All table manners aside, University officials raced against the clock to devour as much chip dip as possible, slathering the condiment from cheek to cheek in the process.
Dean of the College of Education and Human Development Darlyne Bailey, Dean of Extension Service Bev Durgan and former men’s hockey coach Doug Woog – dubbed the “Dean of college hockey” – squared off at Saturday’s men’s basketball game to prove who could best dominate the dip.
Each contestant received a tub of dip, a bag of potato chips and 45 seconds to consume as much dip as possible.
Wendy Gillett, a syndicated food columnist and self-proclaimed “Diva of Dip,” officiated the contest. While she said double-dipping and using fingers are typically social faux pas, she let impropriety slide Saturday afternoon.
Initially, the tubs of dip weighed 458 grams, approximately one pound.
The three contestants considered their technique beforehand, but during the competition there was no time to strategize.
Woog said he just tried not to break any chips and felt increased pressure when fans counted down the final seconds.
When it came down to it, Bailey abandoned any methodical procedure in her dip consumption and used just three chips to win with what Gillett labeled “pure fearless frenzy.”
Bailey was confirmed a clear champion when the second weigh-in showed she had eaten 276 grams to Woog’s 103 and Durgan’s 76.
Gillet said Bailey set a marked record in the contest, which took place among three DePaul University deans Feb. 14 in Chicago. In that contest, no contestant ate more than 100 grams.
“I would not want to be at a dinner party with you,” she joked to Bailey afterward.
Woog said even though the numbers show Bailey as the front-runner, the margin of defeat was not as significant as it might appear.
“It wasn’t that I lost, I just ran out of time,” he said. “I tried to stuff as much dip as I could swallow into my mouth. I felt like a goat.”
Bailey, due to an onion allergy, had ranch dip instead of French onion like her opponents, but confirmed the two varieties had the same viscosity and the discrepancy did not give her an unfair advantage.
The contest’s sponsor, Dean’s Dip, allotted $5,000 to be divided between scholarship funds in the respective deans’ colleges. Woog’s winnings will go to an endowment scholarship bearing his name.
The money was set to be divided according to contestants’ placement in the contest, but Bailey, Durgan and Woog agreed to split the money equally and compete for bragging rights.
The contest will continue its run at Marquette University and University of Michigan basketball games this season to round out its tour of the top four per-capita dip consumption cities of Milwaukee, Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Detroit.
John Lockhart, president of the marketing firm behind the contest as well as the event’s coordinator, said Dean’s Dip is looking to make such contests annual events.
So far, Lockhart said there has been a struggle in getting deans to participate.
Do
-Do bring dip when you come to a party.
-Do bring a tub of dip as a gift for a party.
-Do match up fun FDDs (Favorite Dipping Devices) with your favorite dip.
Don’t
-Don’t double-dip.
-Don’t drip dip on the table cloth and walk away without telling anyone.
-Don’t hog the dip and take it to another room so you can be by yourself. The dip is so wonderful you should share it with everyone.
“As much as deans want to help their students and raise money, it’s always a challenge to get out there and embarrass themselves,” he said.
Durgan said she initially had reservations about participating but eventually saw the benefits.
“I look at this as a way to make sure we have our athletics and academics connected,” she said. “Having deans at an athletic and fun event makes sure we have that connection.”
In the end, the deans shared a laugh about the contest.
“I had no hesitation,” Bailey said. “There is nothing that a good dean wouldn’t do for her students.”