NEW YORK CITY — Why were there hundreds of people gathered in a New York City park this weekend, shouting “Cheeseball Man?”
“I think everybody wants to be behind the mask,” Cheeseball Man said.
It started with some fliers, which have been hanging all over Manhattan for a few months now.
They hold a simple message from a masked man who wishes to remain anonymous: “Come see me eat this entire jar of cheeseballs on April 27th.”
“I didn’t really expect this many people to show up,” he said.
Well, they did! The festivities kicked off with a speech, and many took videos for social media. One of them currently holds about 10 million views.
Then, Cheeseball Man hyped up the crowd by running around, holding a flag with his masked face on it.
But, of course, finally, the time came, when the man going by Cheeseball Man would have to commit to consuming more than 2,000 calories of cheddar and corn meal.
“There was a moment that I was definitely going to throw up. And then people said, ‘Keep it down,’ really loudly. So, I just kept it in,” he said.
ABC News exchanged messages with people who were there, most of them saying they went because they thought it sounded “hilarious.”
One added, “Even from two blocks away you could hear the crowd.”
After almost a half hour, the now-legendary Cheeseball Man finally accomplished his quest, and then immediately signed autographs.
He asked ABC not to disclose his name, but what we can tell you is that he is 22 years old, just graduated from NYU, and genuinely wants to be more than just a culinary conqueror.
“I clean up the city. I pick up trash. You know, when I see people they need to, you know,” he said.
But will he keep the mask?
“Oh, I have to do it in the mask,” Cheeseball Man said.
By the way, Cheeseball Man says he wants to do it again next year with an even bigger tub.
So April 27, 2025, bring your bib, it’s going to get really cheese dusty.
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