Chow Timeby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 04 Feb 2007 09:24 PM What is it about watching people shove endless amounts of food into their mouths at high rates of speed that makes crowds go wild? I have a feeling Joey Chestnut may know the answer. The 23-year-old California resident is a professional competitive eater who recently devoured a record 182 chicken wings to win his second consecutive Wing Bowl. The stomach-churning annual event draws thousands of revelers to Philadelphia's sports complex well before the sun rises. This year Chestnut went up against five other professional eaters and came out on top. So what does one win for chowing down on a gut-busting amount of chicken wings? If you answered a year's worth of chicken, guess again. Chestnut walked away with a crown adorned with tiny rubber chickens... and a 2007 Suzuki Grand Vitara. "I love to eat," Chestnut told local reporters. "I was swallowing wings, swallowing bones, whatever it took." GULP! You may feel the urge to gulp down a glass of water after reading about this next guy. Most people don't chomp on raw chili peppers as though they were bananas. But, then again, Manuel Quiroz isn't like most people... at least not in my opinion. If you can chow down on dozens of Mexico's spiciest chilies, rub them on your skin, and squeeze their juice into your eyes without blinking then you aren't like most people in my book. According to a Mexican newspaper, the 54-year-old Mexico City taxi driver does all of that and more. In fact, Quiroz says he has made thousands of dollars with his talent and wants to become the world champion chili eater. The only problem--there's no organization in the world that is willing to create a contest for him to achieve his goal. Quiroz told local reporters he discovered his talent when he was a young boy and spent the better part of his childhood betting friends that he could eat more chilies than they could. He never lost. "I'm the best. No one can rival me," he said. Quiroz says he is currently trying to get his talent recognized by Guinness World Records. Related Articles: The Man With The Bottomless Stomach Turkey Day Tidbits-Spared Birds, A Stuffed Student, and More Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantpopular culture tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags buffalo wings, eating, eating contests, Food, hot chilies Discuss this article
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