UNLV had big plans for their donut-eating contest during Friday night’s college football game at Allegiant Stadium, and the headliner was none other than the legendary competitive eater Miki Sudo. A 10-time champion of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, Sudo is widely regarded as the greatest female competitive eater of all time.
Fans were eager to see her return to her alma mater, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to dominate yet another food competition. However, things didn’t go as planned.
Despite all the hype surrounding her appearance, Sudo was a no-show, leaving fans and organizers disappointed. In her absence, UNLV’s head basketball coach, Kevin Kruger, was forced to step up and fill her spot in the contest. It was a major letdown for fans who had been excited to witness the competitive eating queen in action, but Kruger gamely took on the challenge, doing his best to keep the event alive.
The contest was part of UNLV’s larger effort to raise awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The challenge was simple: participants had to eat a dozen pink-frosted donuts as quickly as possible.
The competitors included some notable names, such as former quarterback and TV personality Kenny Mayne, who served as the event’s host. Joining him were UNLV Athletics Hall of Famer and current Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. Tony Terrell, ESPN Las Vegas radio host Steve Cofield, and student representative Emmie Cabrales from the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. Kruger rounded out the lineup, stepping in at the last minute to replace Sudo.
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Unfortunately, without Sudo, the event lacked the competitive spark fans had been expecting. Sudo, known for her ability to devour dozens of hot dogs in a matter of minutes, would have easily breezed through 12 donuts. Her absence was keenly felt as Kruger and the other contestants struggled to maintain her pace.
Despite the setback, the competition went on. In the end, it was Cofield and Terrell who emerged victorious, though they could only manage to eat five donuts each—far from the total dozen they were aiming for. Kruger gave it his best shot, but it was clear that competitive eating wasn’t in his wheelhouse.
For fans who had been looking forward to seeing Sudo in action, the night was a missed opportunity.
Many had hoped to witness a jaw-dropping performance from the competitive eating legend, only to be left with an anticlimactic contest where none of the participants could come close to what Sudo would have likely accomplished with ease.
Adding to the disappointment, the night took another turn for the worse when UNLV lost the football game in overtime to Syracuse, a tough ending to what could have been a night of excitement and victory for the Rebels.
Fans couldn’t help but wonder if the energy of the crowd—and perhaps the team—might have been different if Sudo had made her appearance and ignited the stadium with a thrilling donut-eating spectacle.
Ultimately, the night left a sour taste for UNLV supporters, who were robbed of a chance to witness greatness both on and off the field.
While Kruger and the other participants did their best to make up for Sudo’s absence, it was clear that the event had lost some of its luster without the presence of the greatest female competitive eater of all time.
