Australian competitive eater James Webb broke his second world record this year when he demolished 276 chicken wings in 12 minutes in the United States

From stomach stretching stints at all-you-can-eat buffets to eating 276 chicken wings in one sitting, Australian eating machine James Webb takes us inside the world of a competitive eater.

He is the chicken wing champion smashing gastronomic world records on the competitive eating scene in the United States.

Australia’s competitive eating star James Webb has devoured his highly-credentialed rivals to gobble up not one, but two major eating titles in the US in as many days this month.

In a finger-licking feat, Webb downed wing wonders Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo to break the world record for chicken wing consumption in one of the biggest eating contests in the US.

The Sydney eating machine smashed down 276 Buffalo chicken wings in just 12 minutes at a phenomenal rate of 23 wings per minute at the US Chicken Wing Eating Championship in New York.

“This contest is probably like the biggest contest after the 4th of July …. it’s in the Buffalo Bill Stadium, it’s crazy, it’s a big deal here in America,” Webb said.

“I don’t really expect to beat Joey Chestnut ever, he is the best there is. The fact that I beat him, that’s crazy and the fact that I broke the world record that was his is even crazier.

“Joey is very good at certain things and chicken wings is one of them and Miki Sudo is dubbed the ‘Wing Queen’.

“It is always neck and neck with chicken wings between her and Joey. I think the biggest winning margin was like nine wings or something, which is not much really, so for me to beat them by almost 30 wings, that’s crazy.”

It was 34-year-old Webb’s second world record of 2023 after downing 59.5 doughnuts in eight minutes in June.

Webb’s wing record came just days after he dethroned two-time defending champion Geoff Esper at the World Slopper Eating Championship in Pueblo, Colorado, scoffing 32 of the famous local fare in eight minutes.

A slopper is a cheeseburger smothered in red or green chili sauce.

“It’s like a delicacy for them (in Pueblo),” Webb said.

“It’s not a fun time …. honestly I have never seen anything like it.”

Australian competitive eater James Webb broke the world record when he ate 276 chicken wings in 12 minutes in the United States this month. Picture: Supplied.

Webb fell into the world of competitive eating by accident after entering a burger eating competition for a laugh two years ago.

“I did a random burger challenge in Australia for a bit of a joke and it turns out it was Australia’s biggest burger and to this day I’m still the only person to eat this burger,” Webb said.

“That’s how it started and I did not think anything of it until the owner of the pub sent the video to …(media) and people started freaking out.

“People started reaching out to me, other competitive eaters and they’re like ‘Dude, you’re really good at this’.

“I met a bunch of competitive eaters and they explained to me how there’s food challenges and people make videos and things like that and it kind of just went from there.”
Webb is now one of 56 pro-eaters on the US competitive eating scene. He is the No. 1 ranked competitive eater in Australia and fifth in the world.

In between eating contests, Webb makes a living creating food content for online and social media featuring food challenges and restaurant promotions.

“It’s my full-time job … I travel the world making food videos and doing food challenges and marketing for restaurants through competitive eating,” he said.

“That’s my bread and butter and the contest prize money is like a bonus, the cream on top.

“Because I’m lucky enough to be good enough to be in the mix with the top people, I’m winning a nice amount of prize money.”

TRAINING

A big appetite is an obvious prerequisite for a career as a competitive eater, but there is a lot more preparation that goes into Webb’s food-stuffing exploits.

Exercise, technique and building stomach capacity are all keys to becoming a champion eater.

“Gym or exercise is a big part of it. If you look at the best eaters, we are all from a sporting background, a lot of us are into the gym,” Webb said.

“So Joey, the best in the world, he is an endurance runner; Geoff is a pro powerlifter, there are a couple of pro bodybuilders, and an ex-college basketball player. They’ve kind of got that sporting background where they’re quite fit and stay active.

“I used to play soccer for most of my life and then I got really into body building so I love the gym, I love training.

“So that’s number one because the fitter you are, the faster you can eat and the more exercise you do, the hungrier you can get.”

Webb competes against the best of the best at his events. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Webb also has to train his stomach to be able to withstand such an influx of food within such a short period of time – and make sure it can stay there.

“You need capacity in your stomach,” Webb said.

“It is very hard to eat for 12 minutes straight at a very good pace because when you are full, you have got to slow down. So you need capacity in your stomach so you have got to eat a lot and stretch your stomach.

“You have got to be able to stomach your food. For example, I ate nine and half pounds (4.3kg) of chicken wing meat in 12 minutes.

“Now, your body is going to tell you ‘What the hell are you doing to me?’. It’s going to want to come out of every hole it can.

“So you need to practice your stomach capacity and actually hold it in because if it comes out of anywhere you are disqualified.”

Eating technique is also critical.

“With chicken wings, you have got to understand ‘How am I going to get as much meat off these bones as I can as quickly as I can?’,” Webb said.

“You have got to practice how you are going to strip the bone, or this is how I’m going to eat the wings.

“With the hot dogs, dunking the bread in the water and things like that. You have got to practice the speed and the technique – that’s very important also.”

Webb goes into all his events with a strategy. Picture: Steve Pohlner

BIG BITE BUILD-UP

Webb will start gearing up for an eating contest in the days before a competition with some “huge sittings”.

“Say the contest is on a Saturday, on Wednesday and Thursday I am eating as much as I can, I’m trying to do huge sittings,” Webb said.

“In America it’s really easy, you go to these big buffets and sit there for like three hours and just eat as much as you can. You can go to an American buffet for like 20 bucks and you can just eat everything.

“The contests are usually in the afternoon, so the day before the contest I will eat at about 4 or 5pm and then I won’t eat until the contest the next day. I want to finish my last massive meal 24 hours before the contest.

“And you’ve got hydrate, you can’t be thirsty in a competition, you don’t want to waste time drinking, so you have got to hydrate. Usually 12 hours before a contest, I’m drinking water and making sure that I’m hydrated.

“The day of the contest you don’t eat, you just drink a bunch of water.”

Webb said the choice of beverage to wash down the food in contests was also important.

“We are allowed to have any drink we want, it has just got to be non-alcoholic,” he said.

“Sugar free is the way to go, you have to have a sugar-free drink otherwise it is going to make you want to vomit.

“I use sugar-free cranberry juice, or sugar free iced tea. You need it sweet enough that you don’t want to scull it, you just want to take a mouthful to wash it down.”

BODY BACKLASH

So how does Webb’s body react to him smashing down so much food in such a short amount of time? And does it make him feel sick?

“It is more bloated and gassy,” Webb said.

“Obviously bloated because you have just smashed a lot of food, but you are really gassy because you are gulping down the food as fast as you can.

“It sits pretty high in your stomach. Normally after a contest, you have done some really disgraceful burps and you feel OK.

“But I’m pretty lucky, I don’t really get the heartburn or indigestion stuff.”

Despite how lousy he felt the day after his chicken wing win, Webb still made sure to hit the gym.

“After the chicken wing contest, you feel like crap, I felt like a**e,” Webb said.

“The day after the contest, it was like a hangover I guess, it was ridiculous. I was in the gym for an hour and a half, but I took it easy because I was in slow motion.

“The thing is I promised myself that if I am going to eat like a d***, you’ve got to train no matter what, so I train every single day.”

Webb celebrates after competing in the 2023 Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest.

NEXT MEATY MISSION

After his menu of doughnuts, hot dogs, sloppers and wings this year, Webb’s eating escapes are set to continue with upcoming contests in New Jersey and Texas.

“Next week is pork rolls. In America what they call a pork roll …. they describe it to me as like a baloney sandwich,” Webb said.

“So I’m guessing some kind of deli-style slice of pork that’s not bacon.

“Then I’m going to Texas to eat tamales.”

And he’s got no intention of slowing down his force-feeding any time soon.

“Joey Chestnut, who is the best there ever is and best who ever will be, has been doing it for 20 years,” he said.

“It’s been a crazy ride, the wind and the road has taken me this far, I’m just going to keep going and see what happens.”

WEBB’S EATING EXPLOITS

June – Sets a world record in San Diego for eating 59.5 doughnuts in eight minutes.

July – Finishes third in Nathan’s Hot Dogs Competition in New York.

August – Smashed Australia’s sushi-eating record for 100 pieces and two wasabi balls in three minutes, 24 seconds in Sydney.

September – Finished first at the Colorado slopper competition (32 sloppers) and then sets a world record with 276 chicken wings consumed in New York.

Originally published as Australian competitive eater James Webb broke his second world record this year when he demolished 276 chicken wings in 12 minutes in the United States