To anyone who has taken on the Cluck-U 911 Winger Challenge, I commend you heartily.

For the rest of you, let me explain.

Cluck-U Chicken is a restaurant chain, with locations throughout the United States, mostly in Maryland and around colleges. It features a variety of items on its menu, including sandwiches, wraps, and wings. The quality lies somewhere between sit-down restaurant and fast-food joint.

One thing the chain is known for, however, is its knowledge of how to spice things up, with such spicy sauces ranging from Mild, Atomic, Nuclear, Thermo-Nuclear and 911. We are going to talk about the 911 sauce today.

My friends... they are not the most intelligent at times. Many of them thought they could take on the challenge. One friend tries every food-related challenge at any restaurant, an athlete of a good stature; he could eat 10 burgers in 10 minutes. Another chugged a gallon of milk in 10 minutes... only to throw it up afterward in less time. Others enjoy being photogenic and will do anything for a good picture.

And as Cluck-U seems to cater to college students, well, the 911 Challenge seemed like the perfect bet for them.

It was in San Jose where it happened. My friends gathered to what would go down as a very memorable day... for better or for worse. They had their game faces on. They remembered all of the warnings about just how hot that 911 sauce was on those chicken wings. There were pictures on the wall of everyone who conquered the challenge (well, there weren't too many of the pictures) with the shirts they won as a result. My friends wanted a picture and a shirt.

They ordered the chicken. Little did they know that there would be supervisors standing over them as they did the challenge to make sure they ate all the chicken and sauce off those wings. Eat all 12 wings in 10 minutes and the title would be theirs. You can't eat or drink anything within five minutes of finishing the chicken. Not only that, but you have to sign a medical waiver... sober, of course.

And so they started.

One friend dropped out after four, still in pretty good condition but done nonetheless. The others kept going until they slowly reached No. 7.

"Only five more!" They were encouraged, but to no avail. Noses were running, eyes were crying, hands were trembling. It was painful to watch, to say the least. There was so much snot by the time the employees came to take their trays away that the trays left a snot trail away from the table. The pain lasted throughout the three-hour ride back to San Luis Obispo; many stops were required on the way. And my friends didn't even get a shirt.

So for all those out there contemplating the 911 Chicken Challenge, please keep your health and dignity in mind... though don't lose your sense of adventure, by any means.