Ben Hodgkins, a personal trainer from Essex, has just reached an unusual dietary milestone.
For the past 194 days, Ben has filmed himself eating nothing but chicken and has been posting the bizarre content on his popular TikTok page, @benjieatschicken. Take a look at him in action below:
The 26-year-old started this protein project as a social media experiment with few expectations about what might come next.
“One day I thought screw it and I started the page and I called it Benji Eats Chicken and I started filming," he said in an interview with the Daily Star.
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“I just thought this could be the kind of thing that gets some traction and some views and it could be interesting to see where it goes.”
But contrary to expectations that he might grow tired of the dish, he shows no signs of stopping any time soon.
“It hasn’t made me sick of chicken at all and if anything it has made me love chicken even more.”
He confidently asserts that he is so obsessed with the dish, that he will be able to reach 1,000 consecutive days of chicken feasting.
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“I’m a personal trainer and an online coach so I’m not just a weird guy who eats chicken.”
We encourage the philistines who deem Hodgkins’ dinner choices to be unimaginative to visit his page. If anything, the diverse range of poultry dishes that the man samples suggest he is in fact, a gastronomic pioneer.
Bang-bang chicken, Korean chicken, roast chicken, grilled chicken, Kentucky fried chicken, chicken sandwiches, chicken wraps, chicken burgers... the list in endless, and all have been vanquished on Hodgkin’s insatiable quest for more.
But fame comes at a price and the Essex native admits that he sometimes feels the weight of expectation that his channel has placed on him.
“But now I can get to 11pm at night and I stress because I haven’t filmed one yet. It’s now an integral part of my day," he said.
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With reports of his chicken eating, reaching the global TikTok community, Ben has been generally reassured by the feedback he has received so far.
“It’s mostly been positive. Even my friend who is vegan said she doesn’t love me eating chicken but she said it’s pretty cool how I’m doing.”
And the growth of the channel has opened doors for Ben. Having completed 150 days of chicken, MuscleFood are now providing Ben his chicken, free of charge.
Perhaps it’s reassuring to know that celebrity has not fundamentally changed Ben’s priorities.
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“I used to eat chicken all the time anyway, the only difference is when I make my chicken now I know I have to film a clip."
Topics: Food And Drink, TikTok
Alex Fleming-Brown