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#Watermelonboy: Boy Eats Whole Watermelon — Skin, Seeds And All — During Cricket Match, Becomes Instant Internet Sensation [Video]

By JohnThomas Didymus
Published on: 03:54 PST, Jan 2, 2016

An Australian boy was catapulted to instant Internet stardom after he was captured on the big screen munching casually on a whole watermelon — skin, seeds and all — while watching a cricket match in Melbourne, Australia on Saturday. The amazing feat quickly eclipsed the cricket match as sports fans took to social media sharing amazing clips of the boy chowing down on a whole watermelon.

The boy was filmed performing the incredible feat during a women’s Big Bash match between the Melbourne Renegades and the Stars at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday.

According to the Daily Mail, the boy, whose name is believed to be “Mitch,” is the son of Tony Schibeci (@theschibecsta), a Melbourne radio host and sports reporter.

The short clip shows the boy apparently enjoying a “healthy snack,” gnawing at the skin of a whole watermelon fruit, presumably with the tasty red inner part his intended final destination.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports he was captured on the big screen when the cameras cut away during the Renegades’ innings. He had already eaten deep into the fruit, demonstrating a bizarre eating technique that some viewers remarked was reminiscent of a giant mutant rat in a horror movie.

The sports commentators could not believe their eyes when the cameras focused on the boy dressed in an orange t-shirt, blue cap and pants, munching happily on a whole watermelon.

When he appeared on the screen a commentator exclaimed, “That’s… I’ve never seen that before in my life.”

His colleague said, “Unbelievable.”

“He’s eating the whole, he’s eating the whole thing.”

Viewers watched in utter amazement as the boy ate his meal contentedly, pausing to cheer the players along with other fans. According to the Herald Sun, he became an instant hit on social media as Australian sports fans took to Twitter and Facebook to share images and clips on the strange spectacle.

Soon the hashtag #Watermelonboy rose to #1 spot in Melbourne Twittersphere and # 2 nationally. He became an instant hit on social media as fans dubbed him “Watermelonboy.”

“Our last PM was photographed eating a whole raw onion (like an apple…peel and all!!)… So a kid eating a watermelon makes news??… At least it’s more palatable… to most folks… than a raw onion!”

“I have seen more footage and he did actually eat the whole melon.”

“I bet his parents are vegan eating hippies.”

“Good on him. It’s certainly better than crisps, chocolates and junk food.”

After the match, hundreds more took to social media with tweets inquiring whether the boy eventually finished his odd meal. Indeed, it appeared that more people were interested in the result of the watermelon eating stunt than in the result of the match between the Renegades and the Stars.

Baffled healthy eating enthusiasts began making feverish inquiries whether eating an entire watermelon was a viable new healthy eating idea. A woman appeared to summarize the reaction to the clip when she remarked that only in Australia could a child become an instant celebrity by eating a whole watermelon on TV.

After the match — won by the Renegades — even members of the Stars inquired about the boy. Everyone wanted to know whether he actually finished his meal.

His father, Schibeci, later posted photos of his son to Twitter and confirmed that he nearly finished the whole fruit. He also posted to Twitter the little that was left of the melon (see below).

And according to nutritionists fruit peels are a good source of dietary fibers, including non-soluble polysaccharides (NSP) such as hemi-cellulose, pectin and tannins. NSPs help to prevent and relieve constipation, reduce colon cancer risk, and lower serum LDL-cholesterol levels.

[Image via Prathyush Thomas/Wikimedia]

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