Eating Coneys For Charity
DETROIT (WWJ) - Order up! The owners of American Coney Island served up some fun for a good cause Thursday evening... hosting a hot dog eating contest, Detroit style.
The excitement and the smell of chili were both in the air as 15 hungry contestants tried to down as many Coney dogs as they could, in ten minutes. When it was over, DeSean Whipple was the repeat champion -- finishing 10 1/2 chili dogs in 10 minutes.
"I wanted 15, but 10 1/2 again man! Two years, we're going to make it a three-peat next year!," said Whipple, or "WhippleMania" as he is now known.
All of the money raised goes to support students in Detroit's acclaimed Golightly Career and Technical Center's culinary program. And Golightly principal Nina Hicks was loving every minute of it.
"I've loved Coney Islands all my life, so if you're a native Detroiter and you don't love Coney Islands then you're not really a native Detroiter," said Hicks.
And while she jokes about her love for Coneys, on a serious note, Hicks says, "Food is food, I love it and I love actually seeing the students be able to participate. And the publicity for the school is priceless."
