Buffalo Wild Wings has officially landed in State College, and that means only one thing: eating a ton of wings.

Buffalo Wild Wings, freshly opened at the Maxxen downtown, offers what’s known as the Blazin’ Challenge. Essentially, competitors have to eat 10 of the restaurant’s spiciest wings within five minutes to earn 1,000 rewards points. However, they can’t consume any liquids or even wipe their hands on a napkin. It’s all chicken until an employee determines that you’ve completed the challenge.

Of course, our staffers had to try the challenge. We sent our finest wing eaters — Joe, Evan, and Jack — down to B-Dubs to give it a shot.

We were, in fact, deeply affected by the process of eating 10 very hot wings in a matter of five minutes or less. For reference, here are our before and after pictures. Somehow, Jack looked the exact same.

While we all survived the challenge, we had differing experiences. Here’s what it’s like to take on the Blazin’ Challenge.

Joe Lister

Honestly, this wasn’t that bad.

I had done some Reddit research before taking on the wing challenge and learned the biggest issue was that Buffalo Wild Wings usually serves these wings at a scorching hot temperature, which was a bigger deal than the spice itself.

However, when I ate the first wing and found it was a pretty normal wing temperature, I knew I had this in the bag.

I blacked out a bit eating the wings. I remember tearing apart flats and sucking the meat off the bone (pause) and eating around the drumsticks like they were corn on the cob. All I knew was that I had to eat as fast as possible before the spice kicked in.

I finished my 10 wings within 2:45, which seemed pretty impressive. The spice kicked in about three minutes later, and I basically just held ice cubes in my mouth to try to combat the heat, but that didn’t really work. Once they brought the ice cream out, though, my day got way better.

I would 100% do the wings challenge again, but a word to the wise: Make sure you are constantly near a toilet for 24 hours after taking this challenge. I went out to the Phyrst about 10 hours after eating my last wing and spent 10 minutes sitting in the bathroom. Even as I write this on Saturday, a day later, I’m still feeling the effects a little bit.

Also, they never gave me my rewards points. C’mon, man.

Jack Anderson-Jussen

Having had the Blazin’ sauce before, I was prepared for the worst. Waking up that morning was rough, and my fear grew every minute that the reservation ticked nearer. After my classes, I picked up a gallon of Creamery whole milk on my way and listened to “Dreams and Nightmares” to get pumped up.

The time between getting there and the wings coming out is mostly a blur. All I remember is our waiter counting us down and coming face-to-face with the 10 bone-in wings. Go. My method was to pull the bones out of the wings and crush them as quickly as possible. I quickly realized the drums were going to be my biggest challenge. They were deeply fried and tough to chew. Nevertheless, I powered through.

My biggest struggle with the challenge was not the spice, but the chewing throughout. To me, it was more of an eating challenge than a spice challenge. With around 30 seconds left, I finished my last wing and chewed. I had won. Afterward, the adrenaline began to wear off, and the spice slowly set in. Luckily, the challenge brought with it a scoop of ice cream, and I had my milk, which was a godsend. I dug deep into the pain and embraced it fully. Five minutes later, I felt in the clear, albeit with an upset tummy.

Victorious, I texted my best friends Alex, Greg, and Dylan (also B-Dubs aficionados) and let them know what I accomplished, as well as called them out that they were next to attempt the challenge. Overall, my experience was good, and I would do it again as the 1,000 Blazin’ Rewards points (roughly $100 credit) were well worth the few minutes of pain.

Evan Halfen

I’m not going to lie. This challenge was no piece of cake. Going into it, I honestly didn’t really know what to expect, given that I’m probably one of the slowest eaters to exist (I like savoring every bite of my food). I heard through the grapevine that people have thrown up from the challenge, so I was a bit hesitant but wanted to give it my best shot.

When our server counted down, I instantly just started shoving as much meat from the bones into my mouth as possible. I honestly lost all train of thought and just kept chewing and chewing.

The first minute, I got about half way through the wings when the Blazin’ sauce started to kick in full speed, and that’s where disaster struck. As I really started to struggle, at one point I thought I was going to spew my wings all over the table and Joe. Luckily, I somehow managed to push through and just kept chewing.

Once it was down to the last minute and Joe and Jack finished, I had only two wings left, but honestly didn’t think I could finish. Little to my surprise, the timekeeper and NSBO trainer Noa (my literal hero) started chanting my name, giving me more confidence. With about 15 seconds left, I completed all 10 wings. Mission accomplished.

By the end of the challenge, my face was covered in wing sauce and felt like it was on fire. My tongue felt like it grew three sizes. After washing my hands and scrubbing my face, I instantly chugged my half gallon of milk and ate some of the ice cream they provided, which tasted like sweet, sweet victory. The aftermath was not pretty at all and was messier than I anticipated, but I’ll spare you the details.

All in all, I’m just happy I pushed myself and secured the title of one of the first people in town to complete the challenge, along with my buddies. Still waiting for my 1,000 points, though.