AMARILLO, Texas — It didn’t seem like a fair fight.
On one side were hulking football players and pro wrestlers, competing as teams of two to eat as many pounds of steak as they could, combined, in one hour.
On another was a lone 124-pound mother of four.
And sure enough, in the end, Sunday’s contest at Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas, wasn’t even close. Molly Schuyler scarfed down three 72-ounce steaks, three baked potatoes, three side salads, three rolls and three shrimp cocktails — far outpacing her heftier rivals.
That’s more than 13 pounds of steak, not counting the sides. And she did it all in 20 minutes, setting a record in the process.
“We’ve been doing this contest since 1960, and in all that time we’ve never had anybody come in to actually eat that many steaks at one time,” Bobby Lee, who co-owns the Big Texan, told CNN affiliate KVII. “So this is a first for us, and after 55 years of it, it’s a big deal.”
In fairness, Schuyler isn’t your typical 124-pound person. The Nebraska native, 35, is a professional on the competitive-eating circuit and once gobbled 363 chicken wings in 30 minutes.
Wearing shades and a black hoodie, Schuyler beat four other teams on Sunday, including pairs of football players and pro wrestlers and two married competitive eaters. She also broke her own Big Texan record of two 72-ounce steaks and sides, set last year, when she bested previous record-holder Joey “Jaws” Chestnut.
The landmark Big Texan restaurant offers its “72-ounce Challenge” daily to anyone who can eat the massive steak, plus fixings, in under an hour. Those who can’t do so must pay $72 for the meal.
Schuyler, who now lives in Sacramento, California, won $5,000 for her efforts. Her feat will be submitted to Guinness World Records.
But mostly, she just seemed pleased to enjoy a hearty meal on the house.
“It’s free, so I’m pretty happy about that,” she told KVII. “Otherwise it would have cost me about 300 bucks.”
