By: Staff Journalist, edited by Daiyu Tang. ((Images by Murphy))
Gein Burger has never been about fine dining. It’s the greasy altar of the midnight munchies. It’s the home of whispered rumours of mystery meat and the ‘occasional’ fight or Witch Burning. It was likely integral to one of Hathian’s worst cases of serial killing…
On August 24th 2025, however, the infamous eatery decided to lean fully into its reputation by staging a culinary gauntlet that looked more like Fear Factor than a food service.
Four brave, foolhardy, contestants stepped up for the chance to win $10,000 cash: Nero Milano, Angelo Baker, Muck Rookswood, and Rhonda Jasmite. The rules were simple: eat what’s placed in front of you and win. The reality? Five courses of global ‘delicacies’ that tested stomachs, sanity, and, frankly, the laws of God.
If you want to read up a little on the Gein, you can read our special addendum below
Want To Know More About The Gein? – Daiyu’s Curated List – CLICK TO EXPAND –
Gein’s Greatest Hits: A Brief History of Bad Taste
What’s in a name?
Gein Burger was christened after Ed Gein, the Wisconsin “Butcher of Plainfield” whose 1950s crimes inspired Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and a dozen nightmares. Naming a burger joint after a grave robbing cannibal is a Hathian level joke: bad taste as branding.
Mystery Meat
Rumors have dogged Gein for years, patrons whisper about ‘extra protein’ in the patties and articles from our editor’s ex like What’s In a Gein Burger? Science Reveals All haven’t helped the reputation. The conclusion? Nothing illegal today, just aggressively greasy with a side of animal DNA. In the past however? Human Bodyparts…
Up In Flames
In 2024, Gein survived an arson attack, reported in Burning Gein Does Not Burn a Witch, where both the restaurant and its reputation walked away singed but standing. No witches were seriously harmed!
Human Hamburgers
In July 2011, HPD’s worst fears were confirmed when Gein was shuttered by police after human remains were discovered in the food. The chain of horror began with a discarded burger found in the dumpster, containing what turned out to be bone fragments. A forensic match later tied those remains to two unidentified individuals killed by the ‘Headless Harvester‘, forcing the city to wonder how long innocent customers may have been dining on more than bad taste…
A Brand of Chaos
Through it all, Gein remains a staple by the bus stop where many new arrivals to Hathian step down (and down and down) to street level. A place where stomachs are tested, health inspectors despair, and management seems to treat scandal as seasoning. Whether it’s a drunk teenager at 3AM or a maggot-cheese challenge, the Gein formula never changes: survive the meal, and you win.
The Competition
Four contenders sat down at the altar of Gein (set out nicely across the street in full visibility of everyone passing the centre of town). They weren’t there however to dine but to suffer. The menu was less cuisine than crucible, each round upping the ante from stomach-churning oddity to outright biological warfare. It wasn’t dinner, it was demolition, Karrigan was daring the contestants to choose: choke it down, or choke on it (or their failure and walk of shame…). The ‘best’ news? The prize money had gone up to a cool $10k. We know you Hathian, most of you’d eat dick for far less, so why not ‘food’?
Round 1: Dumpster ‘Fruit’
First out of the gate was durian, the so-called ‘king of fruits.’ Fans swear it tastes like custard and almonds; everyone else swears it smells like Satan’s locker room (as someone with Chinese ancestry, I will say the locker room comment is apt – Daiyu). Most managed a cautious swallow. Nero Milano didn’t. He projectile vomited across the stage, stumbled off, and never returned. Hathian doesn’t forgive weakness or wasting Satan’s socks.
Round 2: Bug Lunch
Next came escamol, which is (thanks Google) ant larvae sautéed in butter, otherwise known as ‘insect caviar.‘ Think cottage cheese, if the cottage was haunted by the underside of the Carter’s jockstrap. Angelo Baker winced his way through but lived to regret it. The others crunched and chewed, faces pale but resolute. This round produced no losers!
Round 3: It’s Getting Disgusting
Then came the dish that broke hope: virgin boy eggs, chicken eggs boiled in urine. Karrigan told me it was a cultural thing from, (you guessed it) China… (Some statements should not be believed – Daiyu) Yes, really. Yes, it smelled like a gas-station bathroom on fire. Contestants gagged, cursed, and stared into the abyss of their choices, or the bucket. The appetizing bucket to throw up in. To relieve the pressure. To avoid ‘expelliarsus‘, that well known derivative spell from Hogwarts.
Round 4: Rodent Moonshine
Gein staff poured mouse wine into red solo cups like CU frat boy Keyate at a kegger. Whole baby mice floated in the bottle like grotesque olives. Rhonda stared into hers like it might stare back. Everyone looked traumatized. I was pretty sure at this point HGH was going to be doing roaring business, not covered by any job related healthcare benefits.
Round 5: Maggot Madness
Finally, the pièce de résistance; casu marzu, Sardinia’s infamous ‘maggot cheese.‘ Alive, writhing larvae were mandatory; dead ones are considered unsafe (because nothing says safety like live bugs in your food). Angelo looked ready to collapse. Rhonda soldiered on, green around the gills. And Muck? She devoured it like ice cream on a hot day, grinning with goo still on her lips.
Muck won the prize money, dignity long since abandoned.
After the ‘winner’ was declared, we tried to capture a few quotes from those souls who had not yet departed:
Angelo Baker: “Tonight I put some of the worst things I ever had in my mouth. Gotta put them worms on my top 5. I don’t think I ever ate somethin’ quite like that, but in a way. I’d take it as a sign I’ve really lost my mind when I STOP doin’ stupid shit like this. Anythin’ fer a dollar, yeah? Keep an eye on those Hoppers. They sure know how to make a memorable party.”
Rhonda Jasmite: “Well, I had no idea what to expect, certainly not that nastiness but… it was a good chunk of money and I had stepped up. It would look awful to just bail, right? So hey thanks to my competitors and Gein Burger and our Host Karigan. Uh now if you’ll excuse me… I need to go freshen up and…”
And our winner:
“Best was maggots and cheese! So tasty… but I ****ed for two hours after. Still worth it. All the money! Will eat all the ice cream!”
Muck
(More detail than required Muck, but thanks for the candour. – Daiyu)
The Gein: Business As Usual
For Gein, this wasn’t some wild detour. This is a brand that’s survived arson, tax schemes, and whispers of ‘mystery meat’ in the patties. Now, under current manager Karrigan, it’s turning controversy into marketing, because nothing fills a dining room like $10,000 on the line and a bucket for vomit.
In the end, the competition delivered exactly what Gein promises when you walk through the door: trauma (not always food related) with a side of fries. Contestants left pale, sweating, and forever changed, just like after a Heart Attack burger. The audience left entertained, if queasy. And Gein? It reminded Hathian that bad taste is sometimes the best business model.
Would we eat maggot cheese for $10,000? No comment. But we’ll say this: at least this time, we knew what was in the meat, (It’s been a long time since science testing at the Gein… Perhaps we should insist on a new round – Daiyu).
“Don’t trust that place. They served people there and with Karigan now in charge and losing her fucking marbles…” – Citizen interviewed on the street
