Each contestant had their own method for ultimate donut consumption. Winner Michael Shank (second from right) dipped his donuts in water.
December 1, 2017
Written by Katie Kuhn, United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County
The first annual Zizzo Group Donut Smackdown Challenge was no ordinary United Way campaign event. Five contestants, all male members of the Zizzo Group team, pledged a certain amount per donut, then participated in a contest to see how many donuts they could consume in 5 minutes.
The winner, Michael Shank, pledged $20.00 per donut and ended up consuming 11 of the tasty pastries! “I studied YouTube videos of professional eaters and learned that a favorite technique was to dip the donuts in water,” said Michael, “I gave it a try, half expecting it to be super gross, but it wasn’t so bad.”
“Honestly, I was hungry afterword, since I hadn’t eaten for a whole day before-hand,” said Michael, casually, “I’m sure I could have done several more had we been given a little more time.”
Runner-up Joe Zizzo ate 9 donuts at $11.50 pledged. “During the competition, I was feeling strong,” reflects Joe, “but after donut 7 my jaw started to cramp. Once you slow down, there is no picking up the pace.”
“Initially, I was 100% not going to compete in another food-eating challenge ever again. But, I have decided that I will, indeed, be back next year. WATCH OUT SHANK!”
Organizers Sun Torke and Becky Binns wanted to do something new and fun for their 2017 United Way campaign. “Sun came up with the idea and the team immediately recognized it as a game-changer,” said Becky, “we all piggybacked on it and came up with ways to expand it and blow it up.”
“I was impressed with the number of donuts the guys ate, and they all did it with a smile on their faces!” said Sun. “Next year, I would change the type of donut. The ones we had were a bit too dense and heavy – a lighter donut would be easier to eat, which would mean more donuts eaten and more money raised!”
In the span of five minutes, 35 donuts were consumed for a whopping $516.75 total raised for United Way’s Community Fund! Thanks to Zizzo Group and the donut-eating champions for your commitment to the cause!
Check out Zizzo Group’s Donut Smackdown Challenge video.
Read about other fun 2017 United Way campaign activities from Ayres Associates, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, and Enliven Salon.