Jess Harter

Gilbert mayor John Lewis, Flancer's owner Jeff Flancer and Miss Arizona Savanna Troupe award Thomas Gilbert his trophy and $500 check.

​As the crowd counted down the final seconds of Flancer's 10th annual charity pizza-eating contest Sunday, Chiun "Jimmy" Peng had to have figured he won. The defending champion consumed 15 3/4 extra-large slices -- the equivalent of almost two extra large 18" pizzas -- in just 15 minutes, making his 2009 record of 13 slices seem like a mere snack.

But the Scottsdale resident came up a slice short Sunday as Thomas Gilbert, a newcomer to the contest from Las Vegas, polished off a whopping 18 slices to out-distance the other 20 competitors on the Gilbert restaurant's patio. Gilbert won $500.

Chad Church of Gilbert finished third with 11 slices.

This year's field also included an 11-year-old, A.J. Hengston of Gilbert, as well as the first female competitors in several years, Paige Burlew and Bridgette Nez of Mesa.

The pizza-eating contest capped a week of Flancer's fund-raising events for the Wounded Warrior Project, which runs sports programs for wounded U.S. soldiers. The restaurant raised $20,000.