Five Tips for Competing in KL’s Fiercest Pizza-Eating Challenge

By Andrew Bellucci
Chef, Mikey’s Original New York Pizza

Mikey’s Original New York Pizza in Bangsar serves what is being touted as ‘Asia’s spiciest pizza,’ crowned with mozzarella cheese and garnished with cilipadi, cayenne pepper, chopped habaneros and a light dusting of ghost pepper powder over a fiery tomato sauce base.

It’s a fearsome pie that has inspired a ‘9-1-1 Challenge’ that currently promises a RM500 cash prize from Mikey’s to anyone who can consume the entire 18-inch, eight-slice pizza within 40 minutes (as of August 2014, the contest is still ongoing and is expected to continue). So far, a few dozen men have tried; only one has succeeded.

Here are five essential tips by Andrew Bellucci, the chef of Mikey’s Original New York Pizza, exclusively revealed to EAT DRINK, for potential 9-1-1 competitors:

1. If you can’t take spicy food, do not do this challenge

We call the 9-1-1 pie the spiciest in Asia for a reason – it’s extremely spicy and that’s the Number One reason people fail to complete the challenge. If spice isn’t your thing, you’d be better off finding a curry-eating contest. The 9-1-1 challenge is not for you.

2. “Train” your stomach to be hungry

Many years ago, I competed in the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, which is now the crown jewel in the Major League Eating organization. The contest was at 12noon, so I would only eat one big meal right at 12noon in the days prior to that, ensuring that I would be really hungry when the contest began. Use the same strategy here. “Train” for at least 3 days and get into an eating rhythm, so that you’ll be hungry and ready to eat when the time comes.

3. Don’t drink liquids

It would seem obvious, but they just fill you up. I’ve seen contestant after contestant fill up on iced tea, lemonade, milk or even soda (which is the worst!), and then not eat more than 4slices. The more successful contestants limit what they drink and concentrate solely on eating the pizza.

4. Eat as much as you can in the first 20 minutes

If you can eat 6 slices in the first 20 minutes, you have a good chance of finishing the remaining 2 slices in the next 20 minutes. Why? It takes the human brain about 20 minutes to receive the signal from the stomach saying “I’m full”. Once the brain understands that the stomach is full, it will be hard to continue eating. Do not think of this as a marathon – it is more of a sprint for the first half and a challenge of will the second half.

5. To dunk or not to dunk?

We have had only one successful challenger, and he would eat the slice up until the heel and then dunk the crust into a glass of milk and let it get soft. This is also a very common tactic for hot dog eaters – the top eaters all dunk the hot dog rolls in water. Personally, I do not adhere to this method as I do not like the taste of wet bread, but its positive effects cannot be ignored. This one is up to each individual contestant.

All photos courtesy of Mikey’s Original New York Pizza.