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Video: Joey Chestnut Eats Record-Setting 191 Buffalo Wings In 12 Minutes
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 3, 2012
Modified Sep 3, 2012
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By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 3, 2012
Modified Sep 3, 2012
Share
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Yesterday was a lazy Sunday for most people on this Labor Day weekend—but not for competitive eaters (or Kanye West). The National Buffalo Wing Festival—held in Buffalo—held its chicken wing eating contest and Mustard Belt champion Joey Chestnut shattered the standing record by gobbling 191 wings in 12 minutes. That's 7.61 pounds of wings, people.
Chestnut's victory halted Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas's reign as the wing champion—Thomas had won in 2004 and from 2007 to last year. The Buffalo News notes that Chestnut's performance was the first time in three years he managed to beat Thomas, and the San Jose, California resident said, "It was incredible, an amazing contest. It was just a matter of getting the right rhythm. And Sonya is a great competitor."
After the contest, Chestnut told the News, "I'm tired now. I'll go and take a nap. Buffalo is a great place in which to compete; it's an awesome place." On the other hand, Thomas, who ate 6.36 pounds of poultry, was ready for fun, "I didn't eat before the contest today. The wings will be just an appetizer. I'll be hungry after the contest, and then I'll have to eat some other food, and I'll drink a Diet Coke."
We're guessing that Chestnut had the chicken sweats:
It took six hours to recover from 7 pounds of chicken wings. now it's time to party in Buffalo and celebrate a new record
— Joey Chestnut (@joeyjaws) September 3, 2012
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Competitive Eating
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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