At 7:30 on Nov 7th, the student center was bursting with chants and applause as student contestants tried to take on the 2024 Blaze hot wing eating challenge. Spectators gathered around the table where the contestants sat hunched over their plates. The smell of vinegar and Scovilles stung their noses as spectators watched each round of wings prepared and plated.
While questions about kitchen safety were being read aloud, ten students participated in the Blaze challenge as Student Life partnered with the Committee of Safety & Security to host this event.
Most of the contestants started off confidently like sophomore Luciano Camarena.
“I’m going to eat all the wings. I will lick it until its clean,” Camarena said while holding his plate up.
However, this confidence quickly dropped as each round of wings got spicier and spicier.
Heat would not be the only obstacle the contestants faced, as time would quickly come into play due to a shortage of wings. Yet, participants far exceeded the expectations of the ten-level system seen in hot ones with late-stage contestants eating over twenty wings. Because of this, the hosts of the event had to prepare more wings halfway through the competition, leaving the heat to marinate in the mouths of the contestants. The 15-minute intermission was too much for some contestants who quickly tapped out before the second round of wings was prepared.
Only a few contestants remained when the final rounds of wings were sauced and served, and after the first round following the intermission, only two remained.
Then, there was only one.
The winner of the 2024 Blaze challenge was confirmed when Casey Rowe ate the last wing of the night. Applause erupted as Rowe was awarded his championship belt