Matt Di Gino and Ed Hauncho attempted the Hellfire challenge at Smoke Eaters ( formerly Cluck-U, get it? ) in Santa Clara, Ca. In the most gut wrenching competition I've ever witnessed, our two heroes attempted to eat 12 (alleged) chicken wings in under 10 minutes. Spirits were high as our two competitors began the challenge. On the first wing, Matt seemed un-phased. Ed however, was immediately thrown into a battle between his will and his body. After prepping with Chap Stick, yogurt, Pepto, tequila, and a bit a shit talking; Ed Hauncho was forced to bow out of the competition.

Not satisfied with simply beating Ed, Matt tore through wings 2, 3, and 4 at Chestnut-esc speed. At that point, his pace began to slow and his body started to show signs of fatigue. Matt's face lost all of its color and a cascade of sweat fell from his brow. He sat for a few moments, non-responsive with mouth agape, while he considered quitting. But, with the his pride on the line and the support from the considerable crowd that had formed, Matt found the strength to push onward toward gastrointestinal greatness.

In the end, Matt was "only" able to finish 10.5 wings before his body gave out. I'll spare you all the nasty details and just say, it was comin' outta every orifice at once. While Matt ate many more wings then Ed, it would be hard to argue that he won the competition. After watching the best two eaters in MoY fall to this challenge, I doubt any of the rest of us will have the heart to attempt this feat.

If you doubt the difficulty of the Hellfire Challenge, check out these links:

• Hellfire challenge
• A Review of the Challenge

• Matt Di Gino
• Ed Hauncho

Back to the news list