As far as Fantasy Football punishments go, the Waffle House challenge has to be the worst.
If you’re not familiar, the rules of the Waffle House challenge are simple: If you lose your fantasy football league, you have to spend 24 hours in a Waffle House. But you get to take one hour off of your time for every waffle you eat.
We’ve seen others conquer the Waffle House challenge before after coming in last in their league.
And sure, everybody thinks they’d just eat 24 waffles and walk out a couple hours later. But it’s not that easy.
Just ask Lee Sanderlin.
The Mississippi man went viral on Twitter overnight after chronicling his journey completing the Waffle House challenge and it sounds like pure hell.
I am coming to you live from a Brandon, Mississippi Waffle House. I, a total loser, came in last place in my fantasy football league. As punishment, I spend 24 hours in a Waffle House. Every waffle I eat shaves an hour off the clock. It’s 4:07 Central. pic.twitter.com/oRugzU7rQT
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 17, 2021
Things started out pretty good, with Sanderlin making the decision that he would enjoy his first two waffles and slather them down with butter and syrup. Probably not a good strategy overall but hey, if you’re going to be eating nothing but waffles for the foreseeable future, might as well enjoy them while you can.
Figured I’d enjoy the first 2 pic.twitter.com/Mr7xQMRPTs
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 17, 2021
He took those first two waffles down in half an hour, shaving two hours off his time right off the bat.
2 down. That means two hours down. 21.37 hours left roughly. Already my stomach is rumbling. Gonna be a long one.
The staff does not believe me that I’ll be here that long… little do they know
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 17, 2021
After the next two, though – well, that’s when the pain started to set in.
Four waffles down. Been here for 1.5 hours, so that means I have 18.5 to go. I am already in immense discomfort. Please, somebody, launch me into the sun pic.twitter.com/LyyZObcmQ3
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 17, 2021
I mean, we’re not talking about tiny waffles here. These aren’t the kind of waffles that come frozen in your freezer. These are waffles the size of a plate, made by the hands of a short-order Waffle House cook who’s taken a few bullets to the chest in his time.
No, really.
The cook this evening is telling me about the time he got shot in the chest — and also that he really likes working here. Anyways, ordering 2 more and getting on with it
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 17, 2021
At least there’s a jukebox at Waffle House so he has some good tunes to listen to while he suffers through the waffles, right?
Just kidding. Somebody played fucking “Wagon Wheel.” As if this punishment wasn’t already bad enough.
I let part of the waffle get cold and it is 4 million times harder to eat this way. And Wagon Wheel is playing. This is probably the purgatory period of the evening. Also, everyone asking about Venmo: Donate to your favorite local charity and make an impact in your town
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
Luckily some kids came along to provide him with some better music to help him power through the pain.
AND IT’S EYE OF THE TIGER HELL YEAH LETS GET ANOTHER WAFFLE
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 17, 2021
Sanderlin also had some rules working in his favor (if you want to call it that): He could leave the Waffle House and hang out in the parking lot, and if he spewed his waffles he wouldn’t be penalized.
But that didn’t change his strategy.
Per my league commissioner, I am allowed to sit in the parking lot and also if I puke it won’t count against me. This won’t recalibrate the strategy tho
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 17, 2021
Back for waffle number five (did I mention how big those waffles are?)
waffle number 5. Just hit the 2,000 calorie mark and feeling grrrrrreat pic.twitter.com/D9nltPbKJX
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 17, 2021
This is where things Sanderlin started to run into trouble though. You’ve gotta think that at a certain point, each bite just turns into agony.
Officially stuck in neutral. Need to find that extra gear and push through this waffle. Ts & Ps please pic.twitter.com/eMglzaZAO6
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 17, 2021
He finally found the strength to polish it off though.
Found that extra something and polished off waffle 5. That’s 5 hours shaved off and an incredible amount of agony for my intestines. 16 hours to go
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
And Twitter was cheering him on.
June 17, 1994. The world gathered around tv’s and radios to follow the OJ Simpson chase. June 17, 2021 the world gathers around their devices to follow the @LeeOSanderlin Waffle Chase.
— Matt Spencer (@mspenc21) June 18, 2021
Time for number six.
Waffle number 6 and I’m eagerly staring into the abyss, hoping for it all to end. Also, 4 hours down now pic.twitter.com/XtmPpUNOHk
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
But it was a struggle.
Damn this 6th waffle is not going down. Got my first shift change here and homies are getting a good tip. Lookin’ to rally here
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
We also got a look at Sanderlin’s Fantasy Football roster that caused him to have to spend 24 hours in a Waffle House. And…yeah, I see why he lost.
I found my roster from like week 8 or whatever. Just not good. Also, I am definitely puking soon pic.twitter.com/L7l2xFmUF9
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
He finally got down waffle number six though, and at that point he was left with another 12 hours to go.
LETS GO! Waffle no. 6 has been consumed. And the music came back on. 12 hours to go!!!!! pic.twitter.com/bqHF6IC9lC
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
But then disaster struck in the bushes outside of the Brandon, Mississippi Waffle House.
Quick little trip to the bushes outside if you know what I’m saying. Now, back into the breach pic.twitter.com/gwGvvUkeE1
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
Puke and rally, baby. Puke and rally.
With help from some Rolaids donated by some kind strangers and LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem for a shot of adrenaline, Sanderlin went to work on waffle number seven.
LMFAO’s Party Rock is blaring and I have ordered my 7th waffle. My editor @marlonawalker is here to show support and it’s time to lay this bad boy down and get movin!
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
And…well, it didn’t go well.
Hahaha remember when I ordered a 7th waffle? Full crash and burn. Not gonna finish it. My body is in revolt/shutting down. It’s time to sit out for a while. Gotta rest up for the stretch run. Right now I’m on pace to leave 10:07 a.m. CT.
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
Sanderlin then took a quick break to charge his phone in his car, and when he came back he had a new strategy: Try to drink coffee and shit out the brick of waffles sitting in his stomach.
Not a bad idea, honestly.
What’s up: back from my brief stint getting some phone juice. Got some coffee in an effort to get ~ t h i n g s ~ moving. Sorry to the haters who thought I’d spend the night sleeping pic.twitter.com/hmBR6VlL03
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
He had entered the overnight hours at his friendly Waffle House, where the staff took their smoke breaks and he had the restaurant all to himself.
We’ve entered peak boredom hours. All the staff went out for their smoke breaks. This Waffle House doesn’t feel like a waffle home with no one here pic.twitter.com/jv2epLvvvi
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
And he still had 8 hours to go, and hadn’t even polished off that seventh waffle yet.
Waffle 7 was easily the worst tasting one but I finally put it down. Maybe it’ll come back up soon. Who can say, 7ish hours to go pic.twitter.com/NJuKVZWoxf
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
But he eventually got it down.
Sanderlin also developed a game plan (hopefully one that would work out better from him than his Fantasy Football game plan): Take it easy for the next few hours, then at 6 AM, knock out two more waffles and be done by 7.
So that’s what he did.
Miley Cyrus’ The Climb is playing in this Waffle House and I think it’s time to try and put down those last 2 waffles and go home. This was real. At times it was fun. But, it was never really fun.
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
And it seemed to be going well.
Waffle number 8 went down pretty quickly.
I can report progress. One waffle down. That makes 8. 1 to go then we’re just running clock until 7 am. This is NOT enjoyable
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
Then he had just one quarter of number 9 left to spring himself from the Waffle House.
All that stands between me and going home in the next 30 minutes. So damn close. pic.twitter.com/2EgD4Dajdv
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
I can just imagine how terrible that waffle tasted. Sure, it’s only a quarter of a waffle at that point, but after already eating 8 of those bad boys, even a quarter of a waffle has gotta be enough to make you want to run into oncoming traffic.
But our hero finished it off.
The sun is rising, it’s a new day and I’m never eating waffles again. That’s 9 waffles and 15 hours in this restaurant. S/o to the staff for letting me hang out on a slow night (I tipped them well don’t worry). This was horrible and I recommend no one ever do this. pic.twitter.com/PDGsuHYINf
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
After 9 waffles and 15 hours, Sanderlin had finally paid off his debt and was free to walk out of the Waffle House.
And we’re out pic.twitter.com/79Er4rBxdP
— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) June 18, 2021
For those keeping track at home, one waffle from Waffle House contains 410 calories. So Sanderlin threw back over 3,500 calories over the course of 15 hours – and that’s not counting any syrup or butter. (Of course a few of those calories are in the outside bushes now).
And sure, he was a little worse for the wear walking out of there.
How it started How it’s goin pic.twitter.com/bndSY0JLOP
— Fido (@Fido1084) June 18, 2021
But man, what an entertaining journey it was.
And I bet he doesn’t draft Carson Wentz again next year.