said the stores are pretty independent from headquarters and they have a choice to carry the large pizza or not.
Previous Logan winners Travis Axtell and Tremayne Spackman conquered the pizza challenge in just 39 minutes on Feb. 6.
Their prize? Fox’s Pizza Den awarded the duo one free pizza a week for a year.
TP
Tags: pizza challenge, Sproat, Tolson
Sorry, comments for this entry are closed at this time.