To the surprise of absolutely no one, Wednesday’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl game featured a lot of mayonnaise. Honestly, we’d be disappointed if that wasn’t the case, but it’s still pretty gross.
As North Carolina and West Virginia faced off in one of the most popular bowl games, ESPN broadcasters Matt Barrie and Dan Mullen were having their own version of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in the booth. Specifically, they were taste-testing different items with mayonnaise, like habanero garlic flavor mayo.
They both actually seemed to enjoy the habanero-garlic edition — though Barrie acknowledged that maybe downing a little spice before calling a play was the wrong move for him.
Here's the first @DukesMayoBowl mayonnaise taste test from @MattBarrie and @CoachDanMullen, of the habanero garlic flavor. "My mayo hormones are raging…actually, I don't know how smart it was to rip that habanero before calling a play." – Barrie. pic.twitter.com/wYXLJ10KRo
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 27, 2023
But they kept going with their taste-testing, despite the profound grossness of consuming so much mayo.
Pepperoni rolls with bacon-and-tomato (Barrie), fire-roasted red pepper (Mullen), and unspecified (sideline reporter Harry Lyles Jr.). “West Virginia’s defense and Malachi Ruffin gets stout like this bacon and tomato mayo. Bacon and tomato mayo, 8.5 out of 10.” – Barrie. pic.twitter.com/VFONquo66e
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 27, 2023
But eventually, Barrie and Mullen brought out mayo nachos, which is quite an escalation from the previous options. It looked kind of like elote but with chips and skewed proportions.
It’s not totally clear if it was nacho-flavored mayo on nachos, just nachos with mayo on top of them or both. But either way, it was too much for Barrie to handle – and understandably.
“Oh my god… no,” Barrie said when Mullen offered him a taste. But Mullen loved them.
Matt Barrie was not touching the mayo nachos. But Dan Mullen was a fan.
“Best so far, Matt, mayo nachos.” – Mullen.
“Yeah, text me at 1 a.m. and tell me how good the mayo nachos are.” – Barrie pic.twitter.com/koiv2g0lVr— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 27, 2023
Mayo Nachos pic.twitter.com/XLsHvKR2Ru
— Dan Mullen (@CoachDanMullen) December 27, 2023
So yeah, there was a lot of mayonnaise at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, and it was so gross.
UPDATE: More mayo.
.@DukesMayoBowl halftime snack.. pic.twitter.com/59hlODORHu
— Matt Barrie (@MattBarrie) December 28, 2023