The wildly successful competitive eating challenge created by Cabra-Vale Diggers named ‘Man Vs Pho’ is back… and it’s bigger than ever! The heats start on July 2, 2019 and will run until August 28, 2019 with the finale taking place on 5 September, 2019, and during those weeks some lightning speed pho eating will take place at the South West Sydney club, inside the multimillion dollar precinct housed within Cabra-Vale Diggers, called District 8.
While the food challenge draws participants from the highly ambitious competitive eating world – and the $3000 prize (doubled since last year’s inaugural pho challenge) is a major drawcard – it’s also your every day eater who entered this competition last year, with all entrants needing to eat their way through a pho bowl full of 750g of pho noodles, 600g of beef, 1050g of pho stock, 360g bean sprouts, and 45g of Thai basil.
Last year, this monstrous bowl was downed in a staggeringly quick 5 minutes and 35 seconds, by eventual winner Winnolit Bhuntamnotchrarod. His competitors ate their hearts out, and earned themselves a place in the finale by beating almost 150 entrants in the competition.
Hailing from all over Sydney and beyond – they came from the local community, across the city and from as far as Newcastle – the ten fastest to finish the giant bowl of pho were guaranteed a place in the grand final eat off. Each of the contenders qualified for the grand final by polishing off pho in 45 minutes or less. Proving a social media sensation, the competition engaged with over 100,000 people who followed the competition live, discussing and sharing it online, with the grand finale also streamed live across all the social media platforms of Cabra-Vale Diggers.
Stevenson Su, Executive Chef at District 8, says: “I love seeing our diners really come for the fun of it all! Some people come to take the pho eating challenge, and many also just come to share the huge bowl of delicious pho, and share their own photos and videos across social media, which creates even more of a talking point, and more people wanting to come share the experience! I like creating stories, and during the pho challenge people come and create their own stories and memories which they can share with family. It’s so entertaining to watch, and with the doubling of the prize it’ll create even more excitement.” That’s the best part! Regular diners can purchase this large bowl of pho goodness throughout the promotional competition period – whether they are entering the Man vs Pho 2.0 competition or not.
The top 10 fastest times throughout the challenge will be asked to come back on final draw night, on September 5, to undertake the challenge once again, eating alongside their fellow competitors, at the same time, with the stopwatch on again. The competition is open to anyone. Waivers are of course in place and need to be signed prior to tucking in. Anyone who can complete the challenge within 30 minutes will receive a $50 voucher from the District 8, and Man Vs Pho 2.0 t-shirt. The top 10 fastest times will be updated on the main foyer display board at Cabra-Vale Diggers throughout the Man vs Pho 2.0 promotional period.
People can enter as many times as they like throughout the heat period, though can only hold one position in the final draw. The large bowl of pho is $35 and must be purchased by challengers before commencing. The winner on grand final night will receive the $3000 travel voucher, which essentially means the winner will be eating their way to a holiday! Plus, all the other nine finalists on the night of the grand final will receive a $100 District 8 voucher. So, pho lovers who usually slurp their way through a big bowl of pho and don’t mind being messy and eating it fast are encouraged to enter this much talked about challenge. Anyone can come witness the hugely entertaining grand final feast at Cabra-Vale Diggers inside District 8 on Thursday 5 September, at 7pm.
