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Zermatt Neo

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Zermatt Neo (born 24 December 1987) is a Singaporean competitive eater and YouTube personality. He is well-known in the competitive eating scene having won the 2017 Food League Singapore Competitive Eating Championship where he finished 92 pieces of chicken wings in 8 minutes.[1] As of 2019, Zermatt competes under Food League Singapore (FLS) - a food event organiser and talent management organisation.[2] Zermatt's older sister, Peggie Neo, is a popular mukbang YouTuber.

Zermatt Neo
Zermatt Neo.jpg
Born24 December 1987
EducationDegree in Nutrition
Alma materUniversity of Wollongong

Background

Zermatt Neo is a full-time competitive eater.[3] Zermatt has shared that he can stomach an average of 5 kilograms worth of food in one sitting but has a low spice and alcohol tolerance.[3][4] He holds a degree in Nutrition from the University of Wollongong and is a Certified Personal Trainer.[5]

Personal life

Born on 24 December 1987, Zermatt Neo’s first name was inspired by his aunt’s jigsaw puzzle set that featured the Swiss municipality, Zermatt.[6][7] Zermatt is the youngest of two siblings. His sister, Peggie Neo, is a YouTube personality who mainly posts mukbang videos.[8] Zermatt Neo is also related to Raina Huang, who is a competitive eater based in Southern California.[9]

Workout & diet

To maintain a lean physique, Zermatt works out 6 to 7 days a week. His workouts typically last around 2 to 3 hours and consists of compound exercises and cardio training.[3] On average, Zermatt covers 2 to 3 food events per week. In between food challenges, he prepares for each event by entering a caloric deficit through fasting for 16 to 18 hours daily.[3] This is a part of his intermittent fasting regime where he only consumes only water and BCAA (Branched-Chain Amino Acids) supplements.[6] His diet consists of mostly vegetables and lean protein.[10]

Competitive eating

 
Zermatt Neo won the 2017 FLS Competitive Eating Championship. Photo from The Straits Times.

Previously a Human Resource executive, Zermatt’s foray into the competitive eating scene kicked off in 2013 when a gym buddy had egged him on to take up the Roadhouse Terminator Burger Challenge. Zermatt set a record time for the challenge with little to no difficulty. The sense of accomplishment he felt spurred him on to pursue more challenges.[11][12]

Early competitions (2013 - 2014)

In November 2013, Zermatt entered the Ramen Champion Big Eater Challenge.[13] Despite his lack of formal training, Zermatt finished in second place, next to the Japanese celebrity competitive eater (大食い), Tomoko Miyake who ate 1 extra large bowl of ramen, 10 regular servings of ramen and 8 plates of gyoza.[14] After the ramen challenge, Zermatt entered the Peperoni Pizzeria XXL Challenge where he emerged the winner after consuming a 21-inch pizza in 16 minutes.[15] Zermatt continued his competitive eating journey — joining various local food-eating competitions before clinching first place at his first international competition in the Philippines. He had eaten 8 beef bowls in 15 minutes.[16]

Competitive eating

 
Zermatt Neo winning the 2014 Yoshinoya Gyudon eating contest. Photo from Rochelle Rivera.

In 2016, Zermatt Neo entered the Singapore Book of Records on three occasions when he was the fastest eater of Sushi Maki, hotdogs and a 3.5kg cake.[17][18][19] He has wonog food challenges over the years.

Year Event Food Item Timing Notes Prize(s) Refs.
2019 King’s Day Fries Eating Contest (Pro League) Fries (2kg) 00:07:05:00 Winner - [20]
2017 Food League Singapore (FLS) Competitive Eating Championship 92 pieces of chicken wings (1.37kg) 00:08:00:00 Wing Zone Bronze Ticket (3 months worth of chicken wings) [21][22]
2016 Herbs Bistro Food War Challenge 3kg worth of waffles, pancakes, curry beef stew, sides and gelato 00:10:11:00 S$1,600 Scoot vouchers [23]
The Red House Challenge 2016 48 Red House chilli crab baos 00:08:00:00 3rd Place S$888 and S$200 Red House Seafood Dining Voucher [24][25]
Xiang Ji Mega Chicken Rice Season  1 Chicken rice (4kg - inclusive of plate weight, 12 portions of rice and 1 whole roast chicken) 00:25:13:00 Winner - [26][27]
80 Mad Eaters Challenge (80 狂吃大胃王） - 01:30:00:00 S$1,000 cash prize [28][29]
Ah hood Burger Eating Contest 2016 15 burgers (lotus-leaf buns stuffed with Asian-styled meats) 00:10:00:00 3rd place - [26]
2015 Ah hood Burger Eating Contest 2015 25.5 burgers (lotus-leaf buns stuffed with Asian-styled meats) 00:10:00:00 Winner S$300 dining credits (Flavours At Zhongshan Park) [30]
2014 Thaitanic Boat Noodle Record Breaker Challenge 85 bowls of boat noodles 00:30:00:00 - [31][32]
Yoshinoya Gyudon Eating Contest 2014 8 Yoshinoya Gyudon (beef bowls, 375g each) 00:15:00:00 ₱150,000 & a round trip to Japan [16]
The Lucha Loco Taco Challenge 19 Tacos 00:10:00:00 Lucha Loca dining vouchers [33]
Salad Chowdown Grand Finals - - S$500 [34]
2013 Peperoni Pizzeria XXL Challenge 21-inch pizza 00:16:06:00 S$500 Peperoni cash vouchers [35]
Ramen Champion Big Eater Challenge 1 gigantic bowl of ramen — equivalent to 10 regular bowls 00:20:00:00

(Estimated)

2nd place - [13][14]

YouTube

In late 2014, Zermatt Neo began uploading YouTube videos containing snippets of eating challenges and competitions. After joining Food League Singapore (FLS) in 2016, Zermatt became the topic of local news. Zermatt’s YouTube video caught the attention of viewers after a screengrab of the video circulated on SGAG.

Content creator

 
The thumbnail for Zermatt Neo's Kway Chap mukbang on YouTube. Photo from YouTube.

As of October 2020, Zermatt Neo has 200,000 subscribers on YouTube. The videos on Zermatt’s YouTube channel are of self-initiated food challenges,[36][37][38] menu item features of various food establishments[39] and collaborations with brands such as Eatigo and Grid Mobile.[40] Zermatt occasionally features notable competitive eaters on his channel such as Joey Chestnut,[41] Matt Stonie[42] and Randy Santel[43] with whom he has on-screen eating contests.

Viral chicken rice video (2016)

 
Screengrabs from Zermatt's viral 2016 video.

In the viral video, Zermatt finished a giant plate of chicken rice (1 entire roast chicken and 12 portions of rice) at a hawker centre in Bukit Batok in slightly under 30 minutes. The video garnered over 76,000 views on YouTube in a week.[10] The Facebook video reposted by FLS was shared over 5,000 times within a few days and covered by local news sites like The Straits Times and MustShareNews.[33][44] Following the well-received feedback from the video, Zermatt continues to post videos of himself eating large amounts of food on YouTube. That same year, he was also featured guest on TheSmartLocal's YouTube channel.

Zermatt's guest feature on TheSmartLocal's "Singaporean's Try" segment in 2016.

References / Citations

  1. ↑ Zaccheus, Melody. “Food League contestant eats 92 wings in 8min”. The Straits Times. January 8, 2017. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  2. ↑ “Zermatt Neo”. Linkedin. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Zermatt Neo. “Q&A with a Competitive Eater in Singapore!”. YouTube. October 28, 2018. Accessed on 31 October 2019.
  4. ↑ Toh, Hannah. “Competitive eater Zermatt Neo is Singapore's up-and-coming mukbang star”. Youth.sg. December 10, 2018. Accessed on 31 October 2019.
  5. ↑ zermattneo. “Didn't expect it to come this fast but yeah, I'm certified”. Instagram. October 5, 2013. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 “September: Zermatt Neo”. BiTES. August 31, 2015. Accessed on 31 October 2019.
  7. ↑ “Zermatt Neo”. FoodChallenges.com. Accessed on 31 October 2019.
  8. ↑ Peggie Neo. "With Singapore's No. 1 Competitive Eater, aka the brother Zermatt Neo 😂😂😂". Facebook. September 28, 2017. Accessed on 13 October 2020.
  9. ↑ Raìna. “I'm going to Taiwan in October and tour with my cousin Zermatt Neo andRandy Santel will also be there!! stay tuned for details!”. Facebook. September 29, 2019. Accessed on 31 October 2019.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Meah, Natasha. “Personal trainer gets online fame with chicken rice video”. The New Paper. February 3, 2016. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  11. ↑ Zermatt Neo. “Vlog #1 | Geylang Serai Ramadan Night Bazaar 2018!”. YouTube. May 25, 2018. Accessed on 31 October 2019.
  12. ↑ zermattneo. “Zermatt Neo attempting the Roadhouse terminator burger challenge in 2013”. Instagram. March 2, 2013. Accessed on 31 October 2019.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Quek, Eunice. “Eat to win: Competitive eater Zermatt Neo counts calories, eats steamed food and has six-pack abs”. The Straits Times. February 26, 2017. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 “The Ramen Champion Big Eater Challenge Finals 2013 + Food Tasting”. babylingrkm.blogspot.com. November 26, 2013. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  15. ↑ “XXL Challenge 2013”. Peperoni Pizzeria. December 17, 2013. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 “YOSHINOYA GYUDON EATING CONTEST 2014 FINAL MATCH”. rochellerivera.com. June 17, 2014. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  17. ↑ zermattneo. “Singapore book of records - fastest eating of sushi maki”. Instagram. August 6, 2016. Accessed on 30 October 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/BIxRpfGjyvz/
  18. ↑ “Fastest Eating of Hotdogs in 10mins”. Singapore Book Of Records. Accessed on 29 October 2019.
  19. ↑ “Fastest Eating of a 3.5kg Cake”. Singapore Book Of Records. Accessed on 29 October 2019.
  20. ↑ Food League Sg. “Martin Zwerts SG Fries Eating Contest 2019 Contest Highlights!”. Facebook. May 30, 2019. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  21. ↑ Wing Zone Singapore. “92 chicken wings in 8 minutes”. Facebook. January 7, 2017. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  22. ↑ Zaccheus, Melody. “Food League contestant eats 92 wings in 8min”. The Straits Times. January 8, 2017. Accessed on  30 October 2019.
  23. ↑ Eatbook. “Herbs Bistro FREE-TO-JOIN Eating Contest”. Facebook. December 13, 2016. Accessed on 4 November 2019.
  24. ↑ Kimbrell, Erin. “Could you eat 60 Chilli Crab Baos in eight minutes?”. Yahoo. August 28, 2016. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  25. ↑ “Chilli Crab Bao Eating Competition : Red House Seafood”. nookmag.com. August 3, 2016. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Food League Singapore. “Food League Singapore (Singapore Official Eater’s Record)”. Facebook. February 27, 2016. Accessed on 29 October 2019.
  27. ↑ “Xiang Ji Mega Chicken Rice Season 1”. Food League Singapore (blog). April 7, 2016. Accessed on 29 October 2019.
  28. ↑ zermattneo. “Win! First time doing a 90mins contest though”. Instagram. July 23, 2016. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  29. ↑ “80 Mad Eaters Challenge”. Waterway Point. Accessed on 4 November 2019.
  30. ↑ Zermatt Neo. “Ah Hood Burger Eating Contest 2015”. YouTube. December 1, 2015. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  31. ↑ Oishi News Station. “The Mission Project ปฏิบัติการณ์ มันส์ ดัน เกิด : มหกรรมการแข่งกินชาบูชิ Shabulympic 2015 Ep.4”. YouTube. July 18, 2015. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  32. ↑ Zermattneo. “Sadly I didn't came in first. (Took 3rd place $2000 bucks.)”. Instagram. July 20, 2015. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Lee, Min Kok. “Singaporean devours 4kg of chicken rice in under 30 minutes for eating competition”. The Straits Times. February 1, 2016. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  34. ↑ zermattneo. “Definitely my healthiest eating contest ever”. Instagram. September 28, 2014. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  35. ↑ “XXL Challenge 2013”. Peperoni Pizzeria. December 17, 2013. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  36. ↑ Zermatt Neo. “Singapore Food Trail - 10,000 Calories Cheat Day Challenge!”. YouTube. February 21, 2019. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  37. ↑ Zermatt Neo. “200 Piece SUSHI CHALLENGE vs Pro Wrestlers! | Eating with Friends Episode 2”. YouTube. May 11, 2019. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  38. ↑ Zermatt Neo. “INSANE CHEAT DAY CHALLENGE ft Sarah Ow | Ultimate Singapore Food Trail!”. YouTube. June 18, 2019.
  39. ↑ Zermatt Neo. “Ultimate Pasta Mukbang at Pastamania Singapore!”. August 29, 2018. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  40. ↑ zermattneo. “Collaboration with Gird Mobile”. Instagram. June 21, 2019. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  41. ↑ Zermatt Neo. “Satay Challenge Feat. Joey Chestnut”. YouTube. November 20, 2016. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  42. ↑ Matt Stonie. “Peanut Butter & Jelly WORLD RECORD Challenge (1-Minute)”. YouTube. September 27, 2019. Accessed on 25 October 2019.
  43. ↑ Zermatt Neo. “Randy Santel vs Zermatt Neo - Biggest Burger in Singapore!”. YouTube. July 16, 2017. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
  44. ↑ Peh, Min Hui. “Watch: Guy Who Wolfed Down 4kg Of Chicken Rice Devour 5 Other Supersized Foods”. Must Share News. February 2, 2016. Accessed on 30 October 2019.
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