For the McMillan family of Macon, dinner at the Georgia State Fair is more than a meal, it's a mission.

Three family members competed in the all-you-can-eat competitions Wednesday night, where young and old alike try to stuff in as much food as they can in three minutes.

When John McMillan Jr. was asked why he returned to defend his title as champion of the Nu-Way Weiners children's contest, the 10-year-old said, "My reputation."

Just minutes before the competition, he abruptly left the table with something in his hand.

"My tooth came out," said John Jr.

He called it "a good omen."

With a line of competitors at his side, and five Nu-Way hot dogs in front of him, the competition began.

With a 1:15 to go, John Jr. was starting on his third hot dog.

At the next table, Travishia Allen, 5, stuffed an entire hot dog into her tiny mouth. Unfortunately, she literally bit off more than she could chew.

At three minutes, John Jr. did a little victory dance with three hot dogs under his belt.

For the second year, he was top dog.

Dallas Cooper, 6, had high hopes. He walked away empty-handed but with a full stomach.

"I wanted to do it because I know I'm a fat pig," said Dallas with a grin that fired up both dimples in his ample cheeks.

"He did pretty good, but he just got through eating," said Cindy Cooper, Dallas' grandmother.

When the call went out for adults, Shawn Buller, 22, of Macon, was one of the first in line.

"I was starving, and it was a free meal," Buller said.

His buddy, Jason Reott, 22, a student at Macon State College, piled in four and a quarter dogs.

"It's coming out of his ears," said Ken Taylor of the Macon Exchange Club, which sponsors the fair.

From the stage, Taylor declared Reott the winner.

"I owe it all to (Buller). I was falling behind him, then he said, 'Go! go!' He inspired me," Reott said.

"He was making me laugh, so I couldn't eat," said Buller, who placed second.

Bonnie Mansfield, 35, of Forsyth, took a dainty approach of eating the wiener first and chasing it with the bun, but she proved no match for Reott and Buller.

Next on the menu was Ingleside Village Pizza, and the McMillans wanted a piece of the action.

This time, 8-year-old Deana McMillan came to the plate, with her strawberry blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Slow and steady won the race for Tevin Sams, 9, of Bloomfield.

"I just tried to eat slow, but put it in my mouth as fast as I could," Sams said.

Once the kids cleared out, it was time to get serious.

"The competition is fierce this year," said Ingleside Village Pizza owner Tina Dickson, who recognized John McMillan Sr., as last year's winner.

"This is a family of big eaters," she said.

John Sr. had some serious contenders to face, including Juanita Hightower, 20, who is expecting a baby Nov. 3.

Asked if she craved anything, Hightower said "pizza."

The final contestant to make it to the table, turned out to be the night's hot dog champ, Jason Reott, coming back for seconds in less than an hour.

"Hey, it's Ingleside Village Pizza," he said to justify his gluttony.

Reott stacked his slices on top of each other, cheese to cheese, and attacked the pizza like a sandwich.

John Sr. steadily ate away, while Junior shouted, "Come on, Dad!"

At the three-minute mark, McMillan was the champ for the second year, eating more of his pizza than anyone at the table.

Reott, who missed third place by about a bite, had only one regret. He didn't save enough pizza to take home to eat later.

For the McMillans, it was a good night. Two champions and a good start for Deana.

"She's going to do some more training," John Sr. said with a laugh.

"I feed them all good," said Victoria McMillan, who sat out the competition and a night of cooking in the kitchen.

"Two in a row," said John Sr. "I'll be back next year."

The family now has gift certificates for Nu-Way and Ingleside Village Pizza when they get hungry again.

One spectator had this to say: "The winners or the losers, I wouldn't want to get on a ride with them."