On July Fourth, the lure of the lime – as in Key lime – was on full display. Hundreds of spectators packed Key West to see who would claim the Key Lime Pie Eating Championship. Those with an eye on the pies, delivered a show-stopping performance.
With hands behind backs and some sporting safety goggles, 25 hopefuls competed for the top prize; devouring the island city's signature dessert — the Key lime pie.
"There's no place I'd rather be on the Fouth of July than in Key West eating a 9-inch Key lime pie. It beats a New York hotdog every single time," said festival co-director Liz Love.
Now in its 13th year, this tradition has been the centerpiece of the city's annual Key Lime Festival, which runs five days and features everything from sip and strolls to the famous pie drop from the top of the Key West Lighthouse.
The contest attracts contestants from far and wide — Chicago, Kentucky, Texas and Lake of the Ozarks.
A Venice man with a unique technique emerged on top.
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Contestant Jesse Ka takes a break from his quest to capture the top prize in Key West's key lime pie eating contest on July 4, 2025. He joined 24 other contestants in the no-hands competition that highlights the annual Key Lime Festival.
Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau /
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Who's the cream of this crop? It only took two minutes and forty-six seconds to find out at the Key Lime Pie Eating Contest in Key West, Fla., July 4, 2025. Contestants from across the country puckered up to plunge into nine inches of whipped, creamy lime and zest...all in an effort to claim the top prize. The event, which is part of the popular Key Lime festival that draws hundreds of spectators to the Southernmost city in the United States to see who can conquer this iconic dessert. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY (Carol Tedesco/Florida Keys News Bureau).
Carol Tedesco/Florida Keys News Bureau /
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Goggles? Check! This accessory wasn't just for fashion. Beth of Wheaton, Illinois (right), and Camryn of Magnolia, Texas, (left), sported them to compete in the Key Lime Pie Eating Championship in Key West, Fla., on July 4, 2025. The contestants dove head-first into Florida's most iconic dessert in the messy, hands-free contest that headlines the annual Key Lime Festival, running through Sunday
Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau /
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With fierce focus, J.B. Bernstein of West River, Maryland, dives face-first into a key lime pie during the Key Lime Pie Eating Championship in Key West, Fla., on July 4, 2025. The zesty, hands-free showdown is a highlight of the island city's annual Key Lime Festival.
Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau /
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Nadene Grossman Orr, Key Lime Festival Director and President/CEO of We've Got the Keys, center, and Key Lime pie icon Kermit Carpenter, holding pie, pose with Festival team members and Southernmost Beach Resort staff following the July 4, 2025, World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship in Key West, Fla. An annual event that celebrates the "world's most sensational citrus," the Key Lime Festival continues at multiple venues around the island through July 6. (Carol Tedesco/KeyLimeFestival.com)
Carol Tedesco /
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Tom Luciano of Venice, Fla., poses with his champion's belt after winning the World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship on Friday, July 4, 2025, at the Southernmost Beach Resort in Key West, Fla. A tropical spin on New York City's traditional July 4 hot dog-eating contest, the event challenges participants to devour a 9" whipped-cream-topped Key Lime pie, hands-free. Luciano triumphed over 24 fellow contestants with a time of 2 minutes and 46:49 seconds. The contest is part of Key West's annual Key Lime Festival, which runs through Sunday, July 6. (Carol Tedesco/KeyLimeFestival.com)
Carol Tedesco /
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Tom Luciano of Venice, Fla., gestures in triumph upon winning the World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship on Friday, July 4, 2025, at the Southernmost Beach Resort in Key West, Fla. Luciano topped 24 fellow competitors with a time of 2 minutes and 46.49 seconds, devouring a 9" whipped-cream-topped Key Lime pie, hands-free. The competition, a tropical spin on New York City's traditional July 4 hot dog-eating contest, is one of numerous events taking place during the island's annual Key Lime Festival, which runs through Sunday, July 6. (Carol Tedesco/KeyLimeFestival.com)
Carol Tedesco /
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Referee Elizabeth Love, left, marks the time as Alexander Papadakis of Chicago, IL, second from left, comes up for a breath of air during the World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship on Friday, July 4, 2025, at the Southernmost Beach Resort in Key West, Fla. The hands-free contest, a tropical spin on New York City's traditional July 4 hot dog-eating contest and is one of numerous events taking place during the island's annual Key Lime Festival, which runs through Sunday, July 6. (Carol Tedesco/KeyLimeFestival.com)
Carol Tedesco /
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Five of 25 competitors race to consume whipped-cream-topped Key Lime pies on Friday, July 4, 2025, at the Southernmost Beach Resort in Key West, Fla., during the annual World Famous Key Lime Pie Championship. The eating competition, a hands-free event, serves as a tropical spin on New York City's traditional July 4 hot dog-eating contest and is one of numerous events taking place during the island's annual Key Lime Festival, which runs through Sunday, July 6. (Carol Tedesco/KeyLimeFestival.com)
Carol Tedesco /
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Key Lime Festival Coordinator Kaylee Garlington-Santopietro sets one of 25 Key Lime pies in place ahead of the Friday, July 4, 2025, World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship, held at the Southernmost Beach Resort in Key West, Fla. The event, in which 25 competitors race to consume a 9" whipped-cream-topped Key Lime Pie without the use of their hands, serves as a tropical twist on New York City's traditional July 4 hot dog-eating contest, and is one of numerous events taking place during the island's annual Key Lime Festival, which runs through Sunday, July 6. (Carol Tedesco/KeyLimeFestival.com)
Carol Tedesco /
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Twenty-five competitors from across from across the United States prepare to take the plunge into an equal number of whipped-cream-topped Key Lime pies at the World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship, held at the Southernmost Beach Resort in Key West, Fla., on the Fourth of July, 2025. The no-hands competition serves as a tropical spin on New York City's traditional July 4 hot dog-eating contest and is one of numerous events taking place during the island's annual Key Lime Festival, which runs through Sunday, July 6. (Carol Tedesco/KeyLimeFestival.com)
Carol Tedesco /
"My strategy today was listening to my wife, who told me to use my chin. open my mouth and just swallow – and less chewing," said Tom Luciano.
The advice paid off. He won the contest in 2 minutes, 46 seconds. But he's not the fastest. That all-time mark is held by Trey Bergman. In 2018, the attorney from Houston ate his dessert in 40:57.
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