Inspired by a childhood dream, two men set out on a quest for redemption…

60-Day Window

7:00 am – Ted is up early frantically refreshing his menu. After a few tense minutes, he finds the entree he is looking for. Turkey FastPass is secured. He rounds it off with a Stuffing FastPass, then picks up a burner FastPass for Romaine Lettuce Salad.

Day Before the Meal

6:08 pm – Shane and Ted go over the food script. The plan is to rope drop the desserts, figuring that most people are saving those till the end. The FastPasses will not kick in until the second hour so they hope to clear as many small desserts as possible before course-hopping to entrees.

7:20 pm – They spend the evening planning the outfits for the big day. Belts are loosened by two notches. Backup stretchy pants are stored safely within reach. A last minute emergency sends Shane on a trip to secure extra napkins.

Thanksgiving Day – One Meal. Every Food.

11:00 am – Team Parkeology arrives 1 hour before the posted meal time. They are the first in line.

11:50 am – With larger than expected crowds building, the Opening Prayer kicks off 10 minutes early.

11:52 am – Mad dash to Pumpkin Pie, easily the biggest dessert on the menu. #thanksgivingchallenge Food 1

11:55 am – Pecan Pie right next door. Two of the most popular desserts done before the meal even officially begins. Making great time. #thanksgivingchallenge Food 2

12:00 pm – Team Parkeology hits its first roadblock of the day. Apple Pie is experiencing delayed baking. Team audibles to Angel Food Cake #thanksgivingchallenge Food 3

12:10 pm – Crowds starting to build at popular dishes. Shane and Ted polish off Banana Nut Bread #thanksgivingchallenge Food 4

12:25 pm – First Course-hop. The plan is to grail the Casseroles. Hopefully by then, the FastPass window will have opened up for Stuffing. Green Bean Casserole is first up. #thanskgivingchallenge Food 5

12:40 pm – Standby for Sweet Potato Casserole is out the door. Team calls another audible and picks up Mac and Cheese instead. #thanksgivingchallenge Food 6

12:45 pm – Hashbrown Casserole Food 7

12:55 pm – According to the menu, Apple Pie is back up, but the wait is now 50 minutes. Team Parkeology decides this is the opportune time to grab Dinner Rolls, since this food runs out early. #thanksgivingchallenge Food 8

1:00 pm – There is some debate on Twitter about the Hashbrown Casserole pickup, since the team forgot to include the #thanksgivingchallenge tag. But all is good. The tweet just didn’t go through. In the meantime, Team Parkeology is now in their FastPass window for Stuffing. #thanksgivingchallenge Food 9

1:10 pm – Buttered Corn #thanksgivingchallenge Food 10

1:15 pm – Score! Ted is able to move up the FastPass for Turkey. It feels good to get this one out of the way. #thanksgivingchallenge Food 11

1:30 pm – FP #3. As it turns out, it wasn’t needed. Romaine Lettuce Salad was a walk-on. Food 13 #thanksgivingchallenge

1:40 pm – Team is in the bonus now. Ted snags a FP for Ham. Return time is not ideal, but they need this critical entree. Will try to modify it to earlier time. In meantime, Parkeology goes for Squash. #thanskgivingchallenge Food 14

1:45 pm – Someone on Twitter notices that the food count is off. Squash should have been Food 13. Meanwhile, Shane and Ted go for the Peas. #thanksgivingchallenge Food 14

1:55 pm – Carrots is next on the menu as the team falls victim to the proximity trap from Peas. They are now cutting it close and will need to course-hop to Carbs or the meal will be prematurely over #thanksgivingchallenge Food 15.

2:10 pm – Just made it! Shane and Ted snag the very last Crescent Roll! The Dream is Alive! #thanksgivingchallenge Food 16

2:15 pm – Course hopping all the way back to entrees in time for the Ham FP. After tapping at Ham, Ted finds a FP for … Apple Pie! That’s the gamechanger they were hoping for. #thanksgivingchallenge Food 17

2:25 pm – In line for Fruit Salad. Taking forever.

2:35 pm – Still no Fruit Salad. Bowl might be out. No word yet from the chefs. According to Twitter, Fruit Salad has been having problems all day with watermelon seeds.

2:40 pm – Team Parkeology is on the verge of bailing when suddenly everything is back up again! Fruit Salad secured! #thanksgivingchallenge Food 18

2:45 pm – Quick stop at personal vehicle to don disposable ponchos. Then on to Cranberry Sauce #thanksgivingchallenge Food 19

3:00 pm – Another course hop. Team Parkeology wades back into desserts. Time for that Apple Pie FP.

3:10 pm – Just two guys in their 40s, eating Jello with Marshmallows inside. Nothing wrong with that. #thanksgivingchallenge Food 21.

3:20 pm – The guys polish off a scoop of Ice Cream. And with that, they earn their first badge. Desserts complete! #thanksgivingchallenge Food 22.

3:26 pm – Taking time to hit a few smaller dishes. Cornbread Food 23 #thanksgivingchallenge

3:40 pm – Only a few foods left, and the team is really dragging. Shane has ditched the belt completely and unbuttoned the pants. Ted is popping antacids. But they have the eye of the tiger and knock off Fried Chicken #thanksgivingchallenge Food 24

3:49 pm – Course hop all the way back to appetizers to pick up the Deviled Eggs outlier. Food 25 #thanksgivingchallenge

3:57 pm – Just about a half hour left and still 4 more foods on the menu. Looks like it will be down to the wire. Sweet Potato Casserole line is finally manageable. The guys snag it. Food 26 #thanksgivingchallenge

4:10 pm – It’s the one dish nobody wants, but it’s a necessary evil if you want to get the full completion. Shane and Ted eat generous portion of Vegan Tofu Chili brought by cousin’s weird boyfriend. Food 27 #thanksgivingchallenge

4:24 pm – All-out sprint to Baked Beans to keep things mathematically possible. But will it be too late? #thanksgivingchallenge Food 28

4:29 pm – Last minute hop on to the mother of all Thanksgiving foods…  Mashed Potatoes and Gravy!

Full Completion!

We did it! That’s a full completion of all 29 foods in a single meal! And we mean full completion. We’re stuffed! It’s the happiest Thanksgiving that Team Parkeology could hope for.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

The Next Day

5:01 am – In line at World of Disney for Black Friday deals.