The great showdown between 2006 Chili Eating King, Gabe "Dr Pepper" Monroe and reigning Chili Eating Queen Yulin Zhao ended in a controversial* draw on Sunday with the two pepper-eating machines swallowing an astounding 75 peppers in 5 minutes. Six other brave contestants nobly tried to keep up, with Spike in second place as he methodically ate his way through a fiery 33 peppers and Josh in third as he consumed 20 peppers.

But it was really just a battle between the two favorites, who went chili for chili down to the final count, with spectators holding their breath as they battled to eat just one more chili.

A large crowd of Canada Day attendees cheered on the contestants as they pushed their bodies to the limit for the chance to win vouchers from Asian Star and Elisa’s Italian. Each contestant also received a limited-edition t-shirt from Gobi Gear.

Witness the chili carnage for yourself below.

You can take a look at a gallery of photos from the event here.

A quick reminder that if you haven't got a team together yet, it's not too late to register for tomorrow night's Immersion Guides' Beijing and Beyond Quiz Night. Show off what you know and maybe learn something you didn't. Plus, as extra encouragement, the first beer is free! There isn't much space left, so call up your know-it-all friends and reserve a spot for you and your team now by contacting Kathy Zheng at 5820 7700 ext 855 or e-mailing her on kathyzheng@immersionguides.com. Free.

7.30pm. Sequoia Cafe (6413 0771)

This women's shoe brand, first founded by expats in Shanghai in 2007, is now up to 14 Beijing branches and counting. (For a list of all existing store locations, click here.) According to their website, D:FUSE "strives to bring the latest Scandinavian urban trends to the fashion forward Chinese consumer."

It just so happens that their trend-conscious footwear appeals to us expats as well. And now, one lucky reader has the chance to win a pair of free shoes! Whether sandals or pumps, their designs typically range from RMB 600-1,500, with most of them priced at around the RMB 700-800 mark. You can check out some of D:FUSE's latest styles below, or peruse the full collections here.

The rules? With the exception of the higher-priced Desire line, you can choose whatever pair meets your fancy (though do note that their largest size available is 39).

Nuandao first hit our radar last month, when it drew massive hipster crowds to its creative party of pop-up stores. The bilingual Beijing-based design blog has been quietly operating for about six months, publishing regular content on local brands, designers and events, while racking up quite a loyal fan base (350,000 followers on China’s Tumblr, DianDian, to be exact).

Yesterday, Nuandao announced its official soft launch to the public for the first time. The new-and-improved website also features e-commerce services. According to the press release, we can expect a carefully curated selection of well-designed products, some exclusive to Nuandao and “handpick[ed] for their authenticity, originality and style.”

A man who hadn’t gotten a proper haircut in over ten years was coerced to do so last month at TATA Salon.

What would you do if your office (in this case, ThoughtWorks Software Technologies) ganged up on you, raising over RMB 15,000 for a child-in-need on the terms that you chop off those long locks? This guy, Vincent Xu, cracked under the pressure and handed himself over to TATA Salon stylist Scarlet's scissor-ready hands.