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Red Lobster Biscuits Hoax Claimed Man Went Into Coma After Eating 413

Media Swallows Hoax About Man Slipping Into Red Lobster-Induced Coma
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Pedestrians pass a Red Lobster restaurant in Times Square, New York, U.S., on Tuesday, March 23, 2010. Darden Restaurants Inc., the owner of casual dining chains including Red Lobster and the Olive Garden, is scheduled to announce quarterly earnings tomorrow after the U.S. market close. Photographer: Jonathan Fickies/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A farcical story about a food writer slipping into a coma after eating 413 biscuits at a Red Lobster embarrassed some British newspapers that regurgitated the nauseating article as if it were true.

The Rock City Times -- which prides itself on being "Arkansas' 2nd most unreliable news source" -- posted a story on Saturday claiming that Kevin Shalin was hospitalized for binge eating the Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

The faux report, penned by a friend of Shalin, said doctors speculated that the high butter content of the biscuits and the seafood restaurant's policy of letting customers have unlimited quantities of them are what pushed Shalin into a medical emergency.

If it were true, Shalin would have consumed about 62,000 calories in Little Rock, Ark. Friends urged him to stop eating, according to the Rock City Times article, but Shalin kept eating until "he fell to the ground convulsing."

British tabloids are always hungry for a far-fetched story with juicy details. So the Sun, Daily Mail and Mirror each wrote about Shalin's allegedly imperiled health.

The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper, got fooled by the account too and admitted it fell victim to the hoax. But the Sun, Daily Mail and Mirror deleted their stories without informing readers they were tricked.

In case there was any lingering confusion, Shalin tweeted that the reports were bogus.

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Before You Go

Food-Eating Contests
(01 of10)
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Is he the top dog? Current Mustard Belt holder Joey Chestnut has won three consecutive Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contests -- and he's considered the favorite this year. Chestnut, pictured here after downing a record-setting 68 dogs last summer, says he wants to break the record this year. (credit:Bobby Bank, WireImage / Getty Images)
Rivalry(02 of10)
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The rivalry between Chestnut (left) and Takeru Kobayashi (right) has pushed competitive eating to new heights. After winning six consecutive Nathan's titles, Kobayashi lost to Chestnut in 2007, 2008 and 2009 -- when this photo was taken. Kobayashi reportedly won't compete in this year's competition because of disagreements with Major League Eating policy. (credit:Craig Ruttle, AP)
(03 of10)
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The 2008 Nathan's contest between Kobayashi and Chestnut was a battle for the ages. After tying with 59 dogs each in the 10-minute contest, Chestnut took the Mustard Belt in a five-dog eat-off. (credit:Ed Ou, AP)
(04 of10)
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Though Chestnut has defeated Kobayashi in three straight hot dog eating competitions, Kobayashi certainly isn't washed up. The six-time Mustard Belt winner defeated Chestnut in a pizza-eating competition in Los Angeles in May 2009. (credit: Hector Mata, AP)
(05 of10)
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Kobayashi one-upped Chestnut in a 2008 Major League Eating contest in Singapore, downing more than 10 pounds of the local food satay. (credit:Wong Maye-E, AP)
Pat Bertoletti(06 of10)
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Chestnut and Kobayashi aren't the only eaters who have a chance to win. Competitive eater Pat Bertoletti, pictured competing in a corned beef and rye sandwich competition last March, could pull off a victory in Coney Island, according to Major League Eating President Rich Shea. (credit:Mario Tama, Getty Images)
Bob(07 of10)
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Tim "Eater X" Janus (left) and Bob "Notorious B.O.B." Shoudt (center) -- pictured at a seafood eating event last year -- are also contenders for this year's Mustard Belt. "Eater X" says he wants to enter the contest mentally prepared, while "Notorious B.O.B." has been training by eating 70 hot dogs in a single sitting. (credit:Andrew H. Walker, Getty Images)
(08 of10)
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Tim "Eater X" Janus and Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas -- pictured in a 2007 Maine burrito eating competition -- are fan favorites. (credit: Joel Page, AP)
(09 of10)
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"Crazy Legs" Conti has made a name for himself as a cannoli eating legend after downing 20.5 of the Italian treats in six minutes -- now he's looking for hot dog bun glory. On July 2, he and two other eaters will take on three Ringling Bros. elephants in a hot dog bun eating competition. (credit:Mario Tama, Getty Images)
(10 of10)
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Takeru Kobayashi devoured the record for most wings in 30 minutes at the Philadelphia Wing Bowl in February, 2012, with 337 wings. (credit:Courtesy of CBS)
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