Every Olympics has its unlikely stars: Eric “The Eel” Moussambani inspiring swimmers in Sydney, Steven Bradbury unexpectedly winning gold in Salt Lake City and becoming a sporting legend — the list goes on.
This year, the main character is the “Muffin Man.”
That’s not his real name, but considering it’s racked up millions of views on TikTok, it might as well be his.
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Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen, competing in his third Olympic Games, isn’t a medal contender in either event, but he’s still a social media sensation.
The food in the Olympic Village apparently got bad reviews, with US Team gold medallist Hesley Rivera saying she didn’t like it.
Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen, who is competing in his third Olympics, has garnered millions of views with a TikTok video about the Olympic Village’s chocolate muffins. (Sarah Steer/Getty Images)
“I don’t think what they’re eating, at least in the cafeteria, is very good,” Rivera said at a news conference after the U.S. women’s team won the gold medal in the gymnastics team event.
She continued, “I think French food is definitely good, but I don’t think what we’re eating is the best, but it’s good enough.”
The only exception seems to be the chocolate muffin, which apparently is “eat it like cake.”
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In a TikTok video posted on July 25, Christiansen reviewed some of the food at the Olympic Village cafeteria.
The chicken dumplings were “okay,” the pork skewers and pesto pasta “pretty good,” but the chocolate muffin, or “choco muffin” as Christiansen calls it, was “excellent.”
“11/10,” he said.
Henrik Christiansen rose to fame on TikTok after his videos reviewing food at the Olympic Village went viral. (Nikola Krstic/Orange Pictures/BSR Agency/Getty Images, iStock)
In the video, Christiansen can be seen laughing and eating a muffin.
Several more videos were posted afterwards, including one that alternated between images of Christiansen’s chocolate-covered face and him taking a bite of the now-legendary muffin.
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Other TikTok videos show Christiansen walking around the Olympic Village with several muffins and “rating” them against other French pastries.
True to the Olympic spirit, athletes from other delegations have also raved about the chocolate muffins on social media.
“It tastes exactly like cake.”
Team USA swimmers Abby Weitzer and Tori Huske went to buy the “famous and infamous chocolate muffin” and documented the experience on Weitzer’s TikTok account.
“At first glance it looks like the surface is molten, but it feels cool to the touch,” Husk said.
“It tastes exactly like cake,” she said.
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Weitzel agreed, noting that the inside is “melty and fudgy.”
“For a chocolate muffin, it’s a nine out of 10,” Huske said, adding that it’s even better warm. Weizeil also gave it a nine.
American swimmers Tori Huske (left) and Abby Weitzer (right) also praised the chocolate muffins. (Xavier Laing/Getty Images)
They also said they saw “Muffin Man” Christiansen on their way to the diner.
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“We passed the Muffin Man! Muffin Man, if you see this, I was sitting next to you on the bus and I said, ‘Oh my goodness, you’re the Muffin Man,'” Weitzeil said.
Celebrities are also taking notice.
Chef Gordon Ramsay On Friday, he commented on one of Christiansen’s muffin videos, saying, “I think I’m going to try that right now…”
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Christiansen has qualified for the Olympics in the men’s 800m freestyle and 1,500m freestyle.
He will next compete in the men’s open water 10km marathon swim on the Seine River, which is scheduled for August 8-9, reports the Associated Press.
