The No. 5 professional eater in the world, Geoffrey Esper, caused a major upset last night at the sixth annual Hooters World Wing Eating Championship!
Esper, 42 from Oxford, Massachusetts, devoured 250 world-famous Hooters chicken wings in 10 minutes to clinch the coveted title over defending champion Joey Chestnut (whose final wing tally was 191).
“I competed two years ago and came in seventh,” said Esper, 2017 Hooters World Wing Eating Champion. “I went to my local Hooters, bought a bunch of wings, and I guess it paid off!”
Esper, took down a field of 11 professionally-ranked eaters in the grueling 10-minute all-you-can-eat contest of world-famous Hooters chicken wings which tested jaw strength, endurance, hand speed and
stomach capacity. He demolished more than 113 additional wings than his last Hooters Wing Eating Championship in 2015, his first year on the professional eating circuit. Hooters commissioned Major League Eating to officially sanction the competition.
Esper takes home the top cash prize of $8,500, along with bragging rights to the coveted world title. In total, $17,500 in cash prizes were awarded collectively among the top seven finishers – one of the largest purse prizes on the Major League Eating calendar.
2017 Hooters World Wing Eating Championship Results:
Geoffrey Esper, Oxford, Massachusetts – 250 wings
Matt “Megatoad” Stonie, San Jose, California – 229 wings
Adrian “The Rabbit” Morgan, New Orleans, Louisiana – 210 wings
Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, San Jose, California – 191 wings
Gideon Oji, Morrow, Georgia – 168 wings
Michelle “Cardboard Shell” Lesco, Tucson, Arizona – 158 wings
Josh Miller, Denver, Colorado – 152 wings
Richard “the Locust” LeFevre, Henderson, Nevada, 124 wings
Miki Sudo, Las Vegas, Nevada – 114 wings
Steve Hendry, Dixon, California – 110 wings
Eric “Badlands” Booker, Selden, New York – 108 wings
The championship event also celebrated Hooters latest craveable wing innovation: Smoked Wings, now available in participating locations across America. Hooters Smoked Wings are marinated overnight with a dry rub before being hickory smoked in-house, with Hooters oven smokers. Guests can then opt to enhance their wings with several dry rub flavors or sauce them with any of Hooters signature sauces, including teriyaki-style samurai, lemon pepper and chipotle honey.
Participate in your own wing eating contest at Hooters. To find your nearest Hooters location, visit Hooters.com.