Before Miki Sudo became a competitive eater, winning the Nathan's Annual Hot Dog Eating Competition, her first big record was right here in Las Vegas.
Back in 2011, the Las Vegas native took on the 'Phozilla' challenge at Pho 87 near Spring Mountain and Jones.
For a $50 entry fee, you can try your luck eating a bowl of pho in 1,987 seconds or less. The gigantic bowl is full of a gallon of broth, 2 pounds of noodles, and 2 pounds of meat.
To this day, Sudo's record hasn't been broken. "Not only did she finish Phozilla, she asked for more food," says owner Mia Ha. In the past six years, hundreds have tried to take Sudo's title, but none has been successful.
"They have different strategies, some bring straws to suck the broth, other go for the noodles first," Ha says.
13 Action News reporter Tom George tried out the challenge himself. It was immediately clear it wasn't called Phozilla for nothing. After finishing all the meat and making a dent in the noodles and broth, eventually the rest of the noodles became too soggy, and Tom threw in the towel after around 25 minutes.
So for now, Sudo's record still stands and the $1,987 jackpot is still up for grabs.
Mia Ha says she's just happy her restaurant was able to jumpstart the career of a professional eater. "If you can eat Phozilla, you can eat anything."
