Joey Chestnut Named Hooters® Wing-Eating World Champion 2012 After Devouring 144 Wings In 10 Minutes

CLEARWATER, Fla., July 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicken wing expert, Hooters, named Joey Chestnut the official Wing-Eating World Champion after his performance at the original Hooters restaurant in Clearwater, Fla., during the culmination of the 10-city Hooters Wing-Eating World Championship tour. Chestnut, the number one ranked world champion eater from San Jose, Calif., ate 144 wings in 10 minutes to claim the title and take home $7,500 in cash prizes.

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Adrian "The Rabbit" Morgan, from Baton Rouge, La., took placed second, finishing 140 wings. The 100-pound Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas, from Alexandria, Va., finished third with 131 wings.

Officially sanctioned by Major League Eating, the Hooters Wing-Eating World Championship is the first time the chicken wing eating discipline has been part of a championship circuit to identify and crown an official world champ.

The competition is part of a weekend celebration of National Chicken Wing Day, which is Sunday, July 29. That day, participating Hooters locations across the country will offer a special promotion, "buy 10 wings, get 10 wings free" for dine-in guests.

Chestnut beat 11 other competitors from around the country for the title. Professional eating hopefuls competed regionally throughout the summer as part of a 10 city championship tour to qualify for the event.

The other Hooters World Wing-Eating Championship competitors included Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti, Chicago, Ill.; Bob "Notorious B.O.B." Shoudt, Royersford, Pa.; "Lovely" Juliet Lee, Germantown, Md.; Erik "The Red" Denmark, Seattle, Wash.; Tim "Gravy" Brown, Chicago, Ill.; "Nasty" Nate Biller, Austin, Texas; Crazy Legs Conti, New York, NY; and Lewis Richards, London, England.

About Hooters
Hooters of America, LLC, is the franchisor and operator of over 430 Hooters restaurants in 44 states and 27 foreign countries.  The first Hooters opened in 1983 in Clearwater, Florida.  Hooters is well-known for its brand of food and fun, featuring a casual beach-theme atmosphere, a menu that features seafood, sandwiches and Hooters nearly, world famous chicken wings, and service provided by the All-American cheerleaders, the Hooters Girls.  For more information about Hooters visit www.Hooters.com, www.twitter.com/Hooters, www.YouTube.com/Hooters, or www.Facebook.com/Hooters.

About Major League Eating
Major League Eating (MLE), the world governing body of all stomach-centric sports, conducts more than 80 events annually, including the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, N.Y. and the CP Foods Biggest Eater Championship in Bangkok, Thailand. The competitive eating community is made up of more than 8,000 veteran and rookie gurgitators who travel the world in search of top titles and the glory that they provide. For more information, visit www.IFOCE.com, www.facebook.com/eatfast or Twitter @eatingcontest.

SOURCE Hooters of America, LLC