The challenge was made, then almost shot down, then on, then almost canceled, but then on…and so it happened Tuesday: Gregg Giannotti attempted to eat as many boneless chicken wings as possible in 90 seconds, trying to come as close to Joey Chestnut's 33 as he could.
Gio had set the over/under at 21.5, and after a series of issues almost derailed the attempt – like some legal hang-ups and the EMT slated to be in studio calling in sick at 3 A.M. before Brian McKeon stepped in to save the day – the stage was set, and at 7:45 AM, Gregg stood in the center of the studio with 35 boneless wings on two plates, ready to turn his stomach into a bottomless pit.
And then he started.
Gio tried to start out as a house of fire, but was behind the clock in the first 10 seconds, still chewing his first two. He was still at four 30 seconds in, and started to struggle, needing to stand up – he was hunched over the studio desk – and take a drink. A minute in he was chewing number seven, and stood up with 20 seconds to go, visibly struggling. With about 10 seconds left, he stood again, resigned to the fact he was going to fall short.
In the end, Gio was chewing number 10 when the clock expired, so the official count is either 9 or 10 depending on how you want to look at it.
"We actually thought these things were going to be smaller," Boomer said of the chicken pieces graciously provided by Boomer's pal Hurricane Bob of Hurricane Wings in Garden City, but alas, even if you double the count, Gio fell short.
"I overestimated myself," Gio said, "but I have to wear this one. The choking thing was in my head, I gotta admit. But I gotta own this one and wear it."
Gio did wear it, both from callers (including friend of the program Dan in Carteret) and Eddie's savage audio drops – but as he revealed in exclusive video shot during a commercial break, Gregg legitimately was upset he failed.
"I should've not been so cocky; I underestimated it. I'm a guy who can eat quick, but that 90-second timeline was too aggressive. I have to stop running my mouth," Gio said. "I underestimated how much breading there was, and then the choking thing got in my head. I feel, like, legitimate shame sitting here; this is going to affect me for a long period of time."
Maggie Gray, who once ate an entire pizza in two hours, called in later in the show to offer Gio support.
"I could've helped you with the mental toughness preparation, because it's all mental Gio!" Maggie said. "I could've told you how much your jaw is going to hurt, because you really have to chew…and about having the weight of New York City behind you."
"I should've talked to people, but I got cocky," Gio admitted. "I was confident I could do this, but I didn't have any liquid or sauce. It's an embarrassment, and I don't think I'll ever do it again."
Hopefully, some Casamigos can cure Gio's ills later today – but if you missed the whole challenge, check out the live in-studio video, with some bonus commentary from Gio!
Follow WFAN's morning team on Twitter: @7BOOMERESIASON, @GioWFAN, @Alsboringtweets, @JerryRecco, and @WFANMornings
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