App State Eliminated From Satirical Collegiate Milk Competition

A satirical milk-drinking competition among students from several UNC-system schools has been unfolding on Instagram since August. The online contest, which has engaged students from App State, UNC-Charlotte, NC State, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Asheville, Duke University, East Carolina University, and Western Carolina University, recently announced the elimination of App State on September 30.

The competition originated with the Instagram account @appmilkdrinkers, which began posting in August 2024. This account, operated by an unidentified person or group, primarily features photos of App State students consuming milk, either submitted by followers or captured by the account owner. By September 26, @appmilkdrinkers had accumulated over 774 posts and more than 3,000 followers.

The contest gained wider attention through collaborations with @channel13nc, an Instagram account describing itself as a “Satire/Parody” channel focused on “North Carolina news, culture and music.” This account, active since March, has over 46,000 followers. On September 22, @channel13nc and @appmilkdrinkers collaborated on a post titled “App State is full of milk-drinkers,” featuring photos of App State students. The caption asserted that App State “reportedly has the highest calcium-to-body-weight ratio in the entire country.” This post garnered more than 6,000 likes and over 2,000 shares.

Later that same day, @channel13nc expanded the competition by collaborating with @charlotte.milkdrinkers and @spoofninernews on another post, “UNCC challenges App State to a milk drink-off,” accompanied by photos of UNC-Charlotte students. While no formal rules for the competition have been made public, developments and eliminations are announced through @channel13news posts. All participating accounts claim no affiliation with their respective universities, with students driving the competition by submitting photos of themselves drinking milk.

According to @channel13news, “Chapel Hill is guzzling the white liquid by the gallon,” while also stating, “Everyone at Duke is lactose intolerant,” which sidelined Duke University from the competition. Initial statistics, though not formally verified, included a claim that “NC State drinks 72 cups of milk in one sitting.” The post noted questions about how milk consumption would be measured as the contest progressed.

Further developments included a lone contestant, Michael Campbell, who entered the competition claiming he could “go jug for jug with any college in the state.” He was declared eliminated the same day, supposedly “slimed out” by App State, marking the first official elimination. UNC-Asheville was credited by @channel13news with drinking 60 cups of milk in 40 minutes, and another post claimed that “UNCC takes down 100+ cups of milk.”

Students involved have voiced positive sentiments about the competition. Owen Parker Schmidt, who manages the @wcu.milkdrinkers Instagram account, stated that the milk drinking contest has positively influenced students' daily habits and lifestyles. Schmidt wrote that it encourages students to focus on consuming healthy beverages competitively instead of alcohol, and fosters new friendships and social connections.

Emma Varinoski, a freshman music therapy major at App State who participated in the challenge, reported that she and five other students drank 20 cups of milk, with Varinoski personally consuming five. Varinoski expressed the competitive spirit, saying, "App State's gonna win, and we're gonna do it fair and square."

Jared Rupert, a junior political science major at App State, highlighted the university's dining hall milk variety, including chocolate, normal, soy, and pea milk, as an advantage in the contest. Rupert specifically challenged NC State, noting, “NC State, you may beat us in football, you don’t got pea milk.”

Despite the enthusiasm, @channel13news announced App State's elimination on September 30. The stated reason was “several days of undeniably insulting submissions, with the final straw coming when an App State student flaunted the consumption of a single cup of milk.” It remains unclear whether the competition will ultimately yield an official winner, establish a standardized measurement for milk consumption, or simply continue to produce elaborate Instagram posts. For now, students across North Carolina continue to drink milk as the online competition unfolds.