Mixing the overindulgence of the food industry, heavy imagination and a carnivorous obsession of all things red and juicy, YouTube’s newest phenomenon is the Epic Mealtime series.
Since September, millions of people around the world have been captivated by an anonymous group of Canadian men and women who specialize in making extremely high-caloric and fatty meals of epic proportions, some of which have topped 100,000 calories and 10,000 grams of fat— which they then attempt to consume.
Although the YouTube channel is only six months old, it is already the fifth most subscribed channel in Canada and has developed a cult following.
Due to the quick growth of success and attention Epic Mealtime videos have received from the start of its career, the group releases new videos every Tuesday and now has its own line of Epic Mealtime apparel which can be purchased from its YouTube page.
From chili to protein shakes, the trademark ingredient of any of the Epic Mealtime creations is bacon, which is used in every video.
Another signature of the videos is an over-exaggerated intensity from the re-occurring characters, such as the nameless leader, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and his trusty sidekick Muscles-Glasses. They pound beef into tables, use chainsaws to cut pork and use oars to eat dishes such as chili.
Perhaps the most impressive video released is the Thanksgiving meal video. For this meal they cook a quail within a Cornish hen, within a chicken, within a duck, within a turkey, within a pig and finally stuff it with veal and pork sausage. This masterpiece is then topped with a Dr. Pepper and butter glaze and garnished with none other than crispy, savory bacon, and then surrounded with Wendy’s signature Baconators.  This impressive meal boasts a calorie count of 79,046 and 6,892 total grams of fat.
Representing the unhealthy and over-inflated eating habits of Americans and Canadians alike, Epic Mealtime is a significant satire of today’s eating culture.
Their motto boasts “We make your dreams come true, and then we eat them.” Mounds of meat that rival the heights of Mt. Olympus and proportions that would even overwhelm the appetite of a Greek god, Epic Mealtime is the perfect reflection of an eating industry gone wild.