A man looked on track 10 minutes into The Big Texan’s 72-ounce steak challenge only 12% have beaten, then his attempt ended at a trash can

A man failed his attempt to finish the famous 72-ounce steak challenge at the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas, after his progress hit a wall and ended at a trash can. The attempt was captured in a TikTok video posted by Dora, which has gained millions of views. The video shows the man making decent progress during the first 10 minutes of the hour-long window.

As reported by BroBible, the on-screen text in the video notes, “This guy has accepted the challenge to eat a 72 oz steak in 1 hr… he has 50 minutes left.” Things looked promising for a brief moment, but the outcome was not what he hoped for. In a follow-up video, Dora shows that the man could not finish the meal and eventually became sick into a trash can.

The Big Texan Steak Ranch sits along historic Route 66 and is famous for these massive meals. A 72-ounce steak is 4 and a half pounds of meat, which is a massive amount for anyone to consume in one sitting. The challenge is quite intense because you have to eat the steak plus a shrimp cocktail, a baked potato, a salad, butter, and a roll. You get one hour to finish everything.

Only 12% of participants have reportedly finished the meal

The rules are pretty strict for those who want to join the steak club. You have to pay the $72 for the meal upfront, but the restaurant refunds your money if you win. You are allowed to cut the meat before the clock starts, but you cannot have anyone help you cut or touch your plate once the challenge begins. 

You do not have to eat the fat to win, but you do need to swallow all the food before the 60-minute timer hits zero. An employee supervises the whole thing, and you can try it whenever the restaurant is open without needing a reservation.

This tradition started back in 1962. It is clearly not easy to win, as only 12% of participants have reportedly ever finished the meal. Out of more than 100,000 people who have tried, only 10,716 have walked away as winners.

Despite the low success rate, plenty of people think they have what it takes to finish the meal. The comments section on the video was full of confident viewers. One person suggested, “Just don’t eat anything a few hours before you go there. So you have space in your stomach for the 72oz steak.” Another viewer wrote, “I firmly believe I could do this.” One person even joked, “I’m 6 months pregnant; throw me in the ring.”