Anoka man falls short of his own world record at pumpkin weigh-off in California

An Anoka man with a knack for growing large gourds repeated as the champion of the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off Monday, but missed setting a new world record.

Travis Gienger had to sweat it out as his giant pumpkin made it to the scale with the theme from the movie “Rocky” playing in the background. His was the last of the scores of pumpkins to be weighed during the 51st annual competition in Half Moon Bay, Calif.

“We’re just hoping for a top 10 finish right now,” Gienger said nervously as his pumpkin, nicknamed “Rudy,” was loaded on the scale. “There is a lot of pressure.”

The drama thickened after third- and fourth-place pumpkins weighed in at 2,380 and 2,387 pounds respectively. Then Brandon Dawson of Santa Rosa, Calif., took the lead with a gourd weighing 2,465 pounds, the largest grown in California in 2024.

But all ended well for Gienger, who handily won last year’s competition, affectionately known as the “Super Bowl of Weigh-Offs,” and took home the top prize and the Mel Mello Sr. Grand Champion Growers jacket. Rudy checked in at 2,471, much lighter than last year’s entry that tipped the scales at 2,749 pounds and set a world record.

How did a man from Minnesota repeat as champion?

“The focus is on soil biology and soil health, and the rest should take its course,” he said before the final number appeared on the digital scale. He started growing Rudy in April.

Many fans tuned in to watch the dramatic ending, which was livestreamed on Facebook.

Gienger earned $9 per pound as the winner, which will help cover the “couple thousand” dollars he said he spent on gas to haul Rudy from Minnesota to the West Coast.

The competition started as a fun, lighthearted contest between Circleville, Ohio, and Half Moon Bay, Calif., with the two cities proclaiming to be the Pumpkin Capital of the World.

Gienger said Rudy will be sculpted by a series of professional carvers in Los Angeles after the event.

“It’s going to be very cool even after the event,” Gienger said.