What’s the competition?  Chick-N-Pizza Works’ Magnum Challenge: two patrons must eat a 29” (44 party slices) pizza in under one hour with unlimited soft drinks available but absolutely no bathroom breaks.  The pizza must be layered with cheese and at least one other topping—the contestants have decided on mushrooms.  No tandem has ever successfully completed this challenge, with the best attempt leaving four pieces uneaten.  According to one witness at the Pizza Bash, four adults attacked the Magnum Challenge—they didn’t come close to finishing, and one puked. 

Who’s involved?  Phil Kneitinger and Ben Tsujimoto will compete as the Hungry Hungry Buffaloes, while Buffalo Eats’ Donnie Burtless will provide commentary and our own S.J. Velasquez will film.

When and where?  7 p.m. on Tuesday at Chick-N-Pizza Works on Union Rd. in Cheektowaga. 

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Phil Kneitinger and Ben Tsujimoto are similar in three ways: their last names are a pain to spell, they are soccer fanatics and they both lust over large quantities of food.  Dubbed “The Garbage Disposal” by his mother, Kneitinger radiated confidence at the pre-Magnum meeting at Founding Father’s, claiming that he’s “not worried at all.”  (Humorously, he was actually mentally preparing to eat a 44” pizza, not 29”.)  When he’s not eating—and sometimes while he is—Kneitinger contributes to the Buffalo Sabres’ blog Black & Blue & Gold, where he’s the founder and chief editor.

After all, Kneitinger’s eating history—he mentioned 7 lb. burritos and gigantic subs—makes him the powerhouse of the tandem; 22 squares, or half the pie, shouldn’t be a problem.  He doesn’t have a landmark achievement on his eating record, however.

“I don’t really have a [favorite eating achievement] besides a lifelong consumption of prolific quantities,” Kneitinger explained.

Tsujimoto, a competitive eating newbie nicknamed “The Office Goat,” is relatively untested but has vast potential, to use sports terminology.  He tears through foot-long subs with reckless abandon, but he has a bad habit of getting food lodged between his teeth.  To prepare, he’s adhered to Asylum.com’s guide for competitive eating preparation, except he’s simply not interested in eating mounds of boiled cabbage to “expand the stomach without adding to the calorie count.”  That’s gross.

Several suggestions have been sent our way, from eating all of the cheese separately while it’s hot to folding the slices—with the cheese on the outside—so it slides more smoothly down the gullet.  Feel free to comment on the article with your ideas, too.

Buffalo.com’s S.J. Velasquez will capture the event on film, but we’d love to have the community come and marvel at the Magnum Challenge—and spend a few dollars at Chick-N-Pizza Works, a locally-owned and operated restaurant.  Buffalo Eats’ Donnie Burtless will emcee the event and provide commentary for the video series, while the competitors will don My Buffalo Shirt founder Adam Kern’s t-shirts.  The video series will appear online in a month to six weeks, but Tuesday is the chance to witness eating history.