What is a Mukbang?
Mukbang. Even the word itself sounds pretty gross doesn’t it? Pretty fitting for the act as well. I mean depending on how you feel about people gorging themselves on exorbitant amounts of food in one sitting. That’s what a mukbang is.
The word Mukbang is actually Korean, and it translates to “eating show.” Originating around 2009, Mukbangs center around a host, most often attractive in appearance, eating large amounts of food while interacting with their audience via live chat.
While not all Muckbangs involve consuming large quantities of food, as the genre has progressed over time creators have topped one another. This has led to titles like “THE 100,000 CALORIE CHALLENGE” and “I Tried To Eat THE ROCK’S HIGHEST CALORIE Cheat Meal” to be commonplace.
Why is Mukbang so popular?
Some trends like The Ice Bucket Challenge and The One Chip Challenge come and go, but Muckbangs have held their ground in the realm of Youtube trends. Why is this?
For one, the content is easy to make. There is very little to no writing or forethought needed to make a Muckbang video. Eating is something everyone has to do everyday, and to make a Muckbang all you need to do is film it.
Some channels have made their entire name on “food reviews.” For example, TheReportOfTheWeek. Real name John Jurasek, TheReportOfTheWeek has amassed 2.31 million viewers. Unlike some YouTubers we’ll get to in a minute, TheReportOfTheWeek is a slender, soft-spoken, eccentric young man that gives thoughtful, honest reviews of various fast food delicacies.
In a world of loud, obnoxious YouTubers who sacrifice depth for flash, TheReportOfTheWeek is a welcome rock of normalness in the hellscape that is Muckbang Youtube. But for every Yin, there must be a Yang.
Gone are the days of expected food critics dressing up in a three-piece suit, making reservations to the trendiest restaurant in New York, and dining with a knife and fork on the best steak money can buy. All of that to write an article in the New Yorker. That has given way to the likes of Joey’s Super Cool Food Reviews eating Nashville Hot Chicken in the front seat of his car.
As Joey’s show title would suggest, he only does food-related videos. Not only does Joey do fast food reviews in his car, he also treats the world to such gems as “The Nutella Food Challenge – Hands Free!” and “The Chorizo Sausage Challenge! ~ Joeys World Tour” (Trigger warning: dude gagging on food).
So the two ends of the spectrum here for food reviews include two eccentric personality types; one reserved and mysterious and the other gagging at his kitchen table on Nutella.
This leaves out an important third element to the popularity puzzle: celebrities.
Former Nickelodeon child star turned adult actor turned Youtuber Josh Peck has several muckbang videos on his channel including “7-ELEVEN FOOD MUKBANG ft DAVID DOBRIK!” and “In-N-Out Vs Shake Shack ft Alisha Marie!” . The former Drake & Josh star has over 40 muckbang videos on his channel, mostly using them as a vehicle to catch up with his friends rather than focusing on the food itself.
The more corporate side of entertainment has also jumped on the muckbang bandwagon with the likes of Vogue’s “Florence Pugh Eats 11 English Dishes – Mukbang” and The Tonight Show’s Nicki Minaj and Jimmy Fallon Go to Red Lobster.
All of these different types of mickbangers have contributed to the rise of the medium, but what is behind the psychology of muckbanging?
The Psychology of Muckbang
It’s been theorized that viewing muckbang videos can satisfy parts of the brain associated with eating. So basically, when watching someone gorge themselves on large amounts of food, it somewhat satisfies the viewers brain like they had eaten all the food themselves. I guess it’s kind of like I’VE eaten a whole jar of Nutella now.
Beyond this, there is the potential sexual satisfaction that may come from those with various food related fetishes. While not everyone viewing a muckbang video finds sexual gratification from what they’re watching, there is certainly a niche audience out there for it. Lucky buggers. Not everyone’s “thing” becomes weirdly mainstream like this.
There is also an ASMR aspect to the muckbang craze. ASMR, for those unfamiliar, stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, which is an involuntary reaction some people received when hearing certain sounds. Some popular ASMR content includes whispering, paper on paper, tapping and even eating. While some people can become infuriated by the sound of others eating, other portions of the population are able to get some sort of pleasure from hearing people slurp down noodles.
And finally, there is the entertainment factor. Whether folks are watching two celebrities eat at red lobster or are enjoying a crazed individual scarfing down high cholesterol food in the front seat of the 1999 Honda Civic, there is an intangible aspect to seeing other human beings perform. That’s why we’re actually not strangers to the idea of eating for entertainment.
Competitive eating has been around since the 1870’s and is currently a multimillion dollar phenomenon. Major League Eating, the most famous competitive eating league in America hosted more than 40 events in 2019, ranging from hotdog to milk and cookie eating contests. Competitive eating is why Mustard Yellow Belt champion Joey Chestnut isn’t just a man living in Kentucky. He’s a winner.
How Do You Make a Muckbang Video?
As mentioned earlier, the only thing that really qualifies as something like a “muckbang” is someone eating on camera. Sometimes that is the show, just someone enjoying a meal and a chat with their community. Sometimes there is another aspect to it, like making the whole ordeal into a “challenge.”
There are a couple of different ways to approach the medium. While it is completely acceptable to eat a regularly portioned meal on camera, this is hardly going to measure up to Mr. Beasts’ “I Ate The World’s Largest Slice Of Pizza”.
A good place to start is with a review of a new fast food item, preferably one with a lot of hype and only around for a limited time like The Travis Scott burger from McDonald’s last year or KFC’s new Chicken Sandwich. With fast food restaurants constantly rolling out new menu items, there should be no shortage of content for fast food review muckbangers.
If that’s not your style and you’d prefer something likely to go viral, a food challenge may be your way to go. You could either approach a local eatery that has a “eat x in x amount of time and it’s free” challenge or you can make your own. Something as simple as the “100 McNugget Challenge” could bring in viewers.
Going to the extreme side of “Eating Everything On The McDonald’s Menu” might be a bit much for a beginner, but part of the fun of a “challenge” video is whether or not the competitor can deliver. Sometimes they can’t and that’s ok. Just be entertaining.
Now with that, set up a camera and get to eating! Happy Muckbanging!
