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Death Row Meals Cover 2

Cheapism / @slavinjoshua / slobo/istockphoto

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Death row has an ominous air about it that is hard to ignore. From the timeline leading up to the execution to all of the small details sprinkled throughout, getting an inside look at what an inmate's days on death row look like feels a bit like reading a document you weren't supposed to have access to. 


There's an unexplainable compelling nature that keeps you sucked in, even when you're supposed to look away. Such is the case with TikToker Josh Slavin (@slavinjoshua), who became so intrigued by death row inmates' last meal requests, that he set out to recreate, eat, and rate them all.

@slavinjoshua

Finding the greatest ‘Final Meal’ request of ALL TIME… 👀

♬ original sound - Josh Slavin

In his initial video (which now has more than 11 million views), Slavin starts off with Ricky Ray Rector, a two-time murderer (one of his victims being a police officer) who was sentenced to death by lethal injection. For his final meal, Rector requested steak, fried chicken, pecan pie, and cherry Kool-Aid. Slavin went on to explain that Rector never wound up eating his pecan pie because he was "saving it for later" (there is no later on death row, Mr. Rector!), and the guards left the pie on his plate until his execution was complete. This meal was seriously lacking in the sides department though, landing it in Slavin's "C" tier, which he defines as average.


His scale ranges from "D" (not good) up to "S" (THE BEST!). 

@slavinjoshua

Ranking EVERY Death Row meal: Stephen Wayne Anderson

♬ original sound - Josh Slavin

In another viral video, Slavin tried out contract killer Stephen Wayne Anderson's last meal: two grilled cheese sandwiches, a side of radishes, one pint of cottage cheese, a corn and hominy mixture, peach pie, and a pint of chocolate chip ice cream. This one wound up in the dismal "D" range thanks to being too over-zealous with the dairy. Maybe it was his IQ of 136 or maybe Anderson was a vegetarian because GRILLED CHEESE? For your last meal on earth? And no drink? Come on, man.


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Looking for more criminal history? Check out where America's most famous outlaws are buried.


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