For some, they see a hot dog as just another food that you can have whenever. However, for sophomore Justin Trubuch he sees them as a challenge to see if he is able to beat his personal best of swallowing seven hot dogs whole in one sitting.

What started out as a few simple Snapchat videos turned into a whole dedicated TikTok account about how many hot dogs Trubuch can swallow whole at once.

“This all really started in about seventh grade. I always knew I was a big eater and honestly, a lot of it started out of curiosity of just seeing how far I could push myself,” Trubuch said.

Trubuch has his enlarged throat to thank for his hot dog swallowing success.

“I guess I’ve just got a bigger throat than most people, and that’s probably what makes the whole hot dog thing possible,” Trubuch said. “Once you get used to it, it’s really just about keeping your throat open and letting your body do what it normally does when you swallow.”

Over time, Trubuch began pushing the limits of how much he was capable of doing.

“I think the most I’ve swallowed whole at once is about five hot dogs. [But] I’ve eaten as many as seven in total in one sitting, though. Hot dogs are just one of the foods that works best for me,” Trubuch said.

Trubuch’s unusual talent has also caught the attention of his friends, one of whom including sophomore Michael McDermott who has known Trubuch since middle school.

McDermott mentioned that he first learned about it while hanging out with Trubuch and his other friends.

“At first, like a lot of people, I thought it was a little weird, but now I actually think it’s pretty cool that he’s doing something different from everyone else,” McDermott said. “It’s kind of becoming part of our friend group now; whenever we hang out, we’ll joke around and see if he can swallow something new.”

Trubuch’s younger sister, freshman Emily Trubuch, said she was initially surprised when she first learned about it.

“When I first found out about it, I was a little worried since what he does is pretty unusual. But I can’t really control it, so I just let him do his thing,” Emily Trubuch said.

Trubuch commented on making his videos.

“At the end of the day, it’s just something I enjoy doing. It’s different, it’s fun and honestly, seeing people react or laugh makes it all worth it,” Trubuch said.