The Sporkies have become a beloved tradition at the Wisconsin State Fair, showcasing weird and creative food combinations and pitting them against each other in a friendly competition judged by local celebrity judges. We asked our summer interns to share their thoughts on the Sporkies finalists when they were announced earlier this summer, and now that the fair is here, we sent them to do some research for all of us and try the creations themselves. While some dishes underwhelmed them, others surprised and even shocked the taste-testers. Here are their thoughts:
Rise & Swine
Our rating: 7/10
Ava McNarney: Ice cream on a waffle is unfortunately not a great match for a hot day at the fair.
Maggie Zale: Yeah, maybe we should have picked that one up last.
JJ: It did turn into ice cream soup, but it still tasted like ice cream! Plus, the waffle and sausage weren’t that bad with it.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
MZ: Who would’ve thought that sausage and ice cream would pair so nicely.
Olivia Patel: Agreed. The flavors were all there, but the melty ice cream made the waffle soggy.
Deep Fried Lemonade Bites
Our rating: 10/10
AM: I am not typically a lemonade girl, but like fair lemonade, this pleasantly surprised me.
JJ: Agreed – I wasn’t expecting this to be as good as it was.
OP: Good isn’t a strong enough adjective. I was blown away by this one … It was like a beignet but filled with a lemon-y filling.
MZ: Saz’s at the State Fair never misses.
NT: I can totally understand how this won 1st place!
AM: Agreed, subjectively not my favorite, but an objectively deserved winner.
Dirty Chai Cinnamon Roll Lumpia
Our rating: 7/10
JJ: I had so much hope for this, but honestly, I was a little disappointed.
MZ: I’d have to agree. The chai-to-cinnamon ratio was subpar.
AM: Way too much cinnamon, but I appreciated the creativity!
OP: My bite had a fantastic ratio, but I can see where some of the doughier parts would have a drier bite. For me, the chai flavor was spot on.
Loaded Baked Potato Churro
Our rating: 9/10
JJ: This one was so good, it was very simple, but made for a good palette cleanser.
MZ: Agreed. It’s not possible to mess up a fried potato. It will always taste good.
OP: It was like a classic favorite with a small twist. The sour cream sauce was easily the best part to compliment the potato.
MZ: I could drink that sour cream sauce.
NT: These proved that a Sporkie doesn’t have to be too out of the box to be new and delicious.
AM: They probably didn’t need the bacon bits, but then again, they wouldn’t be Sporkie-level weird without them!
Elvis Nachos
Our rating: 6/10
MZ: I had high hopes for these, I will always root for the underdog, but that banana-flavored peanut butter will forever haunt me.
JJ: I never thought food would make me sad, until this.
OP: Potato chips and peanut butter were never meant to mix…
AM: I don’t know what everyone is talking about … these are amazing. Only real peanut butter lovers know!!
MZ: Ava, I’m sorry but I think you’re alone on this one.
Cool Ranch Doritos Pickle
Our rating: 6/10
JJ: I hope none of you saw, but I was gagging when people were eating the Cool Ranch Doritos Pickle.
OP: I was right there with you. The circumference of the pickle was way too much for me, maybe a skinnier bite would’ve been better?
AM: I wouldn’t recommend eating a whole piece in one bite. Also, best eaten on a stick.
JJ: You can only do so much to make that much pickle work with Doritos.
MZ: Hey, don’t knock it ‘til you try it. Nothing says ‘refreshing summer treat’ like a piping hot pickle coated in Dorito crumbs.
Hot Ham & Glazers
Our rating: 5/10
OP: My taste buds were so overwhelmed by this one, it’s hard to give it a solid rating. Maybe a 5?
MZ: There was so much going on that all the flavors cancelled out when I took a bite.
JJ: There was something so wrong with this, but yeah, I couldn’t quite figure out what it was.
AM: Considering that most of us couldn’t even fit both donuts into a bite, it probably would have been better to go with one cut in half.
MZ: Why was the ham grey?
OP: Good question!
JJ: Why did we still eat this?
NT: If you eat it with your eyes closed, it’s actually pretty good.
AM: I was shocked and slightly disgusted by the number of people who stopped us to ask where we got it from because they thought it looked that good.
Elote Corn Ribs
Our rating: 8/10
OP: These had the best presentation, by far.
JJ: Besides the fact I got all the chili pepper dust in one bite, it was good.
AM: Whatever it was, it was a great choice.
MZ: They hit it out of the park with the taste, but it was so hard to eat. That might’ve been because we shared one order between six people though…
AM: It was an intern bonding experience for sure.
JJ: Yeah, but how about that spicy mayo!
OP: Mmm, the spicy mayo…
Find the list of Sporkies (and Drinkies) locations here. The State Fair runs through Aug. 11.
