Bragging rights are in order for Kelly Joel Myers who defended his hot pepper-eating contest crown Saturday after three fiery tie-breaking rounds at the annual Easton event.
Myers, the 2021 champion of the Easton Farmers’ Market contest and a 2002 Wilson Area High School alumnus, bested Matthew Leto of Lodi, New Jersey. Both finalists sweated their way through 11 progressively hotter peppers.
The new world’s hottest pepper — the Dragon’s Breath that has been measured at 2.48 million Scoville units — served as the final round of the competition. The three tie-breaker rounds that ensued included: two Carolina Reapers; followed by two Dragon’s Breath; and then, a Carolina Reaper/Dragon’s Breath combination.
The fiery combo is what knocked Leto out of the competition, organizers said.
Myers, 38, an Easton native now living in Lehighton, then summoned the adrenaline-fueled strength to raise the heavy, artisan-made metal trophy above his head in victory. Myers credited support of family and friends in the win and gave a shout out to area hot pepper growers. His hash tag on social media posts is #watchmeburn.
“Coming in to this event I felt like I had a target on my back,” Myers told lehighvalleylive.com. “Also on top of that, the pressure to perform for all the family and friends that showed up. This win meant a lot to me ... It’s (an) awesome achievement and Easton got a hometown winner.”
All the hot peppers in this year’s competition — including the Dragon’s Breath — were grown by Easton Urban Farm, part of Easton Area Neighborhood Center in Southside. Dragon’s Breath is used in U.S. military pepper sprays and was developed in part for consideration as a natural topical anesthetic for those allergic to typical anesthetics.
Lodi said he was surprised by Myers’ strength and vowed to return to next year’s contest.
Overall, 10 competitors — including several first-time entrants — stepped into the “ring of fire” to test their resolve and heat tolerance. Third-place finisher, Charles Brennan of Douglasville, Berks County, made it through all 11 peppers but dropped out in the tie-breaker. Last year’s runner-up, 30-year-old Chris Anastasides willingly dropped out in the sixth round.
Myers’ first hot pepper challenge was in 2019 when he was the runner-up to Anastasides before hanging on to best him last year. (The coronavirus pandemic canceled the event in 2020.) Myers has now done six contests in all, including taking first place by powering through a plate of peppers the fastest in July at the Philadelphia Taco Fest.
Saturday’s contest was held in conjunction with Easton Farmers’ Market’s celebration of National Hispanic Cultural Month. The market additionally featured Hispanic crafts, live music and a variety of Hispanic-inspired foods during the competition.
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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
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