Competitive Eating

[Jason Bivins]

Who else is fascinated by this "sport"? Nina and I have watched several documentaries over the last several years, most of which have understandably focused on Takeru "The Tsunami" Kobayashi, reigning champ of the Nathan's Hot Dog contest held annually on July 4. In 2005, a "down year" by his estimation, he ate 49 hot dogs and buns in 5 minutes.

Weirdly compelling.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Biv, 2005 was indeed a down year for this ferocious cat. His record stands at 53 1/2 dogs in 2004. This guy, at probably 130 lbs., can eat!........



More info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeru_Kobayashi

[Ron Thorne]

I enjoy eating dogs, but, that's nasty.

*Dogs of choice below. With a history like theirs, how can you argue?

[Borat Pri Hagafen]

Sonya Thomas: Pound for pound, the best in the world. And yes, i did purposely use the most disgusting picture of her i could find.

[Gentle Giant]

I happened upon a televised eating event and found people vying for the ability to eat the most mayonnaise with a spoon. It occurred to me then that this is why the world hates us. While people are starving all over the world, we're shoveling the shit in beyond all need and comprehension.

OTOH, I'm sure I'd be hard to beat in a Yodel-eating contest.

[Enforcer]

I've quite possibly, and unwittingly, set a record for eating Paczki today.

[groover]

In Philly, we have the Wing Bowl...

Posted on Fri, Feb. 03, 2006
Wing Bowl's Span

Editorial | A saucy Philadelphia tradition

This is how big Wing Bowl has become: Some folks actually worry that Philadelphia's mid-winter bacchanalia has strayed from its roots.
When the WIP-sponsored event began at a hotel 14 years ago, attendance was free, and 150 people showed up. A ticket to today's Wing Bowl 14 cost $5, and the show had sold out the Wachovia Center before the gates opened early this morning. In years past, some people waited in line all night to get in.
The annual chicken-wing eating contest has spawned a line of apparel and a documentary. A feature movie is in the works. What's next? Pay per view?

This year's event was billed as the "virgin" Wing Bowl because no past contestants were allowed to compete. That was a response to the dominance of Bill "El Wingador" Simmons, who won his fifth title last year (and has his own sauce). If you're glad about this for the sake of El Wingador's LDL levels, you are missing the point. The point is that organizers put thought into making this latest Wing Bowl more fair, more populist. Some people care so much about Wing Bowl that they are still trying to perfect it.

The Wing Bowl phenomenon distresses many people who never ventured into the 700 level at the old Vet. They vent about why the Wing Bowl has become so popular, and what it says about Philadelphia. That ship has sailed. Let us accept Wingus Maximus for what it is - gluttony, revelry, camaraderie and carnality, served up as working-class camp.



http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/spo...w/13782948.htm

Posted on Fri, Feb. 03, 2006
Chestnut wins Wing Bowl

By Peter Mucha

Inquirer Staff Writer

It's over!
Joey Chestnut, who glugged a gallon of milk in 42 seconds to earn his berth in Philadelphia's favorite pigout, is the winner.
After a wild second heat, which saw the "you heave, you leave" rule put into effect, he led with 155 wings.
That put him into a showdown with fan favorite, The Locust, representing the senior set in a green Eagles jersey.
The final tally: Joey Chestnut, 173 wings, a new Wing Bowl record.
What a sloppy circus. As it is every year. The sauce was flying, the fingers were plying, the contestants were relying on guts in more ways than one.
Chestnut, of San Jose, Calif., led all the way. He had 155 wings after the second round, 83 after the first. The other guys giving chase in the first round were The Locust (really Rich Lefevre of Nevada) with 78; Dr. Slob and Dr. Winglove, 71 each; Norseboy, 67; Mac Wing, 65; ) Wing Commander, 64; Mikey Cheesesteak, 55; Black Death; The Machine and Wing Tutt.
Before the first round began, five-time champion El Wingador became the first inductee into the Wing Bowl Hall of Fame.
After it, while the wings were being counted, a new car was awarded to a fan who registered here or at a Matt Blatt dealership.
For entertainment, a guy named Mize set some kind of "record" smashing beer cans open against his skull.
Just in case, there was a doctor on hand, Mike Cirigliano of Penn and Channel 29, but beyond prescribing anti-nausea medication, his services didn't seem to be needed.
As winner, Chestnut also gets a car, a Suzuki Grand Vitara.
Candace Cardimon, the winner of the Miss Wingette competition, held after the meal-a-thon, won a trip to Punta Cana or Cancun.
It was a lot to ask the Wingettes to think after seeing grown men barf, but did their best to answer two questions: Why do you want to be Wingette of the year? Do you have a special talent?
Not sure if the winner was the one who replied, "I am really good at taking standardized tests." Welcome to the extravaganza that every year proves Pat Robertson wrong.
It is possible to celebrate debauchery and gluttony without suffering earthquakes, volcanoes or Cheez Whiz shortages.
At least so far.
The half-capacity, near-rapacity crowd, which was loud as a tornado in a toaster overn, saw the likes of a man with a gigantic meatball, a dragon led by horned helpers, military costumes, a White Widow, and much more during the opening procession of contestants.
The rumors proved true about the 75 Wingettes. Collectively, if you added up all their fabric, you'd only have enough to cover Ruben Studdard.
And, frankly, one contestant who came in shirtless had a physique that resembles the American Idol's.
Wait, in comes a woman in ten-foot high wings on top of a float. Must be last year's Miss Wingette.
Before the event, WIP host/Wing Bowl ringmaster Angelo Cataldi was a little worried if a lot of fans would be able to find those tickets they had to purchase back in October.
Not to worry. The seats were filling up by 6, and soon a raucous caucus was hollering such familiar Wing Bowl exhortations as "Show us your [mammary endowments]."
This year was the Virgin Wing Bowl, which had nothing to do with erotic experiences. No, all the contestants were simply Wing Bowl first-timers -- they never took part before.
Who'll be back probably won't just depend on next year's gimmick, but on how they feel after some time spent with Pepto Bismol.

Photo slideshow: http://www.realcities.com/multimedia...k/2006wingbowl

[Doc Martin]

Originally Posted by Gentle Giant

I happened upon a televised eating event and found people vying for the ability to eat the most mayonnaise with a spoon. It occurred to me then that this is why the world hates us. While people are starving all over the world, we're shoveling the shit in beyond all need and comprehension.

That and Mr. Potato Head, try explaining the concept of food as a toy to people whom are starving.

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by Gentle Giant

I happened upon a televised eating event and found people vying for the ability to eat the most mayonnaise with a spoon.

How many of them ended up at the Mayo Clinic?

[Slurpy]

Originally Posted by groover

In Philly, we have the Wing Bowl...

I cant imagine bootin' (or witnessing it) after eating 150 plus wings....nasty.

In my younger daze, I'd never pass up a nuclear wing challange. If they gave away t-shirts, free beer, free meal, whatever, if you could consume so many (usually 15 - 20) thermonuclear wings, I'd take the challange. Haven't lost one yet Have quit since tho to save whatever slim lining is left in my stomach.

[PHILLYQ]

I saw Sonya Thomas, who is about 5 feet even and weighs about 100lbs, put away 10lbs of spaghetti Bolognese in about 10-15 minutes. I was amazed that she could eat 10% of her body weight and NOT get violently ill on the spot.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

I remember seeing a story on the news about a guy who "won" a contest by eating/drinking the most raw eggs in so many seconds. He downed a humongous amount of eggs from a jar/container and immediately passed out. It turned out that he suffered a stroke from which he eventually recovered.

Hey, I love to eat but this bizarre concept of shoving mass quantities of food into one's mouth and ingesting it in short periods of time escapes me. For me, watching such feats is like driving pass the proverbial traffic accident and not being able to turn away................

[jeff54]

Originally Posted by Jason Bivins

Who else is fascinated by this "sport"? ...
Weirdly compelling.

I feel the same way. Did you see the documentary about 3 guys traveling around the country trying to qualify for the Nathan's contest? Great stuff.

[Enforcer]

Originally Posted by Slurpy

In my younger daze, I'd never pass up a nuclear wing challange. If they gave away t-shirts, free beer, free meal, whatever, if you could consume so many (usually 15 - 20) thermonuclear wings, I'd take the challange. Haven't lost one yet

Slurpy, effective immediately, you're my hero.

[bostontricky]

Originally Posted by Larry Nagel

I've quite possibly, and unwittingly, set a record for eating Paczki today.

You bastard!

I discovered a large package (3 feet tall, 12 inches by 16 inches) in my foyer when I returned home from work this evening and immediately thought Larry had FedExed twelve dozen paczki from the New Palace Bakery in beautiful downtown Hamtramck.

Apparently he ate them all.

[Gordon B]

Is anybody up for a White Castle contest this summer?

[Slurpy]

Originally Posted by Larry Nagel

Slurpy, effective immediately, you're my hero.

I can't accept your worship, Larry. A buddy of mine often joined me on these nuclear wing challenges and this guy made me look like a wuss. I'd be sweating up a storm, downing a beer for every couple wings and this guy would wolf down all the wings, laugh at the so called-challange and then (I shit you not) do a shot of the nuclear sauce he'd requested on the *side*. He's still alive but probably about to spontaneously combust.

EDIT: He'd also quote a Homer Simpson line from the Chili Cookoff episode: "A mild, timid entry, suitable perhaps for patients recovering from surgery!" A sick puppy, indeed.

[rollhead]

Sonya Thomas

Here are some of her personal bests:

Bib Sheet
Alexandria, VA
Age: 37
Weight: 105

Armour Vienna Sausage: 8.31 pounds Armour Vienna Sausage /Lowe's Motor Speedway Charlotte / 10 Minutes/ May 28, 2005

Asparagus: 5.75 pounds Tempura Deep Fried Aspargus Spears/ Stockton Asparagus Fest / 10 minutes/ Apr. 24, 2004

Baked Beans, Long Course: 8.4 Pounds Baked Beans/ 84 Lumber / 2 minutes 47 seconds/ Aug. 7, 2004

Brats: 35 Johnsonville Brats / Brat Days / 10 Minutes/ Aug. 6, 2005

Cheesecake: 11 pounds Downtown Atlantic Cheesecake / 9 minutes/ Sept. 26, 2004

Chicken Nuggets: 80 Chicken Nuggets / 5 Minutes

Chicken Wings: 167 chicken wings / 32 minutes

Chicken Wings, National Buffalo Wing Festival: 161 chicken wings, 5.09 lbs / 12 minutes/ Sept. 5, 2004

Crab Cakes: 40 Crab Cakes/ Midway Slots / 12 Minutes/ Aug. 21, 2005

Eggs: 65 Hard Boiled Eggs / 6 minutes, 40 seconds

Fruitcake: 4 pounds, 14 1/4 ounces Wegmans Fruitcake / 10 minutes/ Dec. 30, 2003

Hamburger: Big Daddy Burger: 9 pound cheeseburger/ Plaza Hotel Casino / 27 minutes, 0 seconds/ Jan. 21, 2006

Hamburgers: 7 Burgers (3/4 pound) "Thickburgers" / 10 minutes

Jambalaya: 9 Pounds Crawfish Jambalaya/ LuLu's Mardi Gras / 10 Minutes/ Feb. 24, 2004

Maine Lobster/ Kennebunk: 44 Maine Lobsters (11.3 Pounds of meat) from the shell / 12 minutes/ Aug. 13, 2005

Meatballs: 10 pounds, 3 Ounces Meatballs/ Carmine's Restaurant at Tropicana Hotel Casino / 12 minutes/ Dec. 3, 2005

Oysters: 46 Dozen Acme Oysters/ Acme Oyster House / 10 Minutes/ Mar. 20, 2005

Pork, Pulled: 23 pulled pork sandwiches / 10 minutes/ Oct. 3, 2003

Quesadilla: 31.5 4-inch Cheese Quesadilla / 5 minutes

Sweet Potato Casserole: 8.62 pounds/ NC State Fair / 11 minutes/ Oct. 20, 2004

Tacos: 48 soft chicekn tacos/ Zocalo Restaurant / 11 minutes/ Sept. 29, 2004

Toasted Ravioli: 4 pounds toasted ravioli by Charlie Gitto's at Harrah's St. Louis / 12 Minutes/ Nov. 20, 2004

Turducken: 7 3/4 pounds Turducken.com Thanksgiving Dinner / 12 minutes/ Nov. 26, 2003

Turkey: 4 pounds, 3 ounces roast turkey/ GoldenPalace.com at Artie's Deli / 12 minutes/ Nov. 23, 2005



There is an century-old prophesy within the competitive eating community, dismissed by most, that foretells the rise of the One Eater, a woman who will electrify America's gurgitators and lead them to international victory once again. Like Joan of Arc before her, this eater will be slender of stature, but mighty in strength. In recent months, the prophesy has been mentioned more and more frequently as the eaters have watched Sonya Thomas excel in nearly every contest she enters.

This amazing eater was named IFOCE 2003 Rookie of the Year and was nearly unbeaten in competition in 2004, except for one highly controversial loss to Dale Boone in a baked bean eating contest in which the beans were said to be far too hot. (Boone somehow got hold of a jug of water that he used to cool his beans.) Sonya has quickly mastered the sport and the rest of the eaters appear to be watching, dumfounded, seemingly waiting for her to assume her rightful position at the top of the game.

However, in 2005, Sonya was tested by other American eaters, most notably by Joey Chestnut, who beat her in Waffle House waffles and in Krystal hamburgers. Many Americans remain hopeful that Sonya will fulfil the prophesy and beat Kobayashi -- but can she do it? Is she the one?

Sonya is single and lives in Alexandria, VA.

[John L]

105 pounds and packs away all that?

I always wondered what was wrong with D.C. area sewage system.

[Jason Bivins]

Damn, I missed her pounding sweet potato casserole at the NC State Fair? Clearly my 2004 was incomplete.

Jeff, I've seen that documentary and it is excellent.

Jimmy, that's exactly the image I have: rubbernecking.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

This doesn't have much to do with competitive eating but the other day I saw something on tv that I couldn't believe. This "guy on the street with a microphone" offered $500.00 to a guy if he would drink a liquid laced with syrup of ipecac. For those of you who don't know, that's the stuff you're supposed to give to someone who has eaten or drunk something poisonous. It makes you vomit.

So, the guy chugs the bottle and demands the $500.00. The microphone guy says he doesn't get the money until he hurls. Then he asks the guy how he feels. The guy says, "I feel fine". All of a sudden as he grabs his abdomen he says, "Wait, I feel something". Then he spits on the ground. Then he starts a projectile vomiting session that would put Linda Blair to shame. He vomits all over the sidewalk, into the gutter and all over the microphone guy's shoes. He looked like an animated water hose! One of the most disgusting things I ever saw. But did I turn the channel? Nooooo, just kept on watching this poor bastard throwing up his guts.

Who thinks up this shit?..................

[Mike Schwartz]

Originally Posted by rollhead

Sonya is single and lives in Alexandria, VA.

The letters on her shirt stand for:
International Federation Of Competitive Eaters

I kid you not
http://www.ifoce.com/

In fact here's a recent contest result...

Bertoletti Takes GoldenPalace.net Chocolate Eating Contest
2/13/2006

Chicago's Patrick Bertoletti was victorious at the GoldenPalace.net St. Valentine’s Day Chocolate Massacre in Chicago. The contest was seven minutes long to honor each of the seven men killed by the hitmen of Al Capone in 1929.

The event was held on the eve of Valentine's Day at the Chicago Chocolate Company, which provided custom milk chocolate hearts weighing 3.5 oz each for the contest.

Bertoletti (Chicago, IL) consumed 1 lb, 15.5 oz to win $2500; Bubba Yarbrough (Newnan, GA) placed second to earn $1250; Kevin Carr (Columbus, OH) placed third for $750; Jim Hamrick (Springfield, IL) was fourth and earned $325 and
Domenico Alesi (Chicago, IL) took fifth place and went home with $175.

Bertoletti, a student of the culinary arts at Kendall College, caught people's attention in January when he beat Sonya Thomas, the top-ranked eater in America, at the corned beef sandwich eating championship in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

“Bertoletti enters ’06 as strong as any other eater on the circuit,” said Charles Hardy, commissioner of the IFOCE. “Erik the Red, Hall, and Chip have shown skills, but Bertoletti is looking Chestnut-like of late.”

“The buzz around Bertoletti has been incredible,” said Kate Westfall of the IFOCE. “He has earned a place in the hearts of women all over America.”

[Gentle Giant]

This may be a good time to invest in a chain of vomitoriums (vomitoria?).

[Jon Abbey]

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. -- Takeru Kobayashi grinded through a record 58 brats at the Johnsonville World Bratwurst Eating Championship on Saturday, easily winning another tasty title and slicing through the record of 34½ set last year by Sonya Thomas.

"They're good," Kobayashi said through translator Robert Ikeda. "I want to take some home."

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/news/story?id=2540728

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Wow, unbelievable.

I'd choose a bratwurst over a plain old hot dog nine out of ten times. Good stuff. I remember buying 'em on the street in Germany on crusty rolls with a touch of grainy mustard.............

[Jon Abbey]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Cantiello

I'd choose a bratwurst over a plain old hot dog nine out of ten times.

me too, but presumably those times wouldn't be all in the same day...

Kobayashi has pretty funny quotes after these contests, especially considering the language differences. I like the one above, considering he just finished stuffing 58 of them down.

[Borat Pri Hagafen]

I love how they cover it like a real sport. Not only are the quotes good, but i enjoyed that Joey Chestnut didn't train hard enough to be ready, and that the pace was just too fast for the diminutive Ms. Thomas. But clearly the best is the guy who surreptiously used ketchup, not because it's against the rules, but because it's looked down on. Something tells me that this is a guy who wouldn't do that well in some of the other eating competitions, such as the one involving cow brains.

[Jon Abbey]

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Sports/story?id=3313743

[MRS]

There's a specialist in Canoga Park for that.

[Jazzzoline]

colon cancer