Instructions

1. Go in on an empty stomach. Start the contest off right with a big appetite, and lots of room to store all the pie you'll be consuming. Hunger may help motivate you and increase the speed at which you can eat the pies, and leaving plenty of room in your stomach may help you squeeze in that extra few required to claim first prize.

2. Keep your plate secured to the table. If rules permit, attach your pie-eating plate to the table using velcro or other adhesive. Pie-eating contests are messy, and precious seconds can be lost when a slippery plate gets away from you.

3. Tie your hands behind your back. It's easy to get disqualified in the midst of the action, bringing your hands forward instinctively. This can be the end of the contest for you, so make it easier on yourself not to break that rule. Keeping them tied will be a sure way not to make a mistake when it comes to using your hands. Feeling them securely tied may also make it easier for you to focus on the challenge of eating without them.

4. Stick your face right down into the pie as soon as the contest begins. You have to get down and dirty to win! Stick out your tongue and use it to pull the pieces of the pie into your mouth. Repeat this method as you begin to clean each pie plate.

5. Continue eating the pie by turning your head side-to-side, rather than pulling your head away and going back and forth into the pie plate. Eat as much as you can, remembering to breathe, chew and swallow!

6. Eat as much crust as you can after clearing out the inner contents of each pie pan. Judges will look to see that as much of the pie was eaten as possible. Even if there are some remnants left in your pie tin, it will look more eaten with pieces of crust missing.