Albuquerque, N.M. ? Professional eater “Humble Bob” Shoudt ate 33 1/2 burritos in 10 minutes, winning the 2009 World Burrito eating championship on Friday before an excited crowd at the New Mexico State Fair.

Shoudt, of Royersford, Pa., finished just ahead of runner-up Hall “Hoover” Hunt of Jacksonville, Fla., who put down 30 burritos in the International Federation of Competitive Eating-sponsored contest.

Shoudt, who won $1,500, said he didn’t eat for two days to prepare for the competition. Competitors ate 4-ounce burritos, filled with beef, beans and green chile — each weighing about a quarter of a pound.

The 15 competitors paced during a brief delay as organizers made room to fit everyone on a stage. Plates stacked with four burritos were placed at each chair along with several plastic water bottles.

Once the timer’s stopwatch was set, Spanish music started playing on a loudspeaker and the eaters chowed down.

They frantically shoved burritos into their mouths, cheeks puffed like chipmunks, as a crowd of about 250 people roared with laughter and cheers.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” said Dolores Lucero, 53, of Albuquerque, who watched the spectacle with her three young grandchildren. “When they really picked it up, and you could see the liquid and food dripping out of their mouths, that was pretty disgusting.”

Next up? Hunt and Shoudt planned to fly out Friday night to compete in a grits eating contest in Louisiana. Major League Eating’s top-ranked eater is Joey Chestnut, and the 42-year-old Shoudt recently defeated the world champion at a chili spaghetti eating contest.