By Zanub Saeed
Hooters announced that the two people competing for the 2012 World Chicken Wing-Eating Championship in Clearwater, FL on Thursday, July 26 will be Joey "Jaws" Chestnut and Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas.
The World Chicken Wing-Eating Championship launched by Hooters will give the winner of the competition $15,000 in cash prizes, and will be live-streamed this Thursday via the Hooters Facebook, said a press release issued by Hooters of America, LLC on Wednesday. The event was sponsored by Major League Eating, a competitive eating community.
"Chicken wing eating is among the most demanding and elegant disciplines in the world of sport. Sonya Thomas, with her lithe frame, dexterity and grace, was born for it and has repeatedly outmaneuvered Chestnut and other top competitors who are three times her size," George Shea, chairman of Major League Eating, stated for the press release. "However, Joey is hot off his July 4th win and looking to take down 'The Black Widow.'"
The Hooters World Chicken Wing-Eating Championship was launched this April in 10 cities across the United States, and the winners of each region qualified to the grand finale event, set to take place before National Chicken Wing Day on July 29, said the press release. The 10 events took place in Augusta, Ga.; St. Louis, MO; Jacksonville, Fla.; Dallas, TX; Indianapolis, Ind.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Bay Area, Calif.; Detroit, Mich.; Miami, Fla.; Sacramento, Calif.; and Atlanta, Ga., listed the press release.
"For nearly 30 years Hooters has been known for our original, fresh never frozen, world-famous chicken wings and so it's only natural that we mark National Chicken Wing Day with a wing-eating competition and a special promotion for our loyal customers," David Henninger, CMO, Hooters of America, LLC, was quoted as stating for the press release. "We invite all Hooters fans to stop by the original Hooters restaurant in Clearwater Florida and help us celebrate our heritage and crown the first world wing eating champion."
The top regional winners listed the press release, were:
Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, San Jose, CA
Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas, Alexandria, VA
Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti, Chicago, IL
Bob "Notorious B.O.B." Shoudt, Royersford, PA
"Lovely" Juliet Lee, Germantown, MD
Adrian "The Rabbit" Morgan, Baton Rouge, LA
Erik "The Red" Denmark, Seattle, WA
Tim "Gravy" Brown, Chicago, IL
Micah "Wing Kong" Collins, Drexel Hill, PA
"Nasty" Nate Biller, Austin, TX
Crazy Legs Conti, New York, NY
Lewis Richards, London, England
