“Full as a house.”
That’s how the competitive eaters said they felt after competing in the inaugural Saugus Wing Eating Championship at The Brook Casino in Seabrook this weekend.
Joey Chestnut, fresh from winning another Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, took center stage at the start.
But it was James Webb, Australia’s No. 1 competitive eater, who took the title of wing eating champion Saturday.
“Just being in the room with Joey is intimidating,” Webb said. “Being an Aussie, the token Aussie on the stage, I’ll take it!”
Each contestant made their way through 20 pounds of chicken wings.
Webb ate 249 wings, or 7.77 lbs worth, in 10 minutes, hitting a new world record.
Joey Chestnut entered the competition to a fervor of delight by fans. He ate his way into second place, eating 241 wings.
Before the competition took place, he noted that wings require a different eating strategy than hot dogs, which he’s more famously known for.
“Take one really hard and pinch and kind of do an umbrella method and I use my mouth and my hand to scoop the meat and I move onto the next one,” Chestnut said.
Over 2,100 people came out to attend the event, cheering and heckling the contestants on stage.
The crowds cheered for Chestnut but also participants who hailed from New England, like Geoffrey Esper from Oxford, Mass., who teaches science at Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School. He finished in third place.
“I knew Joey was going to be the crowd favorite, but I really appreciated the strong support I got. The sponsor and host of the event were fantastic, and the wings tasted great,” Esper said.
