Gov. Pat Quinn may have gotten a chilly reaction to his State of the State speech this week, but the Democrat warmed things up Friday by taking down his spiciest obstacle of the year.
The governor swallowed a spoonful of cinnamon at the request of WGN-AM’s Jonathon Brandmeier while doing a guest appearance on his radio show in a stunt that has been appropriately titled the “Cinnamon Challenge.”
The old stunt, which is difficult to pull off without water, has gotten new life online as people post their attempts on YouTube. Add Quinn’s effort to the growing list.
“I want the record to state that I did not kill him, if anything happened,” Brandmeier said before Quinn swallowed the cinnamon.
The governor survived the challenge – but did take a swig of bottled water immediately after taking down the cinnamon.
“The will of the people will be the law of the land,” he said triumphantly – albeit a bit hoarse.
“This guy’s unbelievable!” Brandmeier shouted. “I don’t believe what you just did. The governor! I bow before you!”
Later in the day, at a separate, non-cinnamon-related event in Berwyn, Quinn said he “sort of volunteered.”
“In a weak moment, I accepted his challenge,” the governor said. “I don’t think I’m going to do that anymore.
“I’m sure I’m a better man for it. … You know cinnamon is good for you in very limited supply.”
This wasn’t the first time Quinn yukked it up with Brandmeier over the airwaves. In light of the push for a gambling expansion package, the two played five-card draw together for casino rights last fall on Brandmeier’s NBC5 talk show.
Contributing: Lisa Donovan
