Olivia Dunne had no idea what she was walking into when she showed up for a chicken finger-eating contest on Friday. What started as a light-hearted celebrity challenge at Fanatics Fest quickly turned into a fantastic spectacle, thanks to one man: Joey Chestnut.
Front Row Seat To A Food Frenzy
The all-star eating contest kicked off on the opening day of Fanatics Fest in New York City. Dunne joined DJ Khaled, Julian Edelman, and Fanatics founder Michael Rubin onstage, all sharing space with the man who holds over 50 competitive eating records. While most of the group laughed and powered through a few tenders, Chestnut turned it into another day at the office.
Chestnut, 41, already owns the hot dog world record with 76 in 10 minutes and holds the mark for 182 chicken wings in half an hour. Friday’s contest was just another number for him. But for Dunne, it was sensory overload. At one point, she even looked like she might gag. “I can’t watch this,” she said, clutching her stomach as Chestnut cleaned his tray.
The viral clip showed her turning away mid-bite, visibly struggling to keep her own food down as Chestnut powered through the tenders. It was equal parts hilarious and hard to watch.
After the contest, Dunne posed for a photo with Chestnut, still recovering from what she had witnessed. The image, which captured her forced smile next to the eating champ, made the rounds on social media just as fast as the video.
Dunne’s chaotic Friday didn’t end there. Earlier in the day, she got an unplanned shower of Sprite after hugging a fan who dropped his soda can. The drink hit the pavement and sprayed in all directions, soaking the 22-year-old right as she arrived at the venue.
Despite the messy start and the stomach-churning challenge, Dunne stayed in good spirits throughout the event, just maybe not with a chicken finger in hand.
