Saltine cracker challenge facts for kids
The saltine cracker challenge is a fun competition. In this challenge, a person tries to eat six saltine soda crackers in 60 seconds. The main rule is that you cannot drink anything during that minute.
Even though it sounds simple, this challenge is quite difficult. Crackers quickly use up all the saliva in your mouth. Saliva helps you chew and swallow food easily. Without enough saliva, the crackers turn into a dry, crumbly mess. This makes them very hard to swallow. You might be able to fit all six crackers in your mouth, but swallowing them with a dry mouth is the real trick!
Trying the Challenge Alone
The goal is usually to eat six saltines in one minute. Sometimes, people try for five or seven crackers instead. Most people can eat at least two saltines without water. However, people with a condition called Sjögren's syndrome might not have enough saliva to eat even that many. Doctors sometimes use a "cracker test" to help check for this condition.
Many famous athletes have tried this challenge. For example, Peyton Manning, a football quarterback, was once dared to eat six saltines. He tried them one by one and failed. Then, he stacked them up and tried again, and he succeeded! His roommate said that even with a joke challenge, Peyton wanted to prove he could do it. He even worked on different ways to eat them.
Another example is Rene Portland, a basketball coach. She impressed two star players, Tanisha Wright and Jessica Calamusso, by winning the cracker challenge during a recruiting trip. She didn't share her secret method. But she said that her competitive spirit made her want to win.
The challenge has even been shown on TV shows. In 2001, on The Early Show, Tom Bergeron lost a bet trying to eat four saltines in a minute. He tried to eat them all at once and failed. A staff member said she learned about the challenge in college. Many college newspapers have also written about how popular this challenge is on campuses.
In 2008, on Good Morning America, experts from Food Detectives couldn't eat six saltines in a minute. Then, all four TV anchors tried it and also failed. One anchor joked that the crackers soaked up moisture like "lake-effect snow." One rule was that you couldn't drink water beforehand. This is because the whole point of the challenge is dealing with a dry mouth.
Competitive Cracker Races
Older versions of the challenge are like races. People compete to be the first to eat a certain number of crackers and then loudly whistle a tune. These types of competitions have been around for over 100 years.
A TV show from the 1970s called ZOOM showed a cracker race. This show encouraged kids to try fun puzzles and games with simple things. In their version, contestants ate three saltines and then whistled.
In Grafton, North Dakota, there's an annual competition. People must eat four saltines and then whistle. For nine years, a man named Mike Stoltman won this contest. Some people say he has an extra salivary gland, which helps him make more saliva. He even said his orthodontist noticed how much saliva he had. In 2009, he lost to Greg Shane. Another person, Kelly Schanilec, has won the first-place trophy five times in different years.
Other Similar Challenges
A challenge similar to the saltine cracker challenge is the "cinnamon challenge." In this one, a person tries to eat a tablespoon of cinnamon. Like the crackers, cinnamon powder quickly dries out your mouth. This makes it very hard to swallow. Some people say the cinnamon feels very unpleasant. Its dust can even feel like pepper spray. Also, a part of cinnamon called cinnamal can irritate your skin and mouth, making the challenge even harder. The cinnamon challenge can sometimes be unsafe for your health.
In the UK, people have a similar cracker eating contest using Jacob’s Cream Crackers. Saltine crackers are not as common there. The rules for how many crackers to eat and how much time you have can change. These challenges are popular among university students.
