Water Avenue was sizzling hot Thursday afternoon for the fourth annual Alabama River Chili Cookoff.

More than 30 teams competed in Leadership Class XVIII’s annual event, and hundreds of people showed up to taste all the different chili creations.

After each team’s pot was ready, and the judges had a chance to taste each chili, the City of Selma’s Hot Tamales took home first place.

“This is a thrill to me,” said Hot Tamales team member Pauline Williams. “We’ve been waiting for a few years to win this, and we finally mastered it. We’ve got something that nobody else has.”

The Hot Tamales have competed in all four cookoffs, but this year they decided to do something a little different.

“We did a new recipe this year,” said Shebra Kidd, another Hot Tamales team member. “We made a white chicken chili because we wanted to do something different. Everybody just loved it. People said it was off the chain.”

First Baptist Church took home second place, and Vaughan Regional Medical Center took home third place and the fan favorite.

Dr. Julie Sams’ team won most spirited for the third year in a row with their “Red Carpet Chili” theme. Team members dressed up as their favorite celebrities to help bring home the award.

“We like to get dressed up and be a part of the atmosphere,” said Shawn Gorenflo. “It’s not really about the chili for us. It’s about coming and having a good time and all of that.”

While some teams were more about having fun and enjoying the crowds, others were determined to take home the trophy with their secret ingredient.

Teams added things like cocoa powder, bloody Mary mix and a touch of southern charm in hopes of winning the judges over.

Frasier-Ousley Construction’s secret was a pierced jalapeno.

“When it comes time for the judges we’re going to squeeze the jalapeno and get all of the juices out and stir it back in,” said Rachel Eggert, as she stirred her team’s pot of chili.

While the cookoff was delayed a few weeks due to a forecast of bad weather, it allowed more teams to join in the fun. The Edmundite Missions were one of the later teams to register.

“This is the first time we’ve ever done it. We were a latecomer. We came about a week and a half ago,” said Bradford Perry. “We just wanted to be part of the community.”

The combination of chili, dancing and just having a good time was all for a great cause, as the money raised from the cookoff will benefit the SABRA Sanctuary, a shelter for victims of domestic violence.

“It was so nice,” said Mayor George Evans after celebrating his teams first place victory. “Everybody had a lot of fun, fellowship and eating. People were making themselves sick off of chili.”

His team is already looking forward to next year.

“We’re already ready to get in the kitchen and prepare to defend our trophy,” Williams said, as she proudly held the first place trophy. “It was well worth it.”