Joey Chestnut breaks popcorn eating record

WTHI

By Ben Verbanic

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    TERRE HAUTE, Indiana (WTHI) — Hundreds of Terre Haute residents gathered at the Rural King South parking lot to witness a unique spectacle. World-famous competitive eater Joey Chestnut, an Indiana native, attempted to break his own popcorn-eating world record.

Chestnut aimed to surpass his own record of consuming 32 twenty-four ounce servings of popcorn within eight minutes. “The record for popcorn is thirty-two twenty-four ounce servings in eight minutes. I hold that record, so it’s going to be a tough one to beat. And this is gonna be a fun one,” Chestnut said.

Like any dedicated athlete, Chestnut prepared meticulously for the event.

“Runners have to run, fighters have to fight, and I have to eat. Every contest is a little different and I have to practice. It’s buttery, by the end of the contest I’m gonna have butter on my face, butter on my arms, it’s going to be intense,” Chestnut said.

When asked about his technique, Chestnut shared his approach to eating large quantities quickly.

“Take the right size bite, swallow, breathe, and drink water. So in this contest with the popcorn, I’m taking big handfuls, shoving it in my mouth, and drinking water every swallow. And then I have to make sure I breathe careful, I have to breathe through my nose, and make sure I don’t inhale popcorn,” Chestnut said.

On Memorial Day afternoon, Chestnut put his training and technique to the test, successfully demolishing his previous world record by consuming more than 36 servings of popcorn in eight minutes.

Chestnut expressed pride in breaking his own record, stating that achieving this feat on Memorial Day made it even more special.

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