There is a special section in the prisons of United States for the inmates who await execution. These inmates have committed gruesome crimes, crimes that are unforgivable in the court of law, and are penalized with a death sentence. As per the strict rules of the United States, they are not allowed to take part in any sort of social or educational programs. These inmates are meant to stay in windowless cells for 23 hours a day, that too without any sort of interaction with other people except for the prison guards.

Death Row Stories is a documentary that is based on the stories of the people that have lived on death row. The last meal of the death row inmates is a customary ritual before execution. You will be surprised to see the wide variation and types of meals that are requested by the inmates before they were executed.

15. Turkey Bologna

Turkey bologna is usually sliced or sometimes used as an appetizer and some might even use it as a sandwich meat. The taste and texture of it is very much similar to other types of bologna. Turkey bologna was the last meal that was demanded by Andrew Lackey, a man who killed an 80-year-old because he though that the elderly man had a safe that contains gold bars and cash in his house. As the turkey bologna is low-fat, mostly used as an alternative to pork, it is not considered as a high-end item or something that someone should consider for his last meal.

14. Cold cuts

Cold cuts, as the name suggests, are the cooked slices of a meal that are served cold. They are also known as luncheon meats or cold meats. They can be served on party trays and also as a topping on sandwiches. This was the last meal that was requested by Charles Starkweather, a man who committed several murders in Nebraska and is known as a famous killer that has inspired a few movies. He was offered steak as his last meal, but he remained a rebel till the end since he decided to choose cold cuts over steak.

13. All sorts of nasty stuff

Gary Carl Simmons Jr. is famously known for the rape he committed and in addition to that, he had been involved in a number of brutal murders. The list of the last meal that Gary requested goes on and on, as he asked for all sorts of nasty stuff. He had a supreme, supreme deep dish pizza that had all sorts of toppings including jalapeno peppers, onions, mushrooms, two large strawberry shakes, McDonald’s fries with extra mayonnaise and ketchup. The list doesn’t end here, he also had 10 eight-ounce packs of parmesan cheese, a big family size pack of Doritos plus 10 eight ounce packs of ranch dressing.

12. Whiskey and eggs

Gary Gilmore, who is famously known for the book named The Executioner’s Song, which was later turned into a movie after winning a Pulitzer Prize, asked for a few things before he was sentenced to death. His last meal includes things that were healthy and filling. He did not ask for much as he just requested for a baked potato, a few cups of coffee, hard boiled eggs, a hamburger and three shots of Jack Daniel’s whiskey. One interesting and different thing about this man is that unlike all the other prisoners, he was the one who demanded to be executed while most people wanted to live.

11. Cheese doodles and coke

Anyone who loves cheese snacks would know what cheese doodles are. They are cheese puffs, the kind that just melt in your mouth. They have been produced by Wise Foods since several years. As the combination of cheese puffs and Coke sounds tempting, a bag full of cheese doodles and a 12-ounce can of Coke, which must contain a lot of sugar, was demanded by Velma Barfield who was a serial killer. The fact that she was the only woman in the death row in North Carolina when she got imprisoned points out that she must have been an unlikely serial killer.

10. An olive with the pit in it

Having a chance to be served with any of your favorite food items seems like a great opportunity but in the case of Victor Feguer, who kidnapped and killed a doctor because he badly wanted drugs, chose to have an olive with a pit in it as his last meal before getting hanged. Though olives are one of the most widely enjoyed foods, but this was probably the worst meal he could have asked for as he could have ordered much more. When he was executed by hanging, the pit from the olive was found in one of the pockets of the suit he had been wearing at the time of his execution.

9. Pizza, Ice cream and coke

William Bonin who was a serial killer, also known as the Freeway Killer, was convicted of a number of murders. He, like all the other prisoners, was given a chance to receive a special meal before or on the day of execution. Bonin, therefore, made a request of pizza, ice cream and Coke as his last meal before he died. It seems like Bonin was a pepperoni and sausage lover as he order two sausage and pepperoni pizzas, with that he had six-packs of Coca-Cola and Pepsi, and not forgetting about dessert at the end, he made a request for three servings of chocolate ice cream.

8. Spaghettios

Thomas Grasso, another one on the list of culprits who had committed a number of murders, was on death row when asked to make a request for his last meal. He received all that he had asked but at the end of his meal, he argued that he had ordered SpaghettiOs and not spaghetti. The meal, other than SpaghettiOs, included two strawberry milkshakes, a double cheeseburger from Burger King, a 16-ounces can that contained spaghetti with meatballs which were served at room temperature, pumpkin pie with diced strawberries and whipped cream and two dozen steamed clams and barbecued spare ribs.

7. Cottage cheese and radishes

Cheese cottage and radishes alongside a number of other items were requested by Stephen Wayne Anderson before he was sentenced to death for a number of burglaries and killing people. In the 1830s, the term cottage cheese evolved. It is thought to have a mild flavor and is a fresh cheese curd product. Whereas radishes are eaten as crunchy salad vegetables. They vary in color, size, and flavor. Apart from cottage cheese and radishes, a hominy/corn mixture, two grilled cheese sandwiches, a pint of chocolate chip ice cream and a slice of peach pie were requested by the inmate as his last meal.

6. Tricked into eating a tombstone pizza

Robert Alton Harris, just like the other inmates, when given the chance to demand his favorite meal before being executed, gave a long list that included pizza. But Robert was tricked and received Tombstone frozen pizza instead. This happened because he killed two boys and got imprisoned by one of the kid’s father. For his last meal, he had ordered two large pizzas from Dominos (the ones that were swapped with the frozen pizza), a bag of jelly beans, a bucket that contained 21 pieces of Kentucky Fried Chicken, a pack of Camel cigarettes, ice cream and a six-pack of Pepsi.

5. Four Whoppers

Marion Pruett, though a serial killer that attempted many killings, was very generous towards death row inmates. The food that he ordered was a long list as it included a bottle of ketchup, four Burger King Whoppers, three two-liter bottles of Pepsi, stuffed crust pizza from Pizza Hut, a bucket of ice, salt, a large order of French fries, fried okra, fried eggplant, a pecan pie and fried squash. He also wanted to have a roast duck but then had to settle on Whoppers because he couldn’t get the roasted duck in the prison. He shared this huge meal with another inmate who was also going to be executed the same day.

4. Fried okra with ketchup

Lawrence Russell Brewer had ordered a lot of food but did not eat any of it which is why the state of Texas decided to stop giving meals to the inmates. He was imprisoned for murdering James Byrd. The food that he ordered was a large bowl of fried okra with ketchup, three fajitas with fixings, half a loaf of white bread with a pound of barbecue, two chicken-fried steaks with sliced onions, three root beers, a cheeseburger that had triple- meat bacon, a cheese omelet that had jalapenos, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and ground beef. The list doesn’t end here; it also included a pint of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream, a meat lovers pizza and a slab of fudge that had crushed peanuts.

3. Pizza and Coffee

Gary Heidnik ordered far less food when compared to the others on this list. He had just ordered pizza and coffee for his last meal. Gary used to kidnap women and keep them in his basement, and he was imprisoned when discovered. It seems as if he was ready to welcome death as he did not have much for his last meal. It wasn’t anything nasty like all the things other inmates had eaten and was very unimaginative. Pizza and coffee wouldn’t make a nice combination for a lot of people, but he had requested to have two cups of coffee with two slices of cheese pizza.

2. Two pitchers of milk

Bobby Wayne Woods was convicted because he had raped and murdered his ex-girlfriend’s daughter. Before his execution, the meal that he requested included a half-pound of fried potatoes, two chicken fried steaks, two burgers, two fried chicken breasts, four slices of bread, three pork chops, two pitchers of milk, and a half-pound of onion rings. The list did not end here. Woods knew that it was the very last meal of his life, therefore he completed it with chocolate cake as dessert.

1. 29,000 calorie final feast

This Mississippi inmate knew that he won’t be getting another chance at food as this would be his last meal, so he tried making the most of it. He had shot a 21-year-old grocery store butcher and was then led into the death chamber. The reports by the Mississippi blog GulfLive revealed that the inmate had ordered food that came out to 29,000 calories and included 4 oz. of sliced jalapenos, 2 20-oz. cherry Cokes, 8 0z. jalapeno nacho cheese, one Pizza Hut medium super supreme deep dish pizza with jalapeno peppers, olives, mushrooms, bell peppers, olives, tomatoes, one family size bag of nacho cheese flavored Doritos, two pints of strawberry ice creams, 10 8-oz. packs of parmesan cheese and a huge order of McDonald’s fries with extra ketchup and mayonnaise.