Big Cat first floated this whole thing back when he announced he was making it the summer of the hamburger, setting a goal of grilling and eating 100 burgers between Memorial Day and Labor Day. He even joked the original number was 200 before his wife talked him down to 100 — a bit he's been chronicling in real time all summer, with fans running unofficial trackers just to keep score.
On Monday night it was finally over. Big Cat posted himself sprinting through a literal finish line to mark the 101st burger of the summer, capping a stretch that started as a joke and turned into a running Barstool storyline for 3-plus months.
Sprinted through the Finish Line. I would say I feel a sense of accomplishment but I kind of feel nothing and a tummy ache. 101 burgers in a summer. The haters are sick
The last 2 burgers came courtesy of Chef Donny, who's been in Big Cat's corner for the back half of this challenge. Their video shows Donny flipping the patty in a pan before the two celebrate with a handshake over a plate of finished burgers — burgers 100 and 101, the exact ones that got Big Cat across the finish line.
Burgers 100 & 101 of @BarstoolBigCat 100 burger summer 🤝
Big Cat had flagged the pressure building toward the end, admitting weeks earlier in the run that he was going to have to eat a big chunk of burgers in the final stretch just to hit triple digits. That he ended up 1 burger over target, with a chef in his corner for the photo finish, tracks with how the whole bit has played out — self-deprecating, a little chaotic, and somehow still going all the way to the wire.
Whether Big Cat lets the number sit at 101 or keeps grilling out of habit is the only thing left unresolved. Either way, a summer-long bit that started as a tweet turned into one of the more oddly satisfying running storylines on the timeline, and it went out with a handshake instead of a whimper.