Florida Man Wins Key Lime Pie Eating Championship

The World Famous Key Lime Pie Eating Championship saw a new victor when Kevin Renly, a resident of the Florida Keys, emerged victorious by devouring a pie in less than a minute. Renly’s winning strategy involved removing the pie’s whipped cream quickly, making the process smoother.

For this annual Fourth of July event in Key West, participants must eat pies without using their hands, although goggles and dive masks are permitted. Renly, age 62, clinched the title by consuming a whipped cream-topped 9-inch Key lime pie in just 59.6 seconds.

Having finished as the runner-up in 2024 and 2025, Renly refined his approach for the current competition. He figured out the quick removal of whipped cream using his own body. “You didn’t have to eat the cream, so I figured, ‘How am I going to get rid of the cream real fast?’ So that’s what I figured out. I take my shirt off and dive into it, pull up and the whipped cream is on my chest,” Renly explained.

Once the whipped cream was addressed, Renly flipped the pie upside down to tackle the challenging crust. “How are you going to eat the crust? That’s the worst part, because it was just so dry,” he said. “No problem. We’ll just flip it upside down and eat it that way.”

The competition was part of the Key Lime Festival, which offers a tropical twist on the Fourth of July celebrations familiar to Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, attracting a crowd of hundreds to see 25 contestants gorge on whipped cream-laden pies.

Renly, who co-owns Southernmost Bees with his wife Julie, joked that his third attempt was charmed, having previously dubbed himself the “first loser” following two second-place finishes. This year’s victory held additional meaning as the contest coincided with his wedding anniversary. “I didn’t want to go home and tell her I’d lost again,” he admitted.

Renly’s triumph was motivated beyond just personal satisfaction. He aimed to keep the championship trophy local. “I sat there watching and thought, ‘Wait a minute. All these people come [from] out of town and they take this trophy home.’ This trophy needs to stay here locally, so some locals have got to keep it here,” he stated.

Renly devoured a 9-inch Key lime pie in 59.6 seconds at the championship, earning the coveted belt. The pie is recognized as Florida’s official pie since 2006, made traditionally with Key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks. Renly now aims to make history as the first back-to-back champion, stating, “No one’s ever repeated for a win. Now I’ve got a new goal — to be the first repeat.”

Peter Burke, a lifestyle editor at Fox News Digital, often writes about food and drink topics, including this account of Kevin Renly’s flavorful victory.