Flancer’s held its 13th annual Pizza Eating Contest, the finale of a month-long series of fundraisers for Warfighter Sports, at its Gilbert location today.
A pair of wounded U.S. veterans who received rehabilitation through Warfighter Sports – Brian Smith and Manny Herrera – gave the 12 contestants a pep talk before the competition.
Contestants had 15 minutes to eat as many slices of Flancer’s cheese pizza as they could.
Gus Beisel, who finished in second place in 2011 and 2012, woofed down his first extra-large pizza in just three minutes.
Others ate at a slightly slower pace.
A crowd cheered on the competitors. Thanks to Flancer’s recent expansion, this is the first year the contest was held indoors.
Kelly Brown, a 39-year-old Intel employee from Mesa, methodically worked on his second pizza as his “coach” checked out the competition’s progress.
You know you were faling pretty far behind when Miss Arizona 2012 Piper Stoeckel had to sit down and help you.
Rocky, the restaurant’s mascot, made a surprise appearance and posed for photos with children young and not-so-young.
As the final seconds ticked off, Beisel, a 34-year-old X-ray technician from Tempe, and Jeff Butler, a 30-year-old social worker from Phoenix, worked on their 18th slices. And the winner was…
Beisel! With 18 slices devoured, he narrowly edged Butler, who couldn’t quite finish his 18th slice. Brown finished third with 16 slices. Beisel received a $500 check and a trophy from restaurant owner Jeff Flancer.
