Tiffany, according to my well-placed sources at NGS headquarters, the Final 16 contestants are required to consume a minimum of 87.94 Big Macs (or the equivalent) by the end of the contest period, which is December 29.
(NOTE: Contest rules stipulate that you may not explode until AFTER the winner is chosen on February 8. See contest Terms and Conditions, Submissions; Judging, Section 33, paragraph seven, under Submitters: Unauthorized Explosions Of .)
If you're worried about being the NGFS (Next Great Fat Sportswriter), try the NGS Double Quarter Pounder Diet. It's working out quite well for me:
Buy someone else a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese for lunch every day, keep the container, and write your blog postings on it. Even if you don't win the contest, you may be able to deduct the cost of the Quarter Pounders as a charitable donation on your tax return.
This might also help defray the medical expenses incurred if you decide to buy another Quarter Pounder for yourself every day, eat it for lunch, fail to win the contest, don't get the $5,000 prize, and end up exploding anyway.
