RD201812-201901

The

CHICKEN

WING

SUPER BOWL

molly schuyler, age 39,

Plumas Lake, California

with cinnamon rolls,

bratwurst, pudding, and

fried mushrooms, though

not at the same time.)

But how do you still

weigh only 127 pounds?

Any professional eater

will not eat like that at

home. It’s fruits and

veggies in our house.

How did you find this

career? I had four small

children. I was working

as a bartender to be

home during the day,

but when I started do-

ing this, I was making

more money in minutes

You ate 47 pounds of

chicken wings in 30 min-

utes to win Wing Bowl 26.

How do you train for

that? The night before,

the girls had a night out

and we ate a lot of

nachos. That morning,

I drank at least three

gallons of water to

stretch my stomach.

When did you realize you

might be good at this?

When I did my very first

challenge, everybody

took note of it. I kept

saying, “I just ate a

hamburger, whatever.”

Do you compete often?

Fifteen to 20 times a

year. I won $22,

at my first Wing Bowl.

(She has also competed

than I would make in

a whole month.

What do people say

when you tell them what

you do? People make

fun of us sometimes.

But competitive eating

is a physical sport. If

you overeat on Thanks-

giving, you’re doing the

same thing we are—

only we’re getting paid.

The Wing Bowl is

held every year in

Philadelphia the Friday

before the Super Bowl.

Schuyler has won the

contest three times.

18 dec 2018 )jan 2019 | rd.com

Reader’s Digest

Illustration by John Cuneo

I WON!