Hostess Brands and Major League Eating celebrated Donut Day on June 7 with the second annual World Hostess Donettes Eating Championship in Austin, Texas, at Barton Creek Square Mall.
Geoffrey Esper beat Joey Chestnut, the No. 1-ranked competitive eater in the world, for the title of World Hostess Donettes Eating Champion, eating 235 donettes during the six-minute competition.
No. 3-ranked Esper, of Oxford, Massachusetts, Chestnut and Austin’s own No. 17-ranked Juan Neave and others tried to eat the largest number of Powdered Donettes in the allotted time.
Chestnut placed second with 200 donettes downed; Neave came in third at 146.
“Major League Eating is proud to have been a part of the second World Hostess Donettes Eating contest,” said Richard Shea, president of Major League Eating. “The competitors ate an astonishing 1,160 total Hostess Donettes during today’s contest; truly an astounding achievement in sports.”
“A year celebrating Hostess’ 100th birthday, or Sweetennial, would feel incomplete without paying tribute to one of our most beloved treats: Donettes,” said Becky Logan, brand director for Breakfast at Hostess Brands LLC. “Today’s eaters truly did America’s No. 1 donut, Donettes, proud with their tremendous sportsmanship. It was an incredible sight to behold and an unforgettable way to celebrate Donut Day.”
Chestnut came into the contest holding the 2018 title, eating a record-setting 257 donettes in Philadelphia last year.
Hostess Donettes are America’s No. 1 donut based on independent national retail sales data. They come in Powdered, Frosted, Glazed, Crunch, Cinnamon Crunch and Double Chocolate plus seasonal and limited-time flavors.
New to the breakfast category is donettes’ “big brother,” Hostess Jumbo Donettes available in Frosted, Glazed Blueberry and Glazed Strawberry.
Major League Eating, the world governing body of all eating sports, conducts more than 80 events annually, including the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest in Coney Island, New York. The competitive eating community is made up of more than 8,000 people who travel the nation in search of top titles and the glory that they provide.
