Competitive eater completes challenge

RUSSELLVILLE — A local restaurant is getting attention after a competitive eater finished a massive meal with just seconds to spare, turning a simple food challenge into a popular attraction for the community.

Catfish Springs recently introduced its “Big Catch Catfish Challenge,” a meal so large many customers now come just to watch others attempt it. The challenge includes 20 pieces of catfish, a pound of fries, 8 hush puppies and 3 pints of coleslaw, all to be eaten within a limited time.

Competitive eater Eli Lessig became the first person to complete the challenge, finishing with less than a minute left on the clock. His time of just under 30 minutes set the bar for anyone else who wants to try.

“I didn’t even know about the challenge until a few days before,” Lessig said. “I didn’t have much time to prepare. When I got there, I realized how much food it actually was.”

Lessig said the biggest difficulty was not the amount of food, but the strict time limit. He explained even small pauses, like talking or reacting to the taste, could cost valuable seconds.

“The time limit was the hardest part,” he said. “There were moments where I didn’t think I was going to finish.”

The meal itself is extremely large. According to estimates from the restaurant, the challenge contains around 9,000 calories in total. The fish alone makes up several thousand calories with fries, hush puppies and slaw adding even more.

Despite the size, Lessig approached the challenge with a strategy. He focused on eating the fish first before moving on to the heavier side items.

“You want to get the protein down first,” he said. “The bread items like hush puppies can slow you down if you eat them too early.”

Even with a plan, the final minutes were intense. Lessig said he saved some of the side items for the end and raced to finish before time ran out.

“I had about a minute left and knew I had a chance,” he said. “But leading up to that, I wasn’t sure I could do it.”

After completing the challenge, Lessig received a free meal, a T-shirt and a $100 cash prize.

Restaurant staff said no one else has completed the challenge.

“He is the only one who has finished it,” said Emmie Myrick, who works at the restaurant. “We have had families come in and order it to share, but no one has tried to beat it yet.”

The challenge has also brought in curious customers. Some come to attempt it, while others simply watch or split the meal among a group.

“If they don’t finish it, it costs $75, so some families just share it,” Myrick said.