Leah Shutkever, the UK’s fastest eater, is continuing to make waves in the competitive eating world, proudly declaring that she’s “breaking the mould.” Recently, Leah made her way to the Guinness World Records headquarters in London to claim two new impressive titles: the most jelly snakes eaten in 30 seconds (130 g; 4.58 oz) and the most strawberries eaten in one minute (313 g; 11.04 oz).
Leah, a social media sensation, shared how she first got into competitive eating, describing it as an unexpected journey. “I started breaking records in a really interesting way,” Leah said. “I started a YouTube channel and needed content, and I was a fast eater. I found this Guinness World Records title for the fastest time to eat a Chocolate Orange and I unofficially broke it on my channel.”
That moment sparked her interest in competitive eating, leading her to be contacted by a TV show and eventually break the record officially. Since then, Leah has continued breaking record after record, with her tally now reaching an astonishing 40 world records.
At 34 years old, Leah is proud to be part of a changing dynamic within competitive eating, which has traditionally been dominated by certain expectations. “It’s interesting when you look at competitive eating and what people think a competitive eater looks like,” Leah explained. “I think we’re definitely breaking the mould more recently with having different types of people doing food challenges.”
She continued, “There’s just no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to food challenges. You’re either good at it and you do it or you don’t, and I’m just very proud to be part of the whole thing.”
For her jelly snake record attempt, Leah had no idea which challenges were lined up for her, making the moment even more thrilling. When the adjudicator, Dave Wilson, revealed that she was going for the jelly snake record, Leah admitted to feeling nervous. “I’m scared,” she confessed. “I know it may seem silly to a lot of people, but this is terrifying stuff to me – I want to do this right.”
Despite the pressure, Leah surpassed the required 90g by eating a staggering 130g of jelly snakes in just 30 seconds.
Her next challenge, the strawberry-eating contest, required her to consume at least 270g of strawberries. Leah smashed it, finishing the entire bowl with time to spare. “That was delicious,” she said with a smile. “I love strawberries.”
In addition to speed-eating challenges, Leah has a large following on social media platforms like TikTok, where she shares videos of herself taking on massive meals. When asked about her preparation process, Leah emphasized the psychological aspect of competitive eating. “Psychology comes into it so much more than your physical ability,” she said. “And delusion, practising delusion, because that is definitely a solution.”
Leah reassured fans that despite her rapid eating style, she enjoys the food she consumes. But there’s more to Leah than just her eating prowess. She revealed that she has a degree in architecture and lived a full life before embracing the world of competitive eating. “I’m a multi-faceted person,” she added with a laugh.
Leah Shutkever’s remarkable achievements continue to inspire fans and challenge stereotypes in the competitive eating world, proving that there’s no one way to break records—or to break the mould.
You Might Be Interested In:
