On Tuesday, May 9, Kappa Kappa Gamma held its annual hot wing-eating contest, “Too Hot to Handle.” Too Hot to Handle is the sorority’s traditional Greek Week event, in which students can participate in group or individual contests based on speed-eating hot wings against their friends for prizes.
The event was held in the evening on the quad, with speakers blasting music and enthusiastic onlookers cheering participants as well as a very supportive buffalo mascot. Other representatives from the local Buffalo Wild Wings were present to explain to participants what it meant to “clean” a wing and to help officiate the contest.
The group competition was first. Teams of five each had their own table and Kappa assistant to time their progress. Each member had to eat five wings as fast as they could before the next member could start, relay style. Participants were provided with milk and water to help them, but many chose to forgo drinking anything for the sake of speed. One participant, sophomore Small Fry Intia, stated that they were “happy they got to eat wings as fast as they could,” and enjoyed the “yummy” wings greatly. Many fraternities, sororities and sports teams as well as a couple non-affiliated teams were represented. The winner was Phi Kappa Tau, which won a five person wing party at Buffalo Wild Wings as a prize. Each teammate got a gift certificate to Erberts and Gerberts as well.
The individual competition was changed slightly from its traditional quantity-eating format due to the high degree of participation this year. Each person was given eight wings to eat as fast as they could and was timed by a member of Kappa. The first place winner was freshman Jesus Sanchez, with a time just over one minute. He won candy and a gift card to Crazy Sweet downtown as well as an Erberts and Gerberts gift certificate. Second and third place winners were freshman Justin Irizarry and junior Landon Edwards, whom each received two Erberts and Gerberts certificates as prizes.
In total, the event raised $320, which will be donated to Kappa Kappa Gamma’s local philanthropy partner, Harbor House. Kappa’s Philanthropy Chairman and the event organizer, Sally Alvarado, stated that she felt that the event was a success and was glad to see the increased participation this year. Leftover wings were sold for $3 a basket after the contests to anyone that wanted them. According to Kappa President Maggie Smith, the event went, “Better than anyone could anticipate,” and she “can’t wait to do it all again next year.” The event was very high-energy and well-attended overall, and Kappa members felt that it was one of their best contests yet. After the contest, the group took a picture on the Draheim House staircase and celebrated another successful year.
