Competitive eater gulped down six ghost pepper doughnuts in Dallas contest

by Sarah Blaskovich

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Just three of the 12 contestants lasted the whole 10 minutes.

EAST DALLAS — With sweat dripping down his face, Alex "Moose" Perez grimaced and swallowed his last hellish bite – a Devil’s Death Dance doughnut. It was his sixth Devil’s Death Dance doughnut and his ninth doughnut total in 10 minutes, enough for him to win first place at the World's Spiciest Donut-Eating Contest at Hypnotic Donuts in Dallas on Saturday afternoon.

The Devil’s Death Dance is a glazed doughnut topped with habanero, serrano, cayenne, and Dave’s Insanity sauce, with the dreaded ghost pepper icing. Ghost peppers are the hottest pepper in the world, and you could smell the sting of the heat even from a few feet away.

“I’m starting to tear up just looking at these,” said contestant Javier Castillo when the doughnuts were placed in front of him.

Contestants were tasked with eating four types of doughnuts: one plain glazed doughnut, one Mexico doughnut (glazed with vanilla frosting, jalapeno and Tabasco); one Hell Fire (glazed with vanilla frosting, jalapeno, serrano, habanero and cayenne); and a Devil's Death Dance doughnut (glazed with habanero, serrano, cayenne and ghost pepper icing). Contestants who got through all four were required to gulp down the Devil’s Death Dance again and again until 10 minutes ended.

The challenge was mostly for bragging rights, but the winner, Perez, will also receive one free doughnut per week for the rest of the year.

“I don’t want a spicy doughnut for the rest of the year,” joked contestant Jason King, who said he only entered because his boss said he’d give him $50 if he won.

Scott Ulrich, from Rockwall, came in second place, eating eight doughnuts. Jeff Ball, of Dallas, was third with five. They were the only three to make it to the end of 10 minutes without giving up.

The 12 contestants, many red-faced, wiped sweat from their brows at the end of the challenge. Some chugged milk, which is believed to cool the tastebuds. “My face was on fire,” said Mason Stem, a 13-year-old from Garland who was the youngest contestant.

Perez has won eating competitions before and regularly “trains” for them. He said spicy foods are never a deterrent. “I eat ghost peppers like candy,” he said before the competition. Wearing an “I’m a Bo$$” shirt and a bandana, Perez twisted his body in preparation for the competition, rolling his shoulders and stretching his mouth. He said meditating the night before an eating contest helps him calm down, and he ran 5 miles the morning of the event to prepare.

Despite the fiery toppings, the doughnuts were a work of art. Hypnotic Doughnuts in East Dallas is famous for its crazy concoctions, like their Canadian Healthcare, which is a doughnut with maple frosting and bacon on top.

Second-place winner Ulrich waved off the milk that was brought to him at the contest’s close as hot sauce dripped down his chin. “Babies drink milk,” he said, grabbing a Lone Star. “Real men drink beer.”

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