'Rock Lobster': Monroeville man wins Wholey's contest to grab as many live lobsters as he can in 60 seconds
Steve Hunter knows what he’s having for dinner: fresh lobster.
Nine of them.
Hunter won the Wholey’s Lobster Grab Contest. The Monroeville resident was given one minute to grab all the lobsters he could with his bare hands out of the 40-degree cold water tank inside Wholey’s store on Saturday in Pittsburgh’s Strip District.
He was able to hold onto nine at once.
“I was so excited,” said Hunter, sporting a red lobster claw head band. “This is unreal. Wholey’s is one of my favorite places to go.”
Hunter went in with a strategy. He had been practicing holding items at home and devised a way to grasp four items firmly in one hand, and then place one or two under his arm.
But the lobsters being live created a challenge.
“I forgot about how they would move,” said Hunter, who had family cheering him on. “They started flopping, so my original plan went out the window.”
Hunter was chosen randomly. Customers who purchased a live lobster at Wholey’s between July 19 and Aug. 16 received one ticket for each purchase.
Hunter bought 37 for a family seafood buffet dinner — giving him 37 chances in the drawing. His name was selected on Wednesday, Aug. 16 out of 2,900 tickets.
The Wholey’s record for the most lobsters held after the 60 seconds is 12.
Robert Wholey & Co. Inc. was founded in 1912 by Robert L. Wholey in McKees Rocks. Wholey’s has been providing fresh seafood, fish, meat, and poultry for three generations.
Co-owner Sam Wholey said it was a company decision to have the contest.
“It’s a way to promote the sale of lobster,” Wholey said. “We have plenty of lobsters and watching this contest is entertaining.”
Carroll, wearing a red lobster hat, announced the contest and shoppers gathered around the lobster tanks.
One of those was Jason Lenox of North Braddock, who won the contest in 2020. The Long Island native said having access to fresh seafood in Pittsburgh is wonderful because seafood is plentiful on Long Island.
“A lot of the seafood I used to catch I can buy here,” he said. “Wholey’s is incredible.”
Lenox said there definitely is a process to grabbing lobsters.
The hard shell, cold water lobsters are harvested in Maine. They’re currently on sale for $7.98 a pound through Aug. 31. There are two ways to cook lobster — boil or steam. It takes 15-17 minutes to steam and a little shorter time to boil, said Carroll.
The perfect complement to lobster is hot melted Amish butter, Wholey said.
Wholey’s sells 1,500 to 2,000 pounds a week of lobster this time of year. They have trucks arriving six days a week.
The lobster tank is filled with salt water and maintains a temperature of 40 degrees. It has a section with gravel and is covered with a brown sludge. Lobsters can live up to 50 years. A one-pound lobster is 5-6 years old.
Wholey’s seafood manager Ned Carroll, who has been working for the company for four decades, set his stopwatch to 60 seconds. He started with a 10-second countdown. Surrounded by family members who began cheering, Hunter reached in the tank.
“Go Steve, get in there Steve,” Carroll said. “Don’t be afraid to get wet. Don’t be scared. Oh no, he dropped one. Go! Go!”
Carroll placed the lobsters in a bag and then reached into the tank to add another one.
“I couldn’t believe it when they called and said I won,” Hunter said. “I thought someone was joking because my family and friends knew I had entered the contest. This was really fun.
“We’re having lobster tonight.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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