Hooters World Wing Eating Championship

ESPER CLAIMS HOOTERS WING CROWN!

Before we dive into the editorializing, let's deal with the facts as they present themselves: Geoffrey Esper won the 2017 Hooters World Wing Eating Championship. He ate 250 Hooters wings in 10 minutes. That tally stands as a Hooters wing-eating record, besting the previous Hooters wing total of 241, set by Matthew Stonie in 2015 in Clearwater, FL.

Now, take a deep breath. Those of you calling Esper's win an upset would do well to pipe down. There is no asterix on this win. Yes, he beat Joey Chestnut—reigning Hooters wing-eating champion. Yes, he beat Matthew Stonie, former Hooters wing eating-champion. Yes, he beat noted wing specialists Adrian Morgan and Michelle Lesco. Esper won because he ate more—a lot more—than the next-placed finisher, Matthew Stonie, who ate 229 Hooters wings in 10 minutes. Esper won because he ate more cleanly, with more precision, and at greater pace than anyone else. Esper won because he applied himself with more dedication than any other man or woman at the table. Esper won because he is elite. Don't go calling it an upset. This day has been coming for a while—an Esper victory against the best of the best in a top-tier event. If you don't know that, then you ain't been paying attention.

Esper, one; Stonie, two; Morgan, three; and Chestnut, fourth. Chestnut's fourth placing was surprising, yes. He has been in dominant form in all disciplines this year; this event marks his first loss of the season. In post-event comments on the social media platform Twitter, Chestnut remarked: "It wasn't my day.... complacency is my biggest enemy." Only in Chestnut's world is eating 191 Hooters wings in 10 minutes a mark of complacency. Such are the demands he places on himself. He is his toughest critic.

Others ate less. Esper ate the most. Full results below.

FULL RESULTS! 1 Geoffrey Esper 250 2 Matt Stonie 229 3 Adrian Morgan 210 4 Joey Chestnut 191 5 Gideon Oji 168 6 Michelle Lesco 158 7 Josh Miller 152 8 Rich LeFevre 124 9 Miki Sudo 114 10 Steve Hendry 110 11 Badlands Booker 108

This contest took place at 8pm Pacific, on Monday July 10, 2017—poolside at the Palms Casino Resort, 4321 W Flamingo Rd, Las Vegas, NV!

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*All applicants must be 21 years of age or older and fully acknowledge and understand the inherent dangers and risks associated with participating in an eating contest. The applicant further acknowledges and understands that the MLE/IFOCE coordinates with event sponsor(s) to select and approve eligible participants, and that the MLE/IFOCE shall decide, at its sole discretion, whether an applicant is eligible to participate in any eating event, and/or related activities. The MLE/IFOCE may revoke an applicant's eligibility to participate in the eating contest, or related activities, at any time, for any reason, at its sole discretion. The MLE/IFOCE and the event sponsors reserve the right, at any time, to change any and all details concerning the event, including, e.g., time, duration, location and prize structure.