Conn. man wins spicy enchilada contest

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LAS CRUCES, N.M., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A Connecticut man prevailed in an enchilada eating contest that featured something of a kick.

New Mexico restaurant owner Roberto Estrada made the enchiladas for his contest -- the second Fire in the Whole Enchilada Eating Contest -- and contestants noted the particular challenge, Estrada's liberal use of spices to heat things up.

"Extra hot, that's the fun. Anybody can eat an enchilada but for it to have a bite to it [is the challenge]," Estrada told the Las Cruces Sun-News.

The winner? Jamie McDonald of Hartford, Conn., who walked away with the $1,000 cash prize. He ate 5.9 pounds of enchiladas in four minutes. McDonald, who was competing in his 25th professional eating contest, said the spice of the enchiladas slowed him down.

"In the beginning I choked and some of it went in my nose. That hurt. It burned," he said. "When it got up my nose that really slowed me down. I could've done better."