LEBANON, Tenn. (WTVF) — At the Wilson County - Tennessee State Fair, food is not hard to find.
In one particular corner of the fairgrounds, things got a little more competitive — and a lot more corny.
The annual corn eating contest drew a crowd, and two familiar faces were front and center: reigning champion Chris Powers and last year's runner-up Jesse Davis.
Davis came in with a clear goal.
"I'm looking for redemption this year," Davis said.
Powers, meanwhile, had been preparing.
"I planned my whole diet, I planned all my food today around this competition," Powers said.
He was not the only one taking it seriously.
"Yeah! Practice all the time eating corn," Davis said.
The two competitors had history. Last year, the contest ran 10 minutes. This year, contestants had just six minutes to eat as many ears of corn as possible. When the results came in, Powers had eaten 12 ears. Davis had eaten 11.
Will Davis seek redemption again next year? That remains to be seen.
In what is friendly competition, the two had fun competing against each other once again and found new camaraderie.
After two years and more than 20 ears of corn between them, the rivalry — and the fair tradition — appears to be just getting started.
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