Among Us Chicken Nugget Auction: The $99,997 Meme That Defined Viral Gaming Culture
Long after Among Us became one of 2020's defining multiplayer hits, one of its strangest internet artifacts still stands out: a McDonald's chicken nugget shaped like a crewmate that drew a winning bid of $99,997 on eBay. The listing, posted by eBay user polizna, closed on June 4, 2021, at 8:00 am after receiving more than 180 bids. The item came from a 10-piece order tied to McDonald's BTS Meal promotion, and its rounded, helmet-like top and stubby legs made it resemble the awkward astronaut crewmates from Innersloth's social deduction game.
The auction was absurd on its face: a piece of fried, breaded processed chicken, only sort of shaped like a video game character, commanding nearly six figures. That absurdity was exactly why so many online gamers paid attention. Among Us had climbed from negligible player counts to roughly sixty million users between late August and late September 2020, becoming a viral success and a deeply rooted cultural phenomenon. By the time the nugget auction appeared, the game's community had already turned crewmate imagery, emergency meetings, and impostor jokes into a shared visual language. A crewmate-shaped McNugget fit that language perfectly.
A Meme Bid or a Serious Sale?
Observers quickly questioned whether the winning bid was genuine. It is possible that a wealthy or particularly irresponsible Among Us megafan was willing to pay nearly $100,000 for a novelty food item. A more likely scenario, however, was that fans treated the eBay auction as a meme and artificially inflated the bids without intending to complete payment. In other words, the sale may have been a fake bid amplified by internet humor rather than a real collectible transaction.
There was some evidence that the winning bidder was at least semi-active on eBay. The account had made several bids over the previous 30 days, including bids on headphones, a Camaro-related product, and other odds and ends. eBay keeps most bidder account information private, so the public could only see vague details. Even so, abandoning an active eBay account might be preferable to paying $100,000 for a chicken nugget, which left the auction's authenticity unresolved.
| Auction Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Item | McDonald's chicken nugget shaped like an Among Us crewmate |
| Seller | eBay user polizna |
| Source | 10-piece order from McDonald's BTS Meal promotion |
| Auction close | June 4, 2021, at 8:00 am |
| Bids | More than 180 |
| Winning bid | $99,997 |
| Likely outcome | Meme bidding; payment and verification unclear |
Innersloth Joined the Joke
The story became even more entertaining when Innersloth, the developer behind Among Us, joined the fun. The official Among Us social media account shared the chicken nugget auction a few days before it wrapped up. At the time, the price had already reached almost $35,000, and the listing had become a meme within the game's community. The account admitted, 'I don't know hot to feel about it??' before adding, 'but also??? I want it.' It can safely be assumed that Innersloth did not ultimately win the nugget, though the studio could very likely afford it with ease.
That developer response underscored how closely Among Us had become tied to internet culture. The game was not just a multiplayer experience; it was a source of shared jokes, reaction images, and bizarre community moments. The nugget auction turned a fast-food promotion into a piece of improvised performance art. It also raised familiar questions about online auctions, novelty collectibles, and the strange economics of meme culture. Without independent verification, it remains unclear whether the nugget was ever genuinely sold, whether the winning bidder paid, or whether the entire episode was simply a viral prank.
Why the Story Still Matters in 2026
By 2026, Among Us is no longer at its 2020 peak, but the game remains available on PC and mobile devices and retains a recognizable place in online gaming history. The chicken nugget auction is a historical curiosity, yet it remains a useful case study in how viral games create value around inside jokes and novelty items. A normal chicken nugget has little collectible value; a nugget that vaguely resembles a crewmate can attract six-figure bids because it carries the weight of a cultural moment.
For fans who are jealous of the original listing, the practical advice is simple: buy a 10-piece meal and shape a normal nugget into a crewmate with a few bites. It is just as fun, far less expensive, and does not require trusting an eBay auction with $100,000. ๐๐๐ฐ The Among Us chicken nugget saga may never be fully verified, but it remains a weird, memorable reminder of how a social deduction game became a defining part of internet gaming culture.