Digest

Buggin' Out!
by hotknives

At the risk of jeopardizing our vegetarian credentials we just had to chronicle a recent cooking demonstration we sat in on last weekend at the annual Bug Fair at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum. The weekend insect festival is mostly a hold-the-tarantula affair where little kids still in their gross-out phase, and goth ladies with centipede tattoos, can marvel at nature’s creepiest.

For shock value, this year they hosted a bug cooking demonstration and a cockroach eating contest with the hardly-renowned cookbook author David Lowell Gordon. He’s sort of like the token stupid-insects-trick guest for talk shows. The highlight was definitely not the cooking: the “centipede pasta” was cold Ragu sauce laced with one bug, the “grasshopper kebabs” were barely cooked at all. But seeing four elementary school-aged kids scarfing down 10 whole, oven-baked American cockroaches to win an iPod, now that’s good, clean fun.

Posted on May 25, 2007 | Comments (1)

Grilled Cheese-umentary
by hotknives

You may remember a Hot Knives post from back in February when we competed in one of the most amazing cooking contests there is: the 4th 2nd Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational. Well, our good buddy Drew, who is currently undergoing shock therapy in journalism school to try and kill his sense of humor, finally wrapped up production on his 3-minute documentary on the subject.

Although it’s ostensibly on the event in general, he used our desire to conquer the desert category to cue the proverbial heartstrings, as it were. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll really want a sandwich.

The finish line results are all here. Peep other photos here. And starting training for the 4th 3rd Annual GCI now.

Posted on May 11, 2007 | Comments (2)

Food Competition Stories Moving
by kmikeym

Looking for the IFOCE coverage? We moved it from the food blog Digest to the sports blog True Fan.

You can find all the past entries on Digest here.

You can find all the future entries on True Fan here.

Posted on July 4, 2006 | Comments (0)

Erik "The Red" Takes the Thai Qualifier with 22.5 HDbs
by Liz

After just missing the wild card slot, Erik Denmark was finally able to make his dream come true of making it to the Nathan's table tomorrow, July 4th. He competed in three qualifiers before this one, held today before the Brooklyn Cyclone's game in Coney Island, and came determined to win. And win he did, with an impressive 22.5 HDBs. He competed against eating legends Jammin' Joe LaRue, Don "Moses" Lerman, and Krazy Kevin, but nothing was keeping this Seattlite from earning his place at the 2006 Nathan's competition. Helping him along were other Nathan's eaters, including Rich LeFevre, Pat Bertoletti, Hall Hunt, Bob Shoudt, and Crazy Legs (there as a guest judge), who were parked right up front and shouting encouraging words to all the eaters throughout.

Pics from the qualifier are here, along with some from the weigh-in held earlier in the day.

Posted on July 3, 2006 | Comments (3)

Badlands Booker Rocks Seaport with 30.5 Hot Dogs
by LizandKrista

The South Street Seaport qualifier in New York City is traditionally the last one before Nathan's (barring any random Thai qualifiers thrown into the mix). It's reserved for civil workers of the city, so most people consider this a qualifier that "belongs" to Eric "Badlands" Booker, a conductor for the 7 train and ninth ranked eater in the world. Before this was Badlands' qualifier, it was "Hungry" Charles Hardy's, who retired from eating this year to become Commissioner for the IFOCE, and who is now more widely known as "The Godfather." A rapper, a musician, and the the man who gave power to the words "hungry and focused," Eric ate a personal best at Tuesday's qualifier and will be joining his competitive eating peers at the big table in a week.

Give us the quick lowdown on the event:

The mood was very live, upbeat, and happy, about 500 to 1000 people came out on their lunch break to the South St. Seaport to see Badlands and their other favorite city workers face off with some hot dogs hoping to win a seat at the big show! The Event was held outside adjacent to the South Street Seaport Mall on a big sound stage. George Shea was the Head Emcee along with a couple of other officials, (one on the stage and one in training) and the IFOCE Commissioner, Charles Hardy "The Godfather" was on hand as IFOCE Official Head Judge. I did an a cappella rap of "Back In The Flesh" which is track #4 off the "Hungry & Focused II - The Ingestion Engine CD" (Which is now available on iTunes!), and also did a beat box while George grabbed the mic and did a rendition of an easy listening song which caught the crowd totally off guard but thoroughly enjoyed! George called up the eaters; there were about 12 amateur eaters, ranging from police officers, firemen, EMS workers, and other vital city employees such as clerical workers and so on. Great eaters such as Eater X, and Crazy Legs Conti was also in attendance. As the contest was about to start, I could feel this was going to be a good day. I got into my zone by listening to some upbeat music on my iPod, and at the end, Frank Fumanante (I think that's how he spells his last name) ate 10 to get 3rd, John Scrafani (I think that his last name spelling, as well) ate 12 to place 2nd, and I was victorious eating 30 and 1/2 HDBs.

This is widely considered "your" qualifier. Are you ever nervous about not winning?

I always come with my game face on, I've learned from experience (Kobayashi in 2001, I was right next to him when he ate 50 for the 1st time) not to underestimate any rookies. This qualifier I was determined to win because it was the last qualifier. If I don't win this one, I don't get in.

How did this qualifier compare to ones you've done in the past? How did your performance feel in comparison to past performances?

I felt really good about this qualifier. I've trained more diligently for this one than in the past now that the competition has gotten better. Now I just have to fine tune my weak points that I've learned yesterday, and come at my very best on the 4th.

Tell us something funny or unusual that happened during this qualifier.

-There was a Group of fans from Germany visiting NYC and he came over to me and shouted "BADLANDS WE LOVE YOU IN GERMANY!" "YOU'RE MY HOT DIGGITY DOGGER!" I smiled and said, "Thanks," and gave them a CD.

-Also when I showed up, there was acCop named Reggie who competed last year that was looking hungry & focused, and when he saw me, he said, "Oh, i guess its time to go home now." I was like, "Naw man, don't be like that, anything could happen in this sport, that's the beauty of it." Then his confidence comes back and he says, "Yeah, and I ate 20 in a training run in 6 minutes"! I'm like "Wow, really?" Then he fessed up and says, "Naw, just kidding!"

Any predictions about what will happen at Coney Island? Is this the year Kobayashi will be unseated?

Kobayashi is the greatest, most scrupulous person I've ever met. He's also very resilient in the face of adversity. I admit he has his work cut out for him because this year America is focused especially Joey "Jaws" Chestnut. In my opinion, I think Joey is capable of unseating Kobayashi, but Koby will adapt accordingly. So may the best gurgitator prevail.

Last question:

Batman is reality, Superman is fantasy, So I say BATMAN.

Posted on June 28, 2006 | Comments (0)

Hall Hunt Secures Wild Card Slot in Atlanta
by LizandKrista

It was a mad race for the wild card slot this year. After all the qualifiers are complete, a wild card slot is alloted to the eater who has the highest average of hot dogs eaten over the course of three qualifiers (and who also didn't come in 1st place, obviously.) Going into Saturday's qualifiers, the race was really on between Hall Hunt and Erik "The Red" Denmark, who had also showed promising numbers. In the end, though, it was Hall who pulled ahead. With 18 HDBs in Sunrise, FL, 20.375 in Norfolk, VA, and 17.5 in Atlanta, GA, his average came to 18.625 HDBs. Erik trailed by only a bit, coming in with an average around 17 HDBs. (I am sorry, but does it get more heartbreaking than this?) But surprises are around every corner. The IFOCE announced today that another qualifier will take place on the 3rd, open to all Thai citizens (don't ask) and eaters who have competed in at least one qualifier this year.

Hall Hunt is holding his wild card position close to his heart. After failing to win a spot last year, the devout eater said he prayed about getting in this year, and he couldn't be happier about this prayer getting answered.

Tell us about the qualifier.

There was a large number of ranked eaters that showed up in Atlanta. I hope I can remember them all and I am sorry if I forget anyone. The people I remember off the top of my head were: Patrick Bertoletti, Sam Vise, Dale Boone, Bubba, Larry, and Super Paul. A few others I talked to were "the hangman", Peter Parker, some dude dressed as the pope, and a few others. The mood was pretty friendly and relaxed. All the eaters were chatting with each other and meeting all the first-timers and newcomers. I think everyone was excited to hear stories from other eaters, like where they were from, and what contests they had competed in before. The stage was set up in a large tent at the zoo where there were by my estimation a few hundred people including zoo patrons, family, friends, and a few media personnel. One of the cameras was from National Geographic, which I thought was fitting since the contest was at the zoo. I think this was a coincidence however. From what I remember Patrick won with 33, Sam Vise ate 20, Dale ate 18, I ate 17.5, Bubba around 15, Larry maybe 13.5, and I don't remember the rest. Please someone correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that is about how it went.

Did you feel good coming into this competition? Did you train? Did this qualifier feel different from your last?

I felt great coming into the contest. I did practice some leading up to the contest, but I am still working on technique. I feel my technique can be improved with some fine tuning. This qualifier did seem different than the past ones. I am not sure why, but I could not get my speed up and get into my rhythm. It was just one of those days. Lord willing, I can figure out what the problem is and overcome it.

Tell us something funny or unusual that happened during this qualifier.

If I must talk about some controversy/something funny that happened, the obvious topic would be Patrick and Dale messing with each other. Patrick ended up dressing as Dale for the contest and came out with a doll dressed up as Dale. Patrick was carrying the doll by a small noose and was ringing a cow bell to mock Dale. Larry the Legend
was also holding up a sign that said something like "Dale+hot dogs=reversal". I think you can find pictures of this here.

Any thoughts on Pat Bertoletti's chance on the 4th? Any predictions about what will happen at Coney Island? Is this the year Kobayashi will be unseated?

I think Patrick will end up getting 3rd or 4th place overall at Coney. My completely random prediction will be that Joey eats about 60 hot dogs and buns and Takeru has a reversal of fortune trying to keep up with Joey.

Last question:

The season I prefer the most is SUMMER! I get to put on my swimsuit and go to the beach!

Posted on June 27, 2006 | Comments (0)

Pat Bertoletti Burns Up Atlanta
by LizandKrista

The Atlanta qualifier, one of three that took place on Saturday, turned out to be quite an event. Not only was Pat Bertoletti attending after unexpectedly losing to Chip Simpson in Minnesota, but the notorious bad boy of competitive eating, Dale "Mouth of the South" Boone (known for his smack talk and cow bell-ringing), showed up, marking his return from a sabbatical in India. Additionally, Hall Hunt came in to make his final bid at the wild card slot and eat against Larry "The Legend" McNeil and Loren "Bubba" Yarbrough. This was one jam-packed event! Perhaps given the amount of people and the antics that ensued, it was fitting that the qualifier was held at the Atlanta Zoo.

Pat Bertoletti, who was determined to sit at the big table at Coney, ate 33 HDBs to win (one more than he ate in Minnesota). At this rate, it's looking like he'll place strongly on the 4th.

We got to talk to Georgia local, "Bubba" Yarbrough, who gave us a behind-the-scenes look at one of the last qualifiers of the year.

Who attended this qualifier?

The participants included Larry The Legend, Patrick Bertoletti, Sam Vise, Super Paul Barlow, The Hangman (?), Hall Hunt, and some guy dressed like the Pope.

Talk to us a bit about the return of Dale Boone and the effect of his appearance at this qualifier.

Dale Boone usual turned the event into the Dale Boone show, he hurled insults and threats at myself, Pat, and Chip Simpson, who was there as a guest judge. Verbal barbs were thrown, but mostly he was ignored.

Did you feel good coming into this competition? Did you train?

Going into the event I felt like a million bucks; I was hungry and focused. My training regiment had been abbreviated so I didn't get as much training time as I would have liked, but I still felt good.

Tell us something funny or unusual that happened during this qualifier.

The funniest things that happened, unfortunately, revolved around Dale Boone. Pat Bertoletti, in response to Dale talking smack in the previous week, had prepared for Dale to show his ass. Pat turned the tables on Dale and dressed up in overalls ringing a cow bell, all the while dragging Dale in effigy up to the stage. He then held up the Dale doll by a hangman's noose as the crowd cheered. Larry "The Legend" held up a homemade sign that read "Boone+Hotdogs=Reversal" The crowd was booing Dale the whole time he was going into his antics. Also an eater dressed up in a really good Pope costume.

Any predictions about what will happen at Coney Island? Is this the year Kobayashi will be unseated?

I predict the Pat Bertoletti will eat over 40 on July 4th. The guy didn't even break a sweat and it looked like he was cruising at the end he made it look easy. I will also predict that Joey Chestnut will win the contest by 3 hot dogs, as I have said all along.

Last question:

Neither, I go commando!!

Posted on June 26, 2006 | Comments (3)

The Jalapeno King Rules San Francisco
by LizandKrista

Jed Donahue, who holds the world record for jalapenos at 152 in 15 minutes, fought his way through the San Francisco qualifier on Saturday with 19.5 hot dogs to earn a spot at Coney Island. This will be his second time at the big table, the first time being 8 years ago when Japanese eater Hirofumi Nakajima swept everyone away. Donahue tried to qualify in San Fran last year and lost to Joey Chestnut...20.5 to Joey's 21. What a difference a year makes! Jed fought tooth and nail against Erik "The Red" Denmark, another eater who was also determined to secure a win or a number high enough to earn him the wild card slot. (If our numbers are correct, it looks like Hall Hunt beat out Erik for that coveted final wild card position.)

Jed credits another recent event in his life for the edge over Erik: "I got married two weeks ago to Erica Sikorski, so maybe she brought me good luck and I won today by a half."

C'mon, people: awww!

We caught a few words with the man of the hour.

Give us the quick lowdown on the event.

A smallish crowd and somewhat cold and foggy (classic San Francisco summer). A stage in front of Century Theater in Daly City, CA. Nacho Libre was packing them in. The neat-eating competition was a hit, but there were no dachshunds dressed as hot dogs like last year. I won with only 19.5 and the passionate and determined Erik "The Red" Denmark came in with 19. I think Ron Koch ate 14 or 15. Not sure about him. He was coming off sunstroke and I think that affected him.

Rich LeFevre and Carlene were there to throw support towards all the competitors. Carlene's mom also lives in the area. Joey Chestnut was also there for interviews and to support all the eaters. It showed a lot of class for them to be there and their cheering was appreciated.

Eddie Dunn was great on the mike and made a reference to the two brothers in the contest. He said "they were joined by a hot dog at birth and were successfully separated by surgery, but will always have that bond between them."

How did you feel about your chances going into this qualifier?

I thought I had a 50-50 chance between me and Erik Denmark. If Bertoletti had showed, my chances were about 5%. Thank goodness he chose Atlanta.

Did things go like you expected, or were there some surprises?

I wanted to hit 20 at least, but I was next to Denmark and stayed one ahead of him throughout the contest. I followed his pace and made sure I didn't even come close to a reversal. It was OK in my mind to eat just enough to win. Erik is a great competitor and I wish him luck in his eating endeavors.

Tell us something funny or unusual that happened during this qualifier.

The only thing I can thing I can think of is that the Nathan's rep said we had to eat at least 18 to go to Coney. I always thought that if you win a qualifier, you get to go regardless of the total. I asked for clarification, and he basically said that regardless of winning, you had to eat at least 18 and win to go this year. I guess this is a new rule.


Any thoughts on the San Fran winner's chance on the 4th? Any predictions about what will happen at Coney Island? Is this the year Kobayashi will be unseated?

If there's 20 eaters, I will certainly be in the bottom half. Hot dogs is not my strength. I hope and think that Kobe will go down this year. My money is on Joey and I'm stoked that I get to see it live and in person.

Finish this sentence: If I could change one thing about the Nathan's qualifiers...

There would be more of them. There's lots of Nathan's around the country and it's expensive to travel all over. Logistics are tough though.

Last question:

Posted on June 25, 2006 | Comments (0)

Pat From Moonachie Massacres at Molly
by LizandKrista

Pat Philbin was able to reserve a place at the Nathan's table after taking the Molly Pitcher qualifier on Friday with 22.5 HDBs. At the Hartford qualifier Pat was able to eat a cool 25 HDBs, but it wasn't enough to get him to the 4th. If he didn't win at Molly Pitcher he was hoping for a wild card, but he doesn't have to worry about that now. Now he just needs to sit back, take it easy, and prepare for what is shaping up to be a ferocious battle at Coney.

Give us the quick lowdown on the event:

In attendance was me, Allen "Shredder" Goldstein, Don "Moses" Lerman, "Beautiful" Brian Seiken, Kevin Lipnicki and a few newcomers that did very well, along with Tim "Eater X" Janus, "Crazy legs" Conti and "Krazy" Kevin Lipsitz serving as celebrity judges, also on hand was Wendy The Snapple Lady...truly a "Star-Studded" crowd! The mood was festive and friendly, while the weather was hot and humid. I won with 22.5 HDBs, "Shredder" was on my heels the whole contest and finished with 20.5

How did you feel about your chances going into this qualifier? How did you train? Will you be cleansing your system with egg whites again?

I felt confident that I'd at least get the wild card spot even if I didn't win the contest. I've been doing minimal water training while trying to lose weight (I've lost 20lbs. since the Hartford qualifier) and most of my meals have been scrambled eggs made with 12-18 egg whites, a couple yolks and 2% milk, occasionally I'll have a burger or some other "normal" food.

Did things go like you expected, or were there some surprises?

I thought maybe Pat Bertoletti might show up to "Piss on my Parade" but I lucked out! I was a little disappointed in my totals, other than that, no big surprises.

Tell us something funny or unusual that happened during this qualifier.

I caught the "reversal" (a softball-sized chunk of chewed HDB's spewed into a Nathan's cup!) with my peripheral vision, which combined with the heat and humidity, made me somewhat queasy but I kept my own personal "Elvis" locked in the building!

Any predictions about future qualifiers or your chance on July 4th?

Pat Bertoletti will win wherever he goes to qualify for Nathan's. And my predictions for the 4th? Sonya will hit the "Double-Deuce" and there will be a new world record set by ..."SOMEONE!" ;) MY goal is to surpass my personal best of 25 HDB's and have a good time on our nation's birthday! "O&A Party Rock!" :)

Last Question:

I'd have to go with The Cabbage Patch; I'm from the "Disco Sucks!" era. ;)

Posted on June 24, 2006 | Comments (0)

Seaver "The Killer" Miller Slays QVC
by LizandKrista

We first met Seaver Miller in Baltimore at the crab cake competition just two months ago. His FIRST competition! He ate 21 crab cakes that day (coming in 6th, just ahead of Natty Boh-slugging pro, Crazy Legs Conti), which proved to eerily forecast the number of dogs and buns he put away on Thursday to win the QVC qualifier. Having only competed in crab cakes and two other qualifiers prior to this, Seaver looks like he's joining the ranks of the IFOCE's young, powerhouse rookies. This QVC qualifier, added after the initial lineup was announced, proved to be an interesting one, held at their studios in West Chester, PA--diamond bracelet anyone? While the IFOCE has dubbed him Seaver "The Achiever," we think he's worthier of a more aggressive nickname (his wife gives Seaver "The Killer" Miller the thumbs up). We snagged a few words with this up-and-coming star after his big win.

Give us the quick lowdown on the event:

The mood was really exciting. There were about 400 spectators lining the walls, the stairwell, the balcony and the hallway. The view from where I stood was incredible! A radio station, the local news, and QVC were all covering the event. There will be some footage played throughout the day on QVC as well as on the 10 o'clock Philadelphia Fox news. I won with 21 hot dogs and buns. "Buffalo" Jim Reeves took second with 20 and Steakbellie placed third with 18. Justin Mih and Paul Barlow also had a great showing but I'm not sure of their exact numbers. QVC was selling Nathan products all day today and they gave away Nathan's products to the crowd as well as the top three finishers.

How did you feel about your chances going into this qualifier? How did you train?

Going into it, I felt I could do well but I didn't expect to do as well as I did. I didn't do a lot of training except to drink water after meals.

Did things go like you expected, or were there some surprises?

I didn't expect to win. All the great competitors pushed me to go past my original expectations.

Tell us something funny or unusual that happened during this qualifier:

Richard Shea was hilarious as always. He did a great job warming up the crowd. There were some QVC participants that were really funny - one guy came on to the stage wearing boxing gloves followed by his entourage. Thunder Lips let loose a confetti type firework for his introduction that exploded into the crowd. Steakbellie was wearing his trademark kilt. All in all it was a lot of fun.

What did it feel like to compete with the pros on the hot dog circuit for the first time?

Amazing!! It's not everyday you get to eat at the same table with Sonya Thomas, Bob Shoudt, Jim Reeves, Hall Hunt, Brian Subich, Steakbellie, Paul Barlow, and Justin Mih. Between Philly, Norfolk, and QVC I got to compete with all of them. Entering the competitive eating circuit I wasn't sure what kind of people I would meet. But I can honestly say everybody has been so nice and really approachable. As the new guy, I really appreciate that.

Any predictions about future qualifiers or a winner on the 4th?

I don't really have many predictions for the qualifiers. I know it's going to be some tough competition this weekend. I wish nothing but the best for all of the competitors. As a predication for the 4th, I think an American will bring the belt back home!!!! Let's go Joey!

Last question:

Tetris all the way.

Posted on June 22, 2006 | Comments (0)

"Humble Bob" Finally Wins a Spot at Coney Island
by Liz

It was a great Father's Day gift for "Humble" Bob Shoudt when he downed 29 HDB (a personal best) on Sunday and qualified for the first time to compete at Coney Island. Though he's ranked the #7 eater in the world, a spot at Coney's has always alluded the eater. But competing at Shea Stadium, alongside pros like "Beautiful" Brian Seiken and debut eaters like "Fast" Eddie Hardy (Charles Hardy's son), it was his time to shine. He, along with Brian, who retired from the hot dog circuit at the event, were kind enough to answer a few questions for us.

From Bob Shoudt:

Give us the quick lowdown on the event:

My wife, son and oldest daughter drove to Shea for the event. It was a very hot day and we were searching for some shade before the event. My daughter was entered in her second neat eating contest of the season. She had already won the Philadelphia neat eating contest and she was able to get her 2nd win of the year at Shea. I am very proud of her as it can be very tough to win back to back contests.

Also in attendance were the Goldstein's and the Hardy's. Eric Booker and his son. Crazy Legs and Tim "Eater X" Janus - both fresh off of their huge qualifying wins in Brats the day before. They came straight to Shea from the airport.

Rich Shea did another fine job of emceeing the event. Participating were myself, Beautiful Brian and "Fast Eddie" Hardy among others. I was able to eat 29 HDB. "Fast Eddie" in his very first Nathan's attempt got down 17 and Beautiful Brian came in third. I am not sure how many he did as I am always pretty much in a daze after a contest.

How was this qualifier different to ones you've gone to in the past? How did you feel about your chances going into this one?

This is the first contest that I wore my full "Monk" outfit in. I thought a "Monk" outfit is the most Humble outfit that I could wear. "Humble" Bob... Unfortunately no one on earth gets the outfit, let alone makes the connection of Monk to humble to Humble Bob. The outfit is also a tad warm on hot summer days. Lets just say that I had a good sweat going before the start.

I felt like I always do going into a contest. I think that if I do the things that I need to do, then everything else will fall into place. Having been in so many of these, I knew I had an advantage over a lot of the newcomers. This is the same advantage any experienced pro has at every contest.

The stage at Shea is very similar to the Finals. You are directly in the sun and there is no protection anywhere. Other events are inside, or in a tent. At Shea, it is you, on a platform, in the sun, with hundreds of people watching and walking by. The crowd is very into it. They are all familiar with Nathan's and the contest. So they cheer and yell. That part is great.

How has your technique or training evolved?

I used to think that in order to be successful, that you had to consume a lot of volume. I would drink water with dinner and things like that. I have found over time that these things do not give you any kind of long term success. I have totally stopped any kind of at home training that involves consumption. After a trial an error process lasting over 5 years, I have come up with 12 things that make me a better eater and keep me in peak eating condition. Some of the twelve are known, things like I am an avid mountain climber with 3 solo ascents and numerous team climbs. I have also been studying and actively participating in Krav Maga. While there is no "belt" system as in traditional forms of martial arts, lets just say that I am at an advanced level. The other 10 things I do, people may or may not know about. If asked directly about them, I will speak to people about them. However I view them as trade secrets. I first started this "12 things" program in October of last year. I had some success with it at the Krystals Finals and I have stuck with it ever since. I can not stress enough though, none of the other 10 things have any anything to do with the consumption of food and/liquids. I am 100% opposed to any kind of at home training and I do not participate in, nor do I condone it.

What were you thinking when the winner was announced?

I was happy that I had won but I was crushed by my total. I really thought that it would have been higher than that. This is a big driver in our sport. No matter how successful you were that day, you always think that you could have gone higher. This is something that I have wanted for so long, and it was finally here. Rich Shea announcing that I won the contest. It was almost like an out of body experience. Is this really happening to me. Did I finally beat the delicious Nathan's Hot Dog Curse? Is he just pulling an elaborate hoax on me? I almost felt like asking him if he was sure that I had won. "Wait Rich, lets count the plates, there must be something wrong here. You just said that I won."

The next thing I know, I was handed a tray of 29 HDB, a bat, a trophy and asked to pose for pictures. It was all very surreal. When I finally realized what happened, I knew that I would have a very memorable Father's Day.

Tell us something funny or unusual that happened during this qualifier.

Several things happened. One thing was a bus of college age women pulled up and they unloaded right next to the stage. One of the girls recognized Tim and Crazy Legs. They immediately swarmed the two of them and they all wanted autographs. Tim and Crazy obliged them all. The sacrifices those two make!

After Eric was done performing live on stage before the event, he threw out some of his CD samplers to the crowd. The people were doing everything they could to get one. The was amazing to watch.

Beautiful Brian announced his retirement from competitive hot dog eating at the event. He will be missed at the hot dog table.

Last question:

Three letters can answer this question. U S A

We turned the tables on "Beautiful" Brian Seiken, who is usually the interviewER!

What was your overall impression of the event?

I wish all the Nathan's contests were run that smoothly. This is the first time the Shea's cut the preambles and got the contest going without the long drawn out speeches we have had to endure the past 8 years.

How was this qualifier different to ones you've gone to in the past? How did you feel about your chances going into this one?

I trained my butt off. I won't go into specifics but I did very well in practices. Practice is never the real thing I've learned that in the past but I still had hopes of doing well. I wasn't beating Bob Shoudt by any means, but if I put up some real good numbers I would have moved on to my next qualifier.

In the late 90's there was no registration process for a qualifier. There were far less than what you see now. The brunt of the qualifiers were in NJ and NY. It wasn't until 2001 that the IFOCE expanded to other states in the U.S. Back then you could qualify with 10. Today that number is obsolete. A 13-year-old can eat 10 hot dogs. The downside to that was you never knew if a Mike DeVito or one of the big eaters would show up time and time again if they failed on their previous outings, because there was no limit on how many qualifiers you could attend.

You mentioned this may be your last attempt at Nathan's. Care to comment?

Yeah, for all intents and purposes this is it, unless someone throws some dough on the table. Just kidding. I'm fooling myself with father time at 46. I've had many chances to get to the finals and I just can't seem to get a grip on it. Twenty years ago I would have given some of these new kids a run for their money because I couldn't stop eating back then.

I compare not competing in hot dogs and being on the sidelines to watching someone else have sex because I can't perform any longer.

How does it feel witnessing the amazing eating that's come out of this year's qualifiers?

Totally insane. I mean, it's practically unheard of to watch a human being consume so much food in one sitting. When a giant of a man like Ed Jarvis struggles with the 5th hot dog plate, and Bertoletti, Simpson, and Chestnut are just getting warmed up, it's scary to say the least. All I can say is god "blessed" these kids.

What are your predictions for the 4th?

Kobe will win. It won't be the usual cakewalk this time. He finally has someone that can come within a handful of hotdogs instead of the gap of 13 or 14 dogs between him and his closest competition. Don't believe the hype when they tell you if Kobe loses they will send someone else. Kobe is the only one that can put up 50 or more.

Last question:

Posted on June 20, 2006 | Comments (1)

Chip Simpson beats Sonya's Record for Hot Dogs!
by Liz

In a surprising win in today's Minneapolis qualifier, Chip "The Phenom" Simpson ate a whopping 38 hot dogs to beat out Sonya Thomas's 2005 record and set the second highest US record for hot dogs and buns. Pat Bertoletti, one of the favorites going into the competition, came in second with 32 HDB. People, we are witnessing some EATING HISTORY this year!

We talked to Pat after the competition and he answered some questions for us. Even though the competition is tough, we're feeling pretty confident that this powerful eater will find his way to the big table. He was planning on an appearance at Shoo Fly Pie, but now his sights may be set on another qualifier this weekend.

Give us the quick lowdown on the event:

Chip, Kevin Carr, Skinny Boy. Chip won with 38; I got second with 32. I think Skinny By got 3rd with 12 or so. There were a lot of people there, probably 300 or 400 hundred.

How did you feel about your chances going into this qualifier?
I felt like I had a chance, but thought that it was going to be close between me and Chip.

Did things go like you expected, or were there some surprises?
I am not too happy about my number, as I was hoping for more. But the Nathan's dogs are very humbling; I would have liked to have done at least 35.

Tell us something funny or unusual that happened during this qualifier:
There wasn't anything too funny. I did have fun going on two of the rides and watching the US vs. Italy World Cup in the stadium club.

At the ice cream competition, you mentioned wanting to add a "signature" to your look. Any more thoughts on this?

I haven't done anything to that extent. I try to keep my mohawk shaved close for every contest. I was thinking about shaving a design into the side of my Mohawk; maybe a hot dog or something.

Last question:

And the winner of the competition, Chip Simpson, talked to us about the thrill of victory.

Where you expecting to do so well?

I always expect to do well when I go into a competition. I am competitive in every single thing that I do. Did I know I would do as well as I did...no. I knew that Pat would be there and that he would put up a good fight. I did not know who else would be there so I just came in as prepared mentally and physically to do the best that I was
able to and on that date my best was good enough.

What so you think drove you to make such a great showing?

I have always been driven to try and do the best and to become one of the best in anything that I do. I think my natural competitors attitude was the driving force behind it...plus those dogs are tasty :-)

Was there a certain point during the competition that you knew you were going to win? If so, what was it?

The only time I knew I was going to win was when Ryan Nerz announced me as the winner. Pat made a mention that he knew that I was ahead the whole time but it is actually very rare that I know where I am at during the competitions. I just get into a zone and try to block everything out except for the food in the time frame allotted.

Did the added pressure of competing against Pat Bertoletti push you to do so well?

Pat is one of the top 4 eaters in the world and competing against the best always drives a person to put on their best showing. I knew it would come down to Pat or me but I don't think Pat being there necessarily put more pressure on me. I think that it is fun competing against the best and seeing where you stand and Pat is
definitely one of the best there is without a doubt.

Did you hold back at all? For instance, do you think you can do better on the 4th?

Being this was my first qualifier, did I hold back? No. Do I think I can do better? YES!

Did Joey's earlier qualifier performance inspire you to push your limits?

I think everyone pushes everyone to be the best that they can be. I looked not only at Joey's total but Sonya's, Rich's, and everyone else who qualified. These are the eaters that I have seen before and watched on TV before I was eating myself. Knowing that I qualified with such a high total makes me very proud to be mentioned in the same
breath as them... even though I still feel that I have a long way to go to be considered on their level.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I just want to thank the Mall of America for putting on a great show and heavily advertising the contest. It seemed like everyone I talked to in Minneapolis knew about the contest so it was obviously publicized well. The set up was perfect and made it so the large crowd had a good time. I am looking forward to making my debut on the big
stage on ESPN. The talent of American eaters has soared in the past year and I look forward to representing the US on the 4th of July.

Last question:

Aha a trick question... the answer is of course lymon.

Posted on June 17, 2006 | Comments (1)

Subich Triumph in Norfolk
by Liz

Big Brian Subich swallowed his way to a victory in Saturday's Nathan's qualifier in Norfolk Virgina by eating 20.5 HDBs in 12 minutes. It was a close call as competitor Hall Hunt came in only a bite behind Brian placing second with 20 3/8ths HDBs. This is Brian's first qualifier win and we are excited he was able to give us an inside glimpse into the Norfolk contest.

Subich, ranked 29th with the IFOCE, coaches high school football in Pennsylvania and drove all the way to Norfolk for a chance to compete for a place at Nathan's table on July 4th. It took him 3 years to accomplish this feat and we couldn't be happier for him.

Give us the quick lowdown on the qualifier.
The Norfolk contest was huge, in that there were about 25 contestants...Hall Hunt, Larry "The Legend" McNeil, Seaver Miller, Justin Mih and Carson "Collard Green" Hughes all were there. As you may have read by now, I won the event having eaten 20 1/2 hot dogs and buns. In second place was Hall Hunt, who finished literally just a bite behind me with 20 1/4 HDB.

Describe the moment you knew you were going to win.
I truly didn't know that I had won until a few moments after the contest, when I was able to eye up Hall Hunt's remaining hot dogs, next to mine. Hall and I were standing next to each other. When I finally heard the announcement from Rich Shea that I was the winner, it was a feeling of relief and joy. I've been traveling the country now for 3 years trying to qualify, and to finally make it was sort of like throwing a monkey off my back.

Any comments on your training?
My training for this year's Nathan's qualifiers was far more intense than the past 2 years. I started seriously training on May 1st and didn't stop until this Saturday. I started on May 1st actually weighing my food that I would have for dinner...of course every day it was something different. I would typically eat 1-2 pounds of that day's alternating menu...and I would also eat 1 pound of broccoli with each meal. I would then follow that up by downing a gallon of watered-down Gatorade. So I would typically ingest about 11 pounds of food and fluid each night for dinner. I also stuck with the gum chewing which I have always done. I really attribute being able to eat 20 plus hot dogs in both of my qualifiers to my training.

Anything funny or unusual happen?
Quite possibly the funniest thing that happened on the trip was before the contest. The DJ was set up and started playing some elevator type music. Rich Shea goes over to the DJ and says "Ya know, you can kick up the music a little bit." The DJ winks at Rich and says something to the effect of, "OK yeah...check this out," and proceeds to play an instrumental best found in a fine dining establishment where the menu's written in a foreign language. Needless to say, Rich found the whole thing quite amusing and funny...as did I. The DJ really thought he kicked up the music...LOL.

Any controversy before, during, or after?
To my knowledge there was no controversy before, during or after the event.

Any predictions about future qualifiers or who you think might win on July 4th? Anything else you'd like to add?
As for future qualifiers...here are some predictions for you. Shea Stadium will be won by Bob Shoudt. Minnesota will be won by Pat Bertoletti. Molly Pitcher will be won by Pat Philbin, LI Ducks will be won by Allen Goldstein, Atlanta will be won by either Hall Hunt or Chip Simpson. Civil Service will of course be won by Eric Booker. The wild card will most likely go to Hall Hunt...although don't count out Brian Seiken, who is training like a mad man.

Last question:

Wow...quite possibly the most important question....hmm. Well let's see...I'll do my best impression of a male chauvinist here, and say that my ideal mix is a Martha Stewart/Jenna Jameson mix....I'll let you figure out who's kicking dinner...and who's performing the wifely duties. I guess that's why I married my wife :) She'll slap me for that...but oh well.

Posted on June 12, 2006 | Comments (0)

"The Locust" Descends on Arizona
by Liz

The Rookie and The Pro: Double Interview!

Rich "The Locust" LeFevre, the 62-year-old pro of the competitive eating circuit, ate 58.5 hot dogs and buns to win his way to the Nathan's table on the 4th of July this year. Okay, we're talking about his combined total from two qualifiers, but we're stilled pretty wowed by the prowess exhibited by the IFOCE's #5 ranked eater this year, who won yesterday's qualifier with 28 (possibly 28.5?). Last month, Rich set a personal best record of 30.5 HDB, which should have been enough to outeat the competition. Unfortunately for the Nevada native, he happened to be sitting at the Las Vegas table where Joey Chestnut decided to flex his muscles and power down his show-stopping 50. But so it goes.

This is Rich's fifth year eating in the Nathan's competition. From 2002-2004 he placed 4th in the finals, and took 6th in last year's. (His wife and partner in dine, Carlene, now retired, also qualified three straight years from 2003-2005, finishing 7th at Coney Island.) We talked to Rich about his perspective on the Tempe qualifier as a seasoned pro, but also had the opportunity to hear from one of the IFOCE's rising rookies, Erik "The Red" Denmark, who placed 2nd with 19 HDB, a very respectable showing. He competed earlier at the Sunrise qualifier, eating 13.5, and had the goal of eating 20. He'll get his chance once more, when he attends his third and last qualifier in San Fran later in the month.

Rich answers some questions before heading to Tempe:

How do you feel coming into this qualifier?

I feel different coming into this qualifier than I usually do. Things have changed so much since I entered my last qualifier two weeks ago in Las Vegas. Joey Chestnut was supposed to win that event and break my four year reign, but I don't think anyone expected him to do it in quite the dominant manner that he did. It was quite a humbling experience to eat 30 1/2 hot dogs and lose by 19 1/2. It obviously means that Joey is on a level up in the Stratosphere with Kobayashi and I am in a completely different class (along with several other eaters looking up at them).

How was this qualifier different to ones you've gone to in the past?

While I have never competed before in the Tempe qualifier going into this year because I have qualified elsewhere, I have gone to the event the past three years to support Carlene in her qualifying attempts (she won the first two years and finished second to fellow Las Vegan and friend Ron Koch last year). All I will say is that Tempe has been a very difficult place to put up a big number as the hot dogs are prepared well in advance of the start of the contest to not interfere with the restaurant's regular operation. The mall is very crowded by 11am when the restaurant opens for business and they like to have their normal business run smoothly. Most other venues do not have that problem to contend with.

How has your technique or training evolved?

I am probably at the bottom of the list when it comes to training and practicing for contests. I am 62 and eat competitively for the fun of it, but I don't want to sacrifice my health in doing so. On occasion, I will do a short practice a night or two before a contest if I don't have a strategy worked out in my mind on how to most effectively eat a particular food as quickly as possible (it really paid off before the Winchell's donut final in 2004 when I went from a qualifying total of 30 in 8 minutes to 42 in the finals). I have usually just relied on my talent and competitive instincts to carry me through and that has served me well for most of the time I have been competing. Of course, that will no longer be enough if I want to remain competitive.

Given the astounding numbers coming out of these qualifiers, do you think the eaters have stepped up their game, or that the quality or size of the hot dogs or buns has changed?

First of all, there is no difference in the size of the hot dogs and buns and it is really silly for anyone to think that. The game has changed dramatically as young guys like Joey, Pat, Chip and Tim have revolutionized the sport by coming up with extremely effective training techniques; the same ones perhaps started by Kobayashi a few years earlier. It appears we have found American eaters who are willing to adhere to the rigorous demands required to reach the level Kobayashi set in 2001 when he put on a performance no one thought was humanly possible. He set the standard and it looks like a small group of eaters is ready to step up to the challenge. If I were younger, perhaps I would be able to join that select group but at my age, it would be a very risky proposition to try.

Any predictions about future qualifiers or on the Tempe winner's chance in Coney Island? Anything else you'd like to add?

I expect Pat Bertoletti to put up a real high number and Chip Simpson will do likewise. Bob Shoudt has already put up a great number and will likely qualify in his next attempt. Pat from Moonachie and Big Brian Subich were also terrific in the qualifier Tim won and will probably earn a spot at the table on July 4. Big Brian came out of a long layoff and made a dramatic improvement. It is all about commitment and he is a true competitor who has made his. Eric Booker is still a great eater and will be there as well. At the rate people are improving, there will be others who will make their own personal statements. Will the Tempe winner win at Coney Island? No, but he will win just by being included at the main table on Independence day.

Last question: which is creepier?

I definitely find spiders creepier than clowns.

And Erik gave us the dirt after the qualifier...

Give us the quick lowdown on the event.

The contest was at the food court in the Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe where there was actually a huge crowd; probably around 1,000 people. The mood was pretty light before the contest, everyone in the mall was curious and the fans were great. The contestants were mostly locals, there was two women participants, some young guys, a couple old guys, and then Andrew "Skinny Boy" Lane, myself, and Rich LeFevre, of course.

LeFevre took the contest with 28.5 (all reports said 28 but I think 28.5 was the official number), I placed second with 19, third place was announced as a local, Russell Blackwell with 13. Blackwell said he did not train at all for the event and this was his first try at hot dogs so he may have some potential.

How did you feel about your chances going into this qualifier? How did you train?

I knew Rich was going to be at the qualifier so I knew my chances for victory would be slim. My goal for the contest was 20 and as Rich informed me he has hit 25 or more the last 8 times he has tried Nathan's. So, my chances were relying on Rich having a breakdown, which I was not hoping for because Rich deserves to be at Coney on the 4th. As far as training, I have been increasing my hot dog capacity steadily and I am nowhere near my limit.

Did things go like you expected, or were there some surprises?

The results of the contest were about as I expected but the contest itself did not go as I imagined. I really was feeling a bit sick before the contest; the stage where we ate was directly below a skylight in the mall, which made the climate very hot and humid making my mouth dry. I started out real slow; it wasn't until the 9th minute that I woke up and started eating faster. I ate 6 hot dogs in the last 3 minutes.

Tell us something funny or unusual that happened during this qualifier.

There were a lot of people coming up to the sign-up table before the contest trying to get in. There was one woman, who ended up getting in to the contest, who was pretty young and skinny. I asked her how many hot dogs she thought she could eat, she said, "I don't know but I know I can eat two large pizzas in 20 minutes." She ended up eating around 10 hot dogs, I think.

The guy who was standing next to me was a young guy from Arizona, about 6'5 185; he was wearing a green bandana as were about 6 or 7 of his family and friends in the crowd. He was doing pretty well, through about 10 hot dogs we were pretty close, until he stepped away from the table. His face was beat red, his cheeks were puffed out, and his hand was over his mouth as he puked a little - he should have been disqualified but no one saw it, so he stayed at the table and ate one more hot dog. He was announced as fourth place with 11 hot dogs.

Skinny Boy claims to have eaten 14 hot dogs but was only credited with 9, as he says one of his plates was taken away - I don't know what the truth is but I would give Skinny Boy the benefit of the doubt.

These are not real controversies as they did not impact the winner of the event and Ryan Nerz did a great job as MC and judge, he did all he could.

Any predictions about future qualifiers or the Tempe winner's chance on July 4th? Anything else you'd like to add?

Rich LeFevre is a fierce competitor and I predict he will set a PR of 32 or more HDBs at Coney on the 4th - he continues to amaze as a timeless and ageless American athlete.

I want to add a huge thank you to Carlene LeFevre for cheering me on during the contest. Carlene was cheering on Rich as always but she graciously gave me support throughout the contest and I could hear her voice clearly which no doubt helped me finish strong.

Last question:

Pussy.

[ed: dirty boy! Thanks Rich and Erik!]

Posted on June 4, 2006 | Comments (2)

Feeling Preggers: Pickles and Ice Cream
by Liz

We're taking a quick break from hot dog coverage because we've become overwhelmed with a craving for something crispy and salty or creamy and sweet...or both. Is Digest pregnant? Maybe just a swollen belly...

Liz stopped by the Carnegie Deli Pickle Eating Competition last week, and Krista got inside access to the "media only" ice cream event last Friday. Can you handle it?

Checking out the Independents
reported by Liz

You think we do a lot of reporting on competitive eating, but the truth of it is we're only covering a portion of the eating events that are happening all over the country. The IFOCE is the largest and most recognized entitiy that sponsors these events, which is why it's been so easy for us to follow their eaters. But in the interest of bringing you the whole picture, we thought it would be worth our time to check out an event hosted by a rival group, the Association of Independent Competitive Eaters (AICE). "Rival" is a loaded term around eaters from both camps, as some don't consider the groups to be on the same level competitively, and some just don't like the hostility. The AICE was founded in 2004 by Arnie "Chowhound" Chapman and Dave "Coondog" O'Karma and has it's own set of rules about food eating (they follow "picnic style rules" which "do not allow for the mutilation, desecration, improper destruction of a food item." That means separating the bun from the dog and dunking the buns are big no nos.), and most importantly, about eaters being allowed to enter non AICE competitions (they're allowed.)

This last one is a biggie, because when eaters sign the IFOCE contracts, they aren't allowed to enter non-IFOCE sponsored events. Permission is granted for some events, but it's a point of contention for some eaters. And it seemed like everything came to a head during planning of this pickle competition. The IFOCE had given the go ahead for their eaters to enter the competition, but it eventually became clear that it was shaping up to be an AICE event, which rubbed some eaters, like the very vocal Beautiful Brian (another pickle champ), the wrong way. Apparently, the IFOCE had approached the deli owners at some point about running the competition, but the owners weren't into it. Brian says the owners told him they would let him and Cookie Jarvis decide who entered the contest, but then let the AICE in, which prompted a boycott on behalf of the interested IFOCE members. The only holdout was Krazy Kevin Lipsitz, who won the competition in 2000 and felt some loyalty to the owners and the event.

For all the politics surrounding the event, you could almost forget it was a bunch of excited guys hungry to shove pickles down their throats. My mom was visiting and curious to see the an event, so I brought her along for the competition. Unfortunately, we were doing a lot of running around before getting her off to the airport, so I didn't get to do the usual rounds of interviews. The crowd was huge; they had the stage set up outside the Carnegie Deli and klezmer music was blaring from a one-man band in the corner.

Right away they asked for a female participant from the audience to join the table of men, and I have to say there was a moment when I thought very seriously that this was a SIGN FROM GOD that I should be eating pickles competitively. But then who would take the pictures? No, I totally chickened out and they pulled out some poor lady who was waving to her son across the crowd. Ha.

All the eaters introduced themselves and their titles, which was a bit of a refreshing change from the loooong theatrics of the IFOCE intros. I love the drama that the Shea brothers have brought to the sport, and I missed having that at this competition. That said, once you've heard the full introductions a half dozen times, you start to zone out, so I welcomed the change of pace.

The pickles looked like they were tough going down. Everyone was hunched over their own bowl, cramming as many as they could in their mouths. But pickles aren't a forgiving food, so jaws were definitely working hard. My mom, who had a side view said that Arnie Chapman kept his neck jutted out the entire time, which she thought made for a straighter path for the pickle bits. He was taking large bites and "you could see the muscles in his throat moving the food down." She kept using the word "peristalsic," and calling it the "gullet technique." Honestly, how cool is my mom?

The crowd, full of Chowhound fans, was chanting, "Ar-nie! Ar-nie!" The contest was a short one, only five minutes long (later, some controversy surfaced about the timing being off and the competition only lasting four minutes), and the bowls were taken off the table, drained of brine, and weighed. It was a bit confusing because the weight of the bowl and leftover picles was announced, and then if they ate a lot, the total weight eaten was announced. But it was a little sporadic and the only hard number they came away with was the winner's: Arnie Chapman with 2.8 pounds (later adjusted to 2.9 pounds. Will the controversies ever stop!) He donned a pickle necklace and danced with the trophy in front of clicking cameras.

In the end, I had a lot of fun. It didn't feel rife with tension, and everyone there was obviously enjoying themselves. Krazy Kevin said he enjoyed participating and thought all the hoopla about this competition is best left alone. He told me, "Arnie is a good eater and he earned first place." It was a sentiment that was echoed by other eaters, too. A healthy dose of competition and shit talking is what fuels these eaters; obviously the sport wouldn't be same without it, but it's good to remember that behind it all, we're still looking at a bowl full of pickles and a bunch of eaters hungry to win. Pictures here.

Brain Freeze
reported by Krista
Now for something sweet...and cold...and vanilla. New York's swanky Water Club hosted Friday's Ice Cream Competition. The Water Club staff is probably more comfortable hosting weddings (fun fact George Shea was married here) and corporate holiday parties, but today they were on point to make sure ten guys could eat as much Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory vanilla ice cream as possible in eight minutes.

The usual suspects had gathered, although I believe the lovely surroundings made everyone a bit more subdued. Pat Philbin calmly sat looking out over the East River as waiters in white jackets set water glasses on the contest table. The first person I talked to was Don Lerman who was rocking his aviator sunglasses and discussing his planned eBay sale with Crazy Legs. It seems Don, whose weight fluctuates tremendously, has gained 100 pounds over the past two years and now all of his many embroidered Don "Moses" Lerman jackets are too small for him. So what is an industrious competitive eater to do? He's selling all of his small and medium jackets to the highest bidder. He seems to never have the same jacket on twice, and when I asked him about where they came from he told me that every Monday he goes to the Dollar Savers and buys up the jackets he likes, and then he goes to his favorite embroidery place for their $25 embroidery special. This man not only can eat, he knows a good deal when he sees one.

Pat Philbin, a.k.a. Pat from Moonachie, is now pacing around the room and I start up a conversation with him. He recently ate a cool 25 hot dogs during the qualifier in Hartford. He didn't win that one, but he hopes to do better at later qualifiers or win a place at Nathan's with a wildcard. He said after eating that many hotdogs he will only eat egg whites for a few days after the contest in order to stop the bloating. When I asked him if he liked ice cream the rotund Philbin replied by saying, "What do you think? Do I look air inflated?" I guess that means yes.

As I'm looking around the room I notice something that looks like it came right out of a 4th grade elementary school room. It's a big sheet of white card stock with facts about ice cream; each fact neatly highlighted with colored construction paper. I ask around and soon find out that it's none other than a Tim "Eater X" Janus creation. It seems he's going to be giving a short presentation before the contest about the things he found while researching "the cream." Stuff like vanilla being the most popular ice cream flavor and what really occurs when people suffer from brain freeze. Fascinating...and I heard a rumor that he now will graduate and be allowed to enter the 5th grade with the rest of his classmates.

A lot of the talk among the eaters seems to be about the dreaded brain freeze: the horrible head pain that comes along with drinking or eating something cold too fast. However, Pat Bertoletti said he's more afraid of chest freeze. He found while practicing for the contest he didn't suffer from head pain as much as chest pain, a burning sensation that made him need to rub his chest for relief. Before the contest I see him eat a few Tums. I'm wondering if he was hoping it might help the chest freeze or just the heartburn?

It seems a lot of people had different ways to make the ice cream go down a little easier. As Crazy Legs approaches his place behind the table he is seen rubbing an unknown substance on to his torso and neck, paying special attention to his belly button. At first glance I think it may just be Vaseline, a Crazy Legs stunt done just for the cameras, but after thinking about it for awhile I think it might have been some sort of heating cream, like Icy Hot or something that would make him feel warmer while ingesting the ice cream. Hmmm...when I asked him what it was after the contest he would only answer by saying it wasn't Vaseline and that he wouldn't comment on what the substance actually was. Everything was on the up-and-up though because Commissioner Hardy was standing right next to Crazy Legs watching closely while all this was going down. After rubbing himself down, Crazy Legs then ingested something that looked like Tabasco sauce from a small bottle.

As Tim approached the table it looked like he drank the same thing as Crazy Legs. Again when asked after the contest both Tim and Crazy Legs wouldn't comment on what they actually drank. The only thing Crazy Legs would say is that Barry Bonds sent it to them. Something tells me it was something closer to Hot Damn than steroids. Tim and Legs weren't only sharing drinks; they also shared the idea to wear latex gloves, followed by a lambskin work glove over top. They did this because neither of them used a spoon during the contest and the gloves were meant to protect them from the cold temperature of the ice cream. However, judging from the pained looks on their faces after the contest I don't think it worked too well. Pat Bertoletti also got into the act of pre-preparing for the contest when I caught him rubbing something on his gums before the contest. When asked afterwards he said it was a Sensodyne type substance he used because when he was practicing for the contest his teeth hurt for about a week afterwards. It seems ice cream takes a lot more preparation than other foods.

Just as the contest looks like it's ready to begin and Rich Shea dons his straw boater hat, I see the holy family of grilled cheeses! It seems the grilled cheese Madonna is making an appearance at the ice cream contest. Thank heavens. After a short presentation by goldenpalace.com, Badlands Booker takes the microphone for, what Shea calls, his first time performing at the Water Club. Something tells me this is the first time any rapper has performed in the dining room. We are also entertained by a short dance performed by Pat Philbin, my favorite part being what he calls "the slug" which is something that looks like the worm, but Philbin just rocks back and forth on his stomach for awhile, sort of like a Weeble wobbling.

A few newcomers were at the table: Andrew Wong a student from Vanderbilt University and Michael Jones from Greenwich CT, as well as Eric Fields an AP reporter who Rich Shea referred to as the George Plimpton of competitive eating, as he was taking part in the contest in order to write an article about the event from a first person point of view. These newcomers had to face a lot of practiced pros, though. Beautiful Brian, who competed in the last ice cream competition five years ago was there to flex some muscle and show the new kids how to do it.

At Hardy's command, "Gentlemen remove your lids," the contest began. There were two prevailing methods for eating. Most contestants used spoons, sometimes employing the Cookie Jarvis method of turning the spoon upside down so the ice cream doesn't come in contact with the upper palate and supposedly cease the brain freeze. Crazy Legs and Tim were the only contestants who ate the ice cream like every 10 year olds dream, with their hands, in great big chunks.

Each container put in front of a contestant contained a half gallon of vanilla ice cream. As the eight minute contest began, Pat Bertoletti was the first contestant to ask for a new container and this bodes well for his chances at winning. The previous ice cream record was held by Cookie Jarvis who ate 1 gallon and 9 ounces in 12 minutes so these contestants have their work cut out for them if they want to break the record. This contest is different as well because these contestants were not allowed to drink hot liquids during the challenge and Commissioner Hardy believes if someone beats Cookie's record it will be a more "legit" win.

We count down from 10 seconds and the contest ends with a flurry of spoons landing on the table. Immediately the contestants look like they are in pain. Tim Janus is holding his ice cream-shoveling hand as his face displays the look of a man on the rack. These guys are not in good shape. They begin shivering and most stand up to try to get the blood pumping. Tim Janus places his reddened hand in water and then pulls out his trusty marathon blanket to warm up.

As the containers are measured by Commissioner Hardy it is discovered that not only has Pat Bertoletti won the contest, but he has broken Cookie's record in less time. The results are as follows:

1st Place - Pat Bertoletti - 1 3/4 gallons
2nd Place - Crazy Legs Conti - 1 1/2 gallons
3rd Place - Tim "Eater X" Janus - 1 1/4 gallons
4th Place - Don Lerman - 123 ounces

As the contestants leave the table, Pat Bertoletti dons his red jacket in hopes to warm up, Don Lerman puts his belt back on, and reporters jockey to interview the winners. Another contest has come to the end only this one is a little different because this is the first contest that most of the press and the trusty EMT David are eating bowls of ice cream as they pack up.

More pictures here!

Posted on June 1, 2006 | Comments (1)

Sonya Storms Philly with 36.5 Dogs
by Liz

Sonya Thomas, the "Black Widow" of the competitive eating circuit, made us proud on Saturday when she qualified in Philadelphia with 36.5 dogs. It was an amazing showing by other very talented eaters at this star-studded qualifier, but Sonya showed no fear and ultimately outate all the men. Coney Island is shaping up to be quite the battle this year. After digesting some hot dogs, Sonya answered a few questions for us.

Give us a down and dirty quicky of the event .

I was able to win the event and qualify for Nathan's with 36.5 Dogs and Buns. I actually wanted to qualify with at least 38, so I was a bit disappointed." The Humble One," Bob Shoudt, downed 28 Dogs for second -- his personal best. "Big" Brian Subich and Pat "from Moonachie" Philbin finished a totally respectable 3rd and 4th, eating 25 and 24 Dogs, respectively. Steakbellie was also there and finished 5th with just over 16 Dogs. The competition was fierce from start to finish. It was loads of fun -- great sportsmanship. George Shea MC-ed -- outstanding as always!

Describe the moment when you knew you would win.

I don't like this question, because giving an honest answer makes me sound arrogant, and I am not that kind of person, but I was confident of winning once I had the lead, which I gained within the first minute.

Any comments on your training?

I'm working to increase my jaw strength. I very rarely eat hot dogs -- let alone practice with them. My mouth is little and eating those dogs so quickly really taxes my jaw muscles.

Tell us something funny, or unusual that happened during this qualifier.

Though I have a good sense of humor, I can't remember a thing.

Any controversy before, during, or after?

No controversy whatsoever that I'm aware of.

Any predictions about future qualifiers or the Hartford winner's chance on July 4th
[Note: this was a typo on our part; we meant to ask about the Philly winner's chances (oh, copy/paste), but what a great answer!]

No real predictions -- I only hope that each and every person who attempts to qualify is able to give it his or her best. There is absolutely no place a true competitive eater would rather be than at "The Big Table" on Coney on July 4th. To paraphrase something that IFOCE Chairman George Shea, once said, what could be more American than eating Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs on Coney Island on the Fourth of July? And it really does my heart good to see smiles on the faces of participants who make it, but didn't expect to be there. There's no substitute for that.

Oh yeah, and regarding my prediction for the Hartford winner's chance on Coney? "Eater X" has a great chance to put down 30 dogs. Seriously though, how many eaters throughout history can say that? Tim "Eater X" Janus is one of the best eaters this side of Pluto! And he and Kobayashi are the two most intelligent eaters on the circuit, without question. I can't give too many trade secrets to "Eater X," or he'll wind up whipping me. He learns at light speed!

Anything else you'd like to add?

I am going to have focused fun on July 4th. Given Joey's amazing 50-Dog performance earlier this year, he'll be the center of attention, along with The Great Kobayashi. As such, I'll be able to relax -- if just a wee bit -- and have some real fun!

Last question:

Window ... ALWAYS window. I need privacy and rest.

Posted on May 29, 2006 | Comments (0)

Eater X Takes Hartford
by Liz

Tim Janus rocked the Hartford qualifier, his home town, with 27.5 HDB on Saturday. He's down on himself, but between setting the grilled cheese world record this month, snagging this qualifier, and defending his shoe fly pie title in June, we wonder if he's just not giving himself enough credit. Tim talked to Digest and was kind enough to answer a few questions about his win.

Give us a down and dirty quicky of the event.

It was a fuller field than I had expected. Don Lerman, Pat Philbin, and Krazy Kevin were there. I was very happy to see Don because I'm a big Don Lerman fan. (Don and Charles were the the first two eaters to welcome me to my very first contest two years ago.) And "Black Tie" Stobierski was there. He's a very talented Connecticut eater. He held the Doodle Burger twice, and I've seen him at the CT Qualifier every year I've attended.

We had a better attendance than in previous years. The crowd was loud and supportive, and a whole bunch of my family and friends showed up to cheer for me. Honestly, I got a huge kick out of seeing the look on their faces as they listened to and laughed at Rich's commentary. I spent a good five minutes watching them enjoy themselves as Rich was introducing us. I'm glad that I believe that they'd have enjoyed themselves without me. It means at least as much to me as seeing them enjoy just watching me eat.

I won the qualifier with 27.5, but I'm not very happy. I can do more, and it's killing me that I didn't.

Pat Philbin upped his personal best to 25. That guy improves by 5 at every qualifier. Christ!

I have no idea how many anybody else ate.

I thank Rich for playing "The Power of Love" during my introduction. And I have no idea how or why I came to hold the microphone after the contest. I may have screwed things up a bit, but I did my best to thank everybody, especially my mom and my best friends, The Batchman and Joe Donahoe.

Describe the moment when you knew you were going to win.

Shit. Here comes my jerk comment: Honestly, I believed I'd win once I knew I had the lead. I've got a ton more hot dogs in me if I can ever figure out to get them down. Whenever I have a lead, I'm very comfortable.

I was a lot more relaxed this year than I was last year. I had more confidence, and I'd learned not to spaz internally before the contest. In the 30 or 40 minutes before we started, I tried to enjoy the scene as much as possible. And I kept playing "Tangerine" on my iPod because it makes my heart beat slowly. I like to feel quiet. It's my natural state.

Any comments on your training?

I prayed to the God of Thunder because he's friends with the God of Hot Dogs. No comments on my training. Too many trade secrets have been given away. Time to circle the wagons. (Are the rest of you guys listening?)

Tell us something funny, or unusual that happened during this qualifier.

Our hot dogs had cooled substantially by the time they were served, and they cooled even more when the heavens opened up on us three minutes into the contest. It's never rained on me at a contest before, and despite what you might think, it doesn't get rid of the need to dunk.

Any controversy before, during, or after?

No controversies. None.

Any predictions about future qualifiers or your chance on July 4th?

Can I win on the 4th? Um, let's change the subject.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Joey Chestnut is NOT The Messenger! The Messenger exists only in our minds, kind of like Time. Joey's my friend.

Last question:

I have big plans for myself if I can ever figure out how to fly. Invisibility? No. I'd much rather fly.

Posted on May 21, 2006 | Comments (2)

Joey Chestnut wins Vegas with 50 Hot Dogs
by Liz

We all new this guy could eat. But when Joey Chestnut powered down 50 hot dogs and buns on Thursday, he momentarily stunned the competitive eating world into silence. He not only set a new US record for hot dogs, but he came within touching distance of the world record of 53.2, set by Kobayashi in 2004. Last year, Koby took home the Mustard Belt with only 49. For the first time since 1999 (and before that in 1996), an American may truly be prepared to take the title from the Japanese on July 4th.

Posted on May 21, 2006 | Comments (0)

Crab Cake Competition
by Liz

We blame it on the fact that the rental company gave us the brightest, most glittery blue car possible. Of course, the fact that I was going 80 in a 65 MPH zone doesn't help. But in either case, we are pulled over by a cop on the New Jersey Turnpike. This isn't good for many reasons, but the most immediate one is that we're worried we'll miss the crab cake competition that awaits us in Baltimore. And we're running late. The cop leans in the passenger's side window and gives us the verdict: "I pulled you over because you were going 81 in a 65." My mind races and I decide to risk it all on the one card I might have up my sleeve. "I'm so sorry! We're covering a crab cake eating competition in Baltimore and we're running late." He looks interested. I smile. "Do you follow competitive eating?" I ask.

He laughs and says, "Are you calling me fat?" D'oh!

"No! Actually, a lot of them are quite trim." It's not quite the right time to launch into a Belt of Fat Theory crash course, but I'd apparently entertained some part of him because he comes back with a ticket reduced to 5 miles over the speed limit.

"Don't eat too many crab cakes, now," he says as he strolls away. If only he knew our group crab cake intake for the day would only amount to a quarter of a certain amazing gurgitator's. And that we were almost in Delaware, where his jurisdiction would run out and we could hit 80 again.

Even with our slow start and little highway adventure, we end up getting to the event with some time to spare. The day couldn't be nicer, with wide blue skies, a slight breeze, and the sun bouncing off ships lining the shores of Inner Harbor. This year's crab cake competition, sponsored by Philips, is taking place in the heart of Baltimore's Waterfront Festival and the mood is electric. This is our first opportunity to attend an outdoor competition, and the atmosphere seems just right.

One of my friends spots Crazy Legs just as we're entering the harbor; he's hard to miss in a bright purple shirt, with his blond-tinged dreadlocks peeking out from under a cowboy hat. We flag him down and he takes us to the main stage. It turns out his crew of travelers from New York hit some snags, too, when they got stuck in bad traffic and blew out a tire on a rented van. The setback was almost devastating for them, as they were headed to Nacho Mama's in Canton for the release party of National Bohemian (Natty Boh) 40 oz.

Now might be a good time to mention Crazy Legs's slight obsession with Natty Boh. A regional beer, known primarily (from what I can gather) for its extreme affordability and one-eyed mascot, it's become a beloved staple in Crazy Leg's life. He lists it as only one of four products he would officially endorse. (The others are Old Bay Seasoning, another local product; Uniball Micro Fine pens with metal clips, now discontinued; and Worldwide Bidet. I actually have no idea what that last one's about.)

So true is Crazy Legs's devotion to Natty Boh, that while here in Baltimore eating crab cakes competitively, he'll go so far as to make it his beverage of choice for the contest. On a circuit where the type, amount, flavoring, and receptacles of liquids are among the most important factors to consider, picking a carbonated alcoholic beverage is highly irregular. But then, Crazy Legs is feeling good. He likes visiting Baltimore, which houses his alma mater, Johns Hopkins, and he's just emerged as the victor of the first Nathan's Qualifier of 2006, which makes him more relaxed than any of the other serious eaters we'll see today.

As we approach the main stage, we catch glimpses of eaters donning red shirts and chatting with groups of people. Because of the sheer size of the place, our usual tactic of roaming from eater to eater for pre-game thoughts is sort of shot from the beginning. We give up early on on the idea of getting to talk to everyone, but decide to catch who we can. We, with Crazy Legs, approach Eric "Badlands" Booker, Tim "Eater X" Janus and a new person I've never met, who are all standing around talking and taking the occasional picture with fans. Booker is excited about being outdoors, too. "I like the energy of the outside competitions. It's festive."

He won't be competing today, but is prepared to perform for the audience. Like most of the eaters, he's focusing on Nathan's, getting ready to compete at the South Street Seaport qualifier in June, which is restricted to civil service employees. It's a qualifier that was "handed down" to him when "Hungry" Charles Hardy retired, and one that Booker is expected to win. But he has other things going on, too. "We might be on 'Wife Swap!'" he tells me with a smile.

I ask if he thinks he'll be the normal family or the crazy family, and he shrugs and says he's up for whatever, and he's sure they'll stick him with a fanatical vegan, but that he'll be accommodating for whatever comes his way. I interpret that as meaning he'll be the normal family. He gets a wicked little gleam in his eye thinking about training the new wife in competitive eating.

Tim, who had stepped away, joins the group again and Badlands points to him saying, "This guy here is my biggest hero. He taught me to change my water to lemonade, iced tea, all kinds of stuff." Tim smiles and demurs, but it's clear Badlands is sincere. And he's not the only fan of Tim's. The guy I don't know turns out to be Seaver Miller, a first time competitor here today and one who is completely excited to be here with the eaters. He gets a picture with Tim and Badlands and tells them that he watched the MTV special that featured Tim. His wife and new baby are here with him today and while he says he's just happy to be here, he would like to put away 25-30 crab cakes and hopes his Jell-O training will pay off.

While I'm talking to Seaver, Jennie (our stellar fill-in for Krista while she's in China) has a chance to chat with Tim. While he's glad to be there and hoping to finish well, he's been feeling uninspired lately. He tells me later that he's in need of a break. Having been going full force in these competitions, he hasn't had the time to let his body and mind get the rejuvenation they need. He fears he's in a place where he can't take a break, but also can't improve. He'll be defending his shoo fly pie title and attending his hometown qualifier in Hartford in June, and needs to maintain his focus throughout the next two months in order to stay in the game. In spite of all these thoughts running through his head, he seems upbeat. His mask is painted blue, which is doing something, um, nice to his eyes, and he seems to be looking forward to getting to hang out with everyone after the competition.

"Buffalo" Jim Reeves strolls up, a sweet man with a dollop of hair on top of an otherwise shaved head. This is my first time meeting Jim, who ranks #15 right now and holds the watermelon championship title. He flew here today from Buffalo after winning Sabers tickets for his 9-year-old daughter, Emily, the night before in a local competition. When he says he's planning on attending the Philly Nathan's qualifier-the same one Sonya's going to-I wonder if it makes him feel like not going. I figure it must be a let down to realize the qualifier you've signed up for will be attended by the nation's number one eater, but Jim says he's done avoiding people. "When I first started, I used to pick qualifiers at the end, because by that time most of the really good eaters had already qualified, but now I don't try to avoid anyone." He figures at the worst it's good practice, and at the best he could score a wild card slot.

This might be true for Jim, but Ken "Mongo" Federighi is visibly relieved to learn that Sonya won't be at the Norfolk qualifier, where he'll be attending. I'm happy to run into Ken, an eater we've run into at several competitions but never caught up with. A native of Maryland, he's tall and muscular with tattooed arms and close cut hair and goatee. His specialty is wings, and he tells me about competing in the "Suicide Chicken Wing Competition" (not IFOCE), where the competitors aren't allowed to drink, but are forced to resist the ultimate temptation as fresh Rolling Rocks are placed along the table. "I like to take a swig of the hot sauce on the table when I sit down. Y'know, to intimidate the others. But one year I decided to rub it all over my chest." Which, if you haven't guessed, turned out to be an awful idea. "It blistered up and was awful!" Ken says, his face contorting with the memory of the pain.

The time is closing in on the competition and we start to make our way through the crowd to secure a good place to take pictures. We catch a glimpse of Chip Simpson, tanned and freckled on his way back stage. He stops to say hi, but seems very focused on the upcoming competition. The only other time I'd seen Chip was at meatballs in Atlantic City, which turned out to be a rather, er, unfortunate event for the 24-year-old student (though he maintains there was no reversal), which made me curious to see how he'd place today. He, too, will be attending the Philly qualifier, rounding out what seems likely to be an all-star cast on May 27th. Minnesota and Atlanta are also on his list in case Philly goes to another eater.

We also run into Ryan Nerz, who is emceeing today's competition. This is a twist of luck, because he's very Digest-friendly and let Jennie, Josh (our cameraman) and me into the little media cage set up in front of the stage, where we have a fantastic view of everyone. At one point the organizer ran up to me frantically and asked if I was press. "Uh yeah, we're from Digest."

"Digest? What Digest? Are you supposed to be here?"

I have to keep assuring her that we were told it was fine and that she could check with Ryan, which eventually seems to calm her down. She looks skeptically at our little camera and handheld camcorder sandwiched in between all the ESPN cameras and professional lenses. I follow her gaze.

"We're just a little less high tech." She smiles and wishes us luck.

Ryan is joined on stage by a new emcee, Eddie Dunn, a performer with The Upright Citizen's Brigade, and Charles Hardy who is checking over the plates (cardboard slabs) of 25 crab cakes arranged at each eater's station.

Ryan welcomes everyone and then drops a bomb: a no dunking rule will be in effect for the entire competition. The fans in the crowd are audibly shocked and there's a low murmur of discussion. He goes on to explain that it's one of the ways in which Hardy is trying to better regulate the standards of the competition. Later, the eaters will disagree on whether the rule effected their eating. David "Brickhouse" Braunstein, another native of Maryland, dunked in training and thought it threw him off to have to eat them dry. "Humble" Bob Shoudt, true to his name, thought it wouldn't have made any difference. "The crabcakes were almost all crab and were almost falling apart as they were. If you'd have dunked them, they would have just disappeared into the water."

In any case, the eaters don't have a choice. Ryan and Eddie begin calling the competitors onto stage as huge crowd cheers them on. Crazy Legs comes out holding up his Natty Boh cans in triumph, Tim, clearly recognized by the audience, gets loud applause, Bob comes out in mirrored sunglasses and a hat that (ironically?) says "Humble Bob." For the first time in a competition, he gets a seat that will be right next to Sonya, a fact that he later says helped him by being able to keep track of her progress. Justin Mih, one of our favorite up-an-comers (still with no nickname) comes out all smiles and waves, and a troop of local talent fills in the edges. You can almost hear the audience holding their breath for Sonya and a giant roar goes up when she finally takes the stage, last. In 2005, she set a new world record by eating 40 crab cakes in 12 minutes. This year, the competition is only 10 minutes long, and she hopes to still break her standing record.

There's some last minute shuffling of waters and crab cakes, and then we're ready to watch a champion emerge. Ryan gives the signal and the gurgitators dig in. Humble Bob and Chip Simpson are the only ones sitting; the rest are standing and grabbing what they can. Sonya's technique involves palming a crab cake and stuffing the entire thing in her mouth at once, chewing briefly and swallowing almost whole. Tim is taking smaller bites, but getting them down pretty quickly. Crazy Legs's beverage choice is interacting in a pretty hilarious way with the speed: a white foam starts to build up around his goatee as he munches the crab cakes, chugs the beer, and does his own, more dancey, version of the Koby shake.

Sonya has ten down in the first minute and she looks like she's only just getting started. With her eyes squeezed shut in concentration, she seems to be mentally sending the food into her stomach through pure will. With Humble Bob it's a different scene all together. Watching the tape later, J remarks, "It looks like he's sitting down to dinner." It's true. The speed at which he's eating is almost imperceptibly faster than usual. Chip, too, seems to be taking a sneak attack. Like several of the eaters, he's listening to music while eating. He tells us later that it was Metallica and Linkin Park that were helping him get through the crab cakes this afternoon. It's definitly working. He's in a groove and the updates from his side of the table come with surprised exclamations from the emcees.

David "Brickhouse" Braunstein, who wanted so badly for this to be his event, is looking pained. He's clearly not doing as well as he'd like, and at one point he looks out to someone in the audience and just shakes his head "no." It's heart-breaking! Justin Mih is also looking a bit worn, but sticking in there. He loses a couple crab cakes to the floor, but sweeps down to scoop them up and eat them down. Sonya's pace remains steady as she bobs in place, shuttling the food to her belly.

Time is called and all the eaters step away to finish what's in their mouths. Hardy comes around to examine the remains and mark official scores, while Booker comes up to perform. It turns out the sound equipment wasn't working with his backup tracks, so the emcees lay some improvisational beats down. Booker plays along until Eddie does a weird chopping thing to his neck, which creates a loud barkng sound. At this point Badlands takes the mike away shows them how it's done. He's preparing for the compilation of his new album "Jim Mullen's Teeth," early tracks of which he'll later let us listen to.

Finally Ryan comes out with the results. In third place: Humble Bob with 38 crab crakes. And in a surprise upset, Chip Simpson takes second place with 39 crab cakes. Sonya, of course, comes in first with a record-shattering 46 crab cakes in 10 minutes. Tim followed closely with 37, then Jim with 29.5, and Brickhouse Braunstein took fifth with 23. Crazy Legs only ate 20, but also downed three Natty Bohs, which seems like it should count for something. And if the IFOCE is looking for fresh talent, they might keep their eyes on Seaver Miller, the newbie from earlier, who finished with a respectable 21 crab cakes.

Crazy Legs has good things to say about Chip, who he includes in his "Saved By the Bell Gang," representing the demographic of younger eaters. He jokes that people don't expect much from Chip because he looks like Raggedy Andy, but he is getting much better at mental preparation and other eaters should take heed of Chip as he continues to improve.

Speaking of new young eaters, Booker tells us later about Charles Hardy Jr.'s planned debut at the Molly Pitcher qualifier. Booker is already impressed with the talent he thinks is inherent in young Charles. The college freshman put down 24.5 Nathan's HDB in a recent training run. He's quick to note it's an unofficial ruling, but it's still sounding impressive to me. And what about the chances that Booker's own 13-year-old son will begin training in five years to take on a second generation of competitive eaters? Booker just shakes his head and smiles.

After the competition, the day melts into an obscure, but ridiculously fun, series of events. We meet up with several of the eaters, the emcees, their friends, and Kate Westfall, the lovely young woman who oversees all the details of the IFOCE events. We end up on a water taxi, at a couple great bars in Fells Point, and, later in the evening, at the Mayor's Ball, an event we're only slightly underdressed for. It's really nice getting to see the camaraderie between the eaters, and I get the same feeling that this is really what it's all about for them. Talk of the cancellation of the Alka Seltzer bowl comes up and everyone expresses disappointment at losing a three-day stretch in which to visit with one another at leisure. That's what it's really all about, the sentiment in the air says. And sitting there with them, under the clear Baltimore night sky, it's hard to disagree.

Lots of pictures here. More here!

* * *
Would you like to attend an eating competition and be in the studio audience for a brand new show? The IFOCE might be looking for you. Details about this weekend's filming of Eats of Strength in NY here.

* * *
Krista and I have been looking forward to attending the pickle eating competition held this year at Carnagie Deli at the end of May. There's been an ongoing controversy about the IFOCE's involvement in this, but Beautiful Brian has just written me to tell me they're officially out due to AICE members' participation. (Any comments about this should be directed to Brian.)

Posted on May 1, 2006 | Comments (6)

Crab Cake Competition Results
by Liz

Hello from Baltimore! I know you all want the results, so here you go:

In first place, and setting a new world record with 46 crabcakes, Sonya Thomas!

2. Chip Simpson, 39
3. "Humble" Bob Shoudt, 38
4. Tim "Eater X" Janus, 37
5. "Buffalo" Jim Reeves, 29 1/2
6. David "Brickhouse" Braunstein, 23

While Crazy Legs only did 20 crab cakes, he also downed three Natty Bohs.

There was also a strict no dunking rule in effect.

I think we're along for the ride for the rest of the day (all I'll say for now is there's an "itenerary" with the words "boxer bash" "Mayor's Ball" on it.) Full report to come.

Posted on April 29, 2006 | Comments (1)

Hot Dog Season Opens
by Liz

In the world of competitive eating, there is no bigger event than the annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest. Eaters must compete in qualifying rounds held around the world to win one of only twenty seats at the big table in Coney Island. From there, it's an all-out eating frenzy to swallow as many hot dogs and buns (HDB) in 12 minutes to take home the Coveted Mustard Yellow International Belt. This is the competition that even people who don't follow competitive eating know about, mostly due to the one hour coverage it gets on ESPN, and the legend that is Takeru Kobayashi, the then-slim-now-ripped Japanese man who floored the world in 2001 by eating 50 HDB and DOUBLING the previous world record of 25. His current (and the world) record, set in 2004, is 53.5. He's the only competitive eater to have won 5 years in a row, the no one has even come close to his worst showing in 2003, with 44.5 HDB.

This is a fine eater.

But there are nineteen other seats at the Nathan's table, to be filled with other amazing gurtitators. While even the top ranked American eater, "Sonya Thomas, doesn't hold out much hope of surpassing Kobayashi (Don't get me wrong ... it is my dream to take him down. However, I have to be real... If anyone even thinks of dethroning him, he or she is in for a harsh awakening...As such, my immediate goal is to get as close to him as possible."), everyone is hungry for the opportunity.

Mikey has mapped out all the upcoming qualifiers and other IFOCE events on this fabulous platial map and we'll be keeping track of the winners as we near July.

The first of the qualifiers was held on Saturday in Sunrise, Florida. Having met several of the people competing in this one, it was hard to pick a favorite to root for. I mean look how excited Erik is about making it. The more you get to know the eaters, the harder it becomes to have favorites. That said, I have to say in the end I was gunning for Crazy Legs, due to his charged confidence and the fact that he's running the Boston Freakin' Marathon today. Who does that? Anyway, my loyalties were rewarded with a win, though one apparently tinged with some controversy.

Crazy Legs and Jammin' Joe LaRue ended the competition tied at 21.5 HDB (Crazy Legs went into this with a personal goal of 22). They went into double overtime, and Crazy Legs was declared the winner. There was a low murmur of controversy in the IFOCE's reporting, which has since deleted numbers that appeared in an original post, and then Beautiful Brian's website posted what can only be referred to in this sport as "fightin' words." Aren't your sources always running marathons when you need the record set straight?

Update: More accounts of the Sunrise qualifier here and here.

Digest extends congratulations to Crazy Legs on becoming the first to qualify in this 2006 season! We're sure LeRue, and the other stars in Sunrise, will be back to battle soon.

Posted on April 17, 2006 | Comments (1)

Corned Beef and Cabbage Competition
by Liz

by Krista Overby and Liz Kellermeyer

"Crazy Legs" Conti and mom, Pat From Moonachie, Erik the Red
David "Brickhouse" Braunstein, Ryan Hobson, Peter Davekos
"Badlands" Booker, Pat Bertoletti, Tim "Eater X" Janus, Justin Mih, Molly Zalcarian and Lauren Rocha

Remember the TV show "Northern Exposure?" The show about the small Alaskan town filled to the brim with lovable eccentrics who spent their days doing weird and wonderful things? If we were to live in a small Alaskan village, or any village for that matter, there are no better people to populate it by than the wonderful people of competitive eating.

We can imagine a place where Tim "Eater X" Janus would run the pizza shop and give sound and thoughtful advice to the customers from the best place to fish to how to heal a rocky marriage. Krazy Kevin would deliver the mail wearing his signature polar bear hat and Beautiful Brian would run the barber shop cutting the hair of the entire town and perhaps spreading a little gossip here and there. Pat Bertoletti would own a Bed and Breakfast known for pretty little pastries, delicious pastas, and the comfy chintz covered bedspreads. We would give the job of local philosopher and radio host to Crazy Legs Conti because we do believe that man could talk for as long as you needed him to, on anything. The Shea brothers would own the local bar and host karaoke nights where the whole town would congregate to listen to Sonya Thomas and Badlands Booker sing their signature duet, "Islands in the Stream." And of course, every Wednesday night would bring a different eating competition where the winner would be able to wear a bright orange cape for the rest of the week to show off their win...until the next Wednesday's event where it would all be up for grabs again.

Is it just us or does this just sound perfect? We don't know what it is, but being around these guys makes you want to spend more and more time with them. Perhaps that's why we want to saturate this imaginary town up with them.

We were given a chance to spend a bit more time with them recently, and we jumped at the chance to see them do their 'thang' up in Boston, this time for the gorging of the Irish American favorite of corned beef and cabbage. Since we are living in Brooklyn this could mean only one thing...road trip! So off we went with one husband, one friend, and one set of directions in tow. How were we to know that Boston was designed to keep interlopers out by having a road system and signs that could confuse even Magellan? Is it just us, or is Boston totally confusing to get around in? Don't get us wrong, we loved the place, it's lovely. The people are completely charming, the architecture is stunning, and the sense of history is palpable, but come on folks...give the out-of-towners a break and get some sense of order up in there. Throw us a grid system or something!

Anyway, on to what is really important: the competition. Held at Faneuil Hall's Ned Devine's Irish pub (it was the day before St. Patrick's Day, after all) we got there just as eaters were starting to arrive. The bar was already starting to fill with the hopeful--and a few guys who we think were just hoping to start drinking as early as possible, which they were given the chance to do when the bar began serving Guinness at 10:30 AM.

After saying a few hellos and getting out of the way of a bossy film crew, we start getting to know some newbies, two of whom are some people of the lady persuasion. Molly Zalcarian and Lauren Rocha, roommates at Emmanuel College who are skipping class to fulfill a dream to compete, only heard they had spots in the competition on Tuesday. They are really excited to meet Eater X after watching him on MTV's True Life: "I'm a Competitive Eater." They aren't the only ones who are fans of Eater X since the episode aired;he seems to be getting a lot more attention these days, Fans recognize him even without his trademark face paint, stopping him on the street or even, as happened recently, surprising him with greetings on the L train.

Another person new to us is Justin Mih, Fulbright Scholar and darn friendly guy who almost falls off his chair when we approach and happento know a few facts about him. Justin, who hates corned beef with a passion, has competed in a few contests out on his home turf of California and is looking forward to competing in more around the country. He's picking up and moving to Boston soon, hoping to become more involved in the competitive eating scene. Although, along with getting more serious about eating comes the need for a good nickname, as no self respecting eater can go too long without a good name. "My friends thought up Justin 'Eat Me' Mih, but I don't know," he tells us uncertainly. We're no experts on nicknames, but something tells us that one might not be quite right. We propose having a nickname contest, which he gets really excited about. At a nearby table, our friends start to think up names while they wait for the contest to begin. "Eat-stein," anyone? "Think n Chew?" "Dr. Chops?" . A nickname would also help Justin from blowing his cover with his family. His mother doesn't approve of his hobby (Justin admits the shock value of being a competitive eater is part of the appeal) and warned him emphatically: "Don't tell your father." That his biomedical engineer son has a secret life gorging himself silly all over the country is still a tightly guarded secret. Let's hope Mr. Mih doesn't like to Google.

After chatting with Justin we notice a lovely lady has entered and been embraced by Crazy Legs. Who could it be? The question doesn't stay in the air long. Once she turns around, anyone who can read the red stitching can easily see it's no other than Crazy Legs Conti's mom. We approach her at once since we don't ordinarily get to chat with someone who actually raised one of these eaters, especially one as fascinating as Crazy Legs. After telling us she let Erik the Red sleep at her house the night before without having met him before, and how she had to employ a milkman when Crazy Legs was growing up to keep up with his massive milk intake (2, 3.5 gallons twice a week), she had us hooked. No wonder her son is so cool. Did we mention Crazy Legs had dyed his goatee green, and was wearing a mint ruffled tuxedo shirt and large green fur leprechaun hat over his dreadlocks? 'Cause he was. And he looked smashing - keep up the good work Conti!

Tim "Eater X" Janus also looked fetching in his coveralls and rubber Wellingtons. Of course The Whaler would make an appearance in Boston. He entertained us with the story of his 3:30 AM trip up to Boston from Manhattan on the Fung Wah bus that morning, in full make-up. While someone else might have done something like that for attention's sake, it's clear Tim is working from necessity only. "I wasn't sure if there was going to be a mirror when I got up here or if I'd have time." It turns out he ends up in public places with his mask on quite a bit. Luckily, New Yorkers-true to spirit-don't look at him twice when's he's in his gear, and when they do halt him he's always a gracious celebrity, stopping to talk to whoever approaches.

Tim and Pat Bertoletti were also taking the time to recount their trip the week before to the Midwest and some local eating contests with Joey Chestnut and Hall Hunt, who were absent from this corned beef contest. It sounds like they had a fantastic time shattering local records and leaving restaurant owners and waitstaff in a daze.. Tim told us how no one could understand the zeal these eaters have for the sport other than the eaters themselves. Over the 46 hours the four of them spent together, Tim said there might have been 30 minutes where they talked of something other than competitive eating. That's a lot of eating talk. Passionate doesn't begin to describe the love these guys have for eating. It makes you wonder if a woman would ever be able to come ahead of this love. She'd have to be pretty special...and just to be safe maybe have some bologna taped to her head or something.

Tim seems confident that this is Bertoletti's contest to lose. He thinks with all the recent training combined with Bertoletti's proven ability to handle the chewy foods, this contest is in the bag. Pat is less certain, though he admits he does his best when he's not feeling confident. "Whenever I feel too confident, I always end up in third place." Though of course he's been training--putting away around six pounds of corned beef and cabbage at home. "You have to get some confidence with the food or you're going to get your ass beat." True enough.

A tall, good-looking guy with a red bandana tied around his head approaches us and puts out his hand to introduce himself. We find ourselves standing face to, er, sternum with none other than Erik the Red, who had flown in all the way from Seattle to compete in what would be his first corned beef and cabbage contest. Though he usually tries to train with the food he'll be competing with, this time he was unable to get a hold of the corned beef he would need. Instead, he made due with practicing on a lot of cabbage, which he really likes. We ask him who he thinks will take today's competition and he hems and haws before guessing he'd put his money on Bertoletti or Tim, though he's eager to watch Badlands Booker in action, too. We can tell he'd like to put himself up there too, but will only say he hopes to eat at least five pounds today. He wonders if they'll have to use forks today, as they had to in the chili cheese fry competition. "I have a really beautiful fork at home that I wanted to bring, but I didn't think it would make it past airport security. You should see it; it's a great fork." He's heading out in the evening to make the Huevos Rancheros contest in Texas the next day. He's hoping they'll be spicy; because he can handle the heat and it will give him an advantage over other competitors.

One person oddly missing from the list of competitors was Cookie Jarvis, 2004's title holder. There had been an erroneous account recently that he was retiring from the sport and a few of the competitors were still talking about the story. Cookie's website, www.hugeeaters.com, now has a banner loudly disputing that rumor, it turns out he is instead "taking a few months off." We, being the intrepid reporters and sharp minded ladies we are, recall him talking about trying out for NBC's Biggest Loser recently. Could it be he secretly made the cut after telling us he hadn't? Could Cookie Jarvis be competing with food in an entirely different manner? By not eating it? Only time and TV will tell.

Another star of the competitive eating circuit is sitting nearby, Pat Philbin, better known simply as "Pat from Moonachie," an XM radio personality and favorite of Opie and Anthony. He has bright eyes and a huge smile, an infectious laugh, and greets us with a firm handshake. He'll only be here until just after the competition, when he has to head to New York for a hardboiled egg competition. For some reason, he's under the misapprehension that Sonya is at the contest. When he learns she's not, he looks visibly relieved and declares with a laugh that in that case, he's next in line to win. He hasn't done corned beef and cabbage before, but thought he should make a showing since he's Irish. "I gotta do it for my people. Fatsos named Patrick!"

He's not the only one relieved that Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas isn't making an appearance. Several of the eaters agree that chewy foods like corned beef just aren't her forte, and she's planning on steering clear of them. Tim mentions that her strength is really in sheer capacity, rather than chewing, and imagines a perfect competition for her would be something like yogurt or gruel. Each eater knows their strengths, and if they don't have a good chance of winning or placing they sometimes don't come. We're thinking a gruel competition could be pretty sweet.

A familiar smiling face approaches, and we reacquaint ourselves with David "Brickhouse" Braunstein, who we'd met at the meatball competition. He's also never done corned beef before, and his line of attack is to go "balls to the wall." He's been training with corned beef and says he, unlike some eaters, doesn't lose the taste for a food after training repeatedly with it. When asked to speculate on a winner, he gives it to Bertoletti, but muses that Erik could be a darkhorse. David gets excited telling us about the upcoming Phillips Crab Cake-Eating competition in Baltimore, where he'll be eating at the end of April. "You should really make it out there for that one; it'll be big." Like true professional athletes and addicts, it seems every eater is always as excited about the next competition as they are for the current one.

As 10:30 AM approaches Rich Shea begins his schpiel and welcomes the large crowd, filled mostly with beer clutching men, to the contest. Eric "Badland" Booker charms us all with a rap from his Ingestion Engine album-- which got a great review in this month's Spin magazine-- and the eaters are corralled into the hallway as the corned beef is wheeled in. Funnily enough, it was eater Ryan Hobson who alerted us to the fact that corned beef and cabbage is not on the Ned Devine menu, a fact which troubles the young Manhattan money trader, originally from Boston, whose father was sitting at the bar enjoying his morning pint o' Guinness. Ryan is not new to competitive eating, but doesn't always lead the pack, so he's not as well known as the others and most people still refer to him as the new kid on the block. He loves corned beef and feels he has a chance to do pretty well, though is concerned he'll start off to fast, which is what usually gets him. We are pulling for him; perhaps we are just suckers for some blue eyes, but Ryan gets us cheering as the eaters are announced.

We have to admit, we were kind of nervous before this contest. Remembering from the meatball competition the powerful effects hot meat fumes can have on observers, we were a bit nervous about the thought of the powerful aroma of corned beef and cabbage entering our nostrils in the early hours of the morning, but it actually isn't that bad. The room is spacious and the plates come out of a warmer looking fairly pleasant, if you are into that sort of basic British peasant type food..

Placed at the center of the tables, as usual, are the contest favorites. Today's top three turn out to be Badlands, Bertoletti, and Tim, though the person garnering the most attention is Peter Davekos, a Boston native and crowd favorite. This is his first professional IFOCE contest and he's thrilled to join the ranks of the world class competitors.

There are so many eaters in this competition, that the table spans the length of the room before jutting off into an L-shape. Rich starts the competition and the eaters lunge towards their plates and begin the gorging. Pat makes little packets with his food, wrapping pieces of corned beef in cabbage leaves and shoving it in his mouth. The usual abundance of liquids didn't place as prominently this time. Tim told us earlier that the watery cabbage will do the work of the liquids in this contest. True to form, Tim attacks the meat first, using the cabbage to wash it down. Badlands Booker alternated between the two, but focused on just getting handfuls into his mouth.
The hardest part of this contest is the amount of chewing you need to do for it. The jaw strength the stronger eaters exhibit is astonishing. There's also a clear rhythmic bounce the top eaters exhibit, that just isn't present in other competitors. Pat Bertoletti, in particular, is in a groove. With his earphones in, and his bounce going on, he's clearly in the zone.

Almost everyone crosses the finish line as the 10 minutes came to an end.

Almost everyone. One competitor couldn't keep it down and when Rich Shea cried out, "Elvis has left the building," everyone knew there was a man down. (Later, when we tell Tim about the "reversal of fortune", he turns around and looks excitedly into the trash bin where the puke was said to have fallen. When we looked on shocked, he says, as only a lover of food--no matter what form--could say, "What? Puke is like snowflakes. There are no two alike.")

Pat Bertoletti easily takes first place and sets a new world record with 5.75 pounds of corned beef and cabbage in 10 minutes, winning $2,500; Badlands Booker comes in second with five pounds, winning $1,250; and Tim "Eater X" Janus brings in third place with 4.75 pounds, which wins him a cool $750.

After the contest we felt like the prom queens when we are invited to stay and hang out with a few of the eaters as they polished off the free tab allotted to them from Ned Devine's. It was nice being able to relax with these guys after the pressure was off and they were able to cool down and bask in the post-eating light. Pat Bertoletti, seems satisfied with his win, but was focusing on the upcoming contests. David Baer, the judge for this competition, originally said that Bertoletti was close enough to 6 pounds that they were going to use that figure for the records, a slight rounding up that Pat didn't want to take credit for. I don't know what we were expecting, but we don't think it would be out of the question to expect a little gloating on Pat's side. He definitely deserved it after just taking home 1st place and a large check. But no - these guys just aren't like that. There is no trash talking, no good humored ribbing; they're happy to hang out and talk about the upcoming Huevos Rancheros contest in South Padre Island, Texas and the Key Lime Pie showdown in Panama City, Florida. Though Crazy Legs had to leave right away for another contest, his sister, Sam sticks around (strong family resemblance, though no urges to competitive eat).

We listen to the eaters displaying that love of eater-speak that Tim explained to us earlier. Tim talks to us about his side job as pizza maker and Pat tells us about a future dream of owning a soup and pasta joint. He says he wants to be the next Soup Nazi, bow tie included. Pat also tells us a funny story about being asked to film a commercial for the USA network's "Show Us Your Character" ad campaign, where he had to sit in front of a large amount of food and answer silly questions. He says he wanted to laugh during the entire thing, but they required him to stay composed. We wish we could get called up to do commercials. Maybe Urban Honking should set us up with a video camera so we can shoot ourselves a commercial for their farm team.

The afternoon progresses and we've long since given up trying to keep up with the drinking, though Erik the Red's friend from Seattle, Heather, is giving it a valiant go. You'd think with most of their stomachs taken up with beef and cabbage the eaters would be a little slower swigging the Guinness, but no chance. When we joke about it to Erik, he downs a fresh Guinness like a Dixie Cup of water, and retrieves himself another. After the Ned Devine's tab runs out we move venues and end up at a small local hangout where the beers are cheap and the jukebox is ready to go. Little did we know that Tim is a jukebox fanatic. He and Pat Bertoletti slip what must be 30 bucks into that thing. Tim can't get enough, programming everything from REO Speedwagon to one of his favorites, "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by the Crash Test Dummies. We can almost hear the dulcet tones of Tim's voice as we write this - he knows every word to that song. He also has a lot of other hobbies that you wouldn't necessarily think he would take part in, like crocheting, pet massage, Star Trek conventions, and making up false facts about people (which may or may not be what we are engaged in right now). Believe it or not, they are all hungry. Rounds of chili cheese fries and buffalo wings are ordered up with the next round of beers. They stop the joke before it can begin: "Everyone always thinks it's the funniest thing to ask if we're going to eat everything fast." They eat the food at a normal pace, they drink their beers, and they good-naturedly chat with the locals. You get the feeling an eaters' utopia might include a lot of this.

See the Flickr album!

Posted on March 18, 2006 | Comments (4)

Corned Beef and Cabbage Results
by Liz

Live from Boston! Things are wicked good here. We're off to drink Guinness with the eaters, but first here are the top results from today's corned beef and cabbage eating competition.

In first place, with 6 5.75 pounds: Pat Bertoletti! [IFOCE judge, David Baer had 5.75 written down, but told us after the competition that they were going to award Pat the full 6 pounds since the part left on the plate was negligible. Pat told us later he hoped they only counted him for 5.75, a weight he thought was more accurate, which is what they apparently did.]

2. Badlands Booker, 5 pounds
3. Tim "Eater X" Janus, 4.75
4. Crazy Legs, 4.5
5. Pat from Moonachie, 3.75
6. Krazy Kevin, 3.5
6. Erik the Red, 3.5
8. Ryan Hodson, 3
8. Ken Federighi, 3
8. David "Brickhouse" Braunstein, 3

Extended article to come...but for now, some Irish celebration.

Posted on March 16, 2006 | Comments (4)

St. Valentine's Day Chocolate Massacre
by Liz

image from NBC

Yesterday, the IFOCE and GoldenPalace.net hosted the St. Valentine's Day Chocolate Massacre at the Chicago Chocolate Company. The contest was seven minutes long to represent the seven men Al Capone's hitmen killed on Valentine's Day 1929. Cheerful!

All the eaters were given plates piled high with milk chocolate hearts and set to devouring them with glasses of milk and other drinks nearby. At the end of the seven minutes, Patrick Bertoletti came out on top, demolishing just shy of two pounds of chocolate in the time allotted, and winning $2,500. After beating Sonya and Joey Chestnut in the corned beef competition and coming in a close third in grilled cheese, we think Bertoletti is definitely one to watch.

Krista and I caught up with Pat after this amazing feat to answer a few questions about the competition.

First of all the chocolate itself: tell us a little about how the texture of the food was different from other competitions you've done. Was it difficult to chew and swallow? Did your liquid of choice affect the eating of the chocolate?

The chocolates themselves are a matter of jaw strength; you have to chew them a lot more than other foods to get them down. This was the hardest contest I have done so far. Eating chocolate in a contest is a humbling experience; I won with just under 2 pounds (which to onlookers really may not seem like a lot). I was drinking hot water with lemon juice, which did facilitate easier swallowing and chewing.

Were the hearts unwrapped or did you have to de-foil them?

The hearts were all unwrapped and put on plates of 19.

Milk chocolate can give you that burn in the back of your throat; did you experience that or any other physical reactions that were unique to chocolate?

I didn't have that burning sensation that you speak of. But after a while the chocolate was unpalatable and was nearly impossible to keep swallowing.

Did your cd player last through this competition?

For this contest I opted to go without a cd player. But right after I went on a spree and bought a new 60 gb iPod, so hopefully my music in the future is safe.

Did our suggtion that you'd be unstoppable with an iPod influence your buying decision?

You know, it did play into the decision. The $2,500 and student discount also played into the decision.

We read an article that said you practiced ahead of time. How did you do in these practice sessions?

In practice I did 2.5 pounds in big chunks.

How did it feel to compete in Chicago, on your home turf?

I was actually nervous to compete and be the top dog because I didn't want to disappoint and because I had never done a sweet or chocolate eating contest before.

We imagine that eaters enter a specific state-of-mind when they are in the middle of a competition. Is there anything else in your life that you can compare that to? That is, can you ever apply what you've learned from competitive eating to another activity or mindset?

The "zone" you are talking about is hard to accomplish in other areas of my life; I can transfer extreme focus and mind over matter to working out and working during a busy shift at a restaurant, though.

Any specific goals for this season?

I want to be in the top five by the end of the year, and to improve upon my totals of past contests. Giving Joey and Sonya a run for their money wouldn't be such a bad thing either.

The IFOCE article about the Chocolate Massacre has this quote: "He has earned a place in the hearts of women all over America." Should the ladies get their hopes up or are you off the market?

I am single, and the posts on IFOCE never cease to amuse me. Thanks for the interest in a Chicago hopeful.

Posted on February 14, 2006 | Comments (1)

Reporting from the Grilled Cheese Competition
by Liz

By Liz Kellermeyer and Krista Overby

We started off Wednesday morning feeling very much like tourists. Dressed in jeans on a weekday, checking the subway map to see if the express train stopped at 47th street, and, finally, heading to Planet Hollywood in Times Square. Though the location and time may have contributed to the low tourist attendance (the contest was held mid-week, mid-morning on a top floor of the restaurant and out of view of passing pedestrians), we have to admit the gaudy location really brightened the atmosphere. Jimmy Stewart's handprints along the stairway and life-size Ninja Turtles climbing the walls added a certain je ne sais quoi. Those Planet Hollywood folks sure know class when they see it.

As we arrived, Sonya Thomas was being interviewed by 20/20, which only added to the mystique and made us feel like perhaps we should have brought some lights and cables. We quickly got to work and set out to meet a few new people; including Ron Koch who was raving about the "Belly Buster" sandwich he ate the day before at the Carnegie deli. As he is reliving the gastronomic delights of the previous evening Sonya walks in with a cup of coffee in her hand. Ron immediately stops talking and quickly asks Sonya what's in the mug. She looks perplexed, but Ron continues to ask her what's in the cup with a vigor that is only increasing as she stays silent. Finally she tells him it's only coffee and directs him to where he can find some of his own. He pauses as if he's deciding if she's telling the truth or not. It seems paranoia reigns supreme before a competition. Perhaps Ron thought the secret to Sonya's success was a secret liquid stomach stretching potion? Meanwhile Cookie Jarvis is discussing his failed attempt at becoming NBC's "The Biggest Loser"; try-outs were held a few days prior to the competition in the same location. And yes, he said he would give up eating to lose the weight. Planet Hollywood sure does enjoy catering to people who can eat a lot.

Consistency
The grilled cheese competition, sponsored by the International Federation of Cometitive Eating (IFOCE), is one of the few where there are qualifying rounds that eaters must win in order to compete in a final world championship. The qualifying rounds for grilled cheese are held all over the country and hosted by different sponsors, making the consistency of the sandwiches varied across the board. So if an eater devoured 20 sandwiches to win a qualifying round, he or she may not have necessarily done better than one who ate 16, depending on a number of factors for each eater's sandwiches. (i.e., was the bread chewy or crispy? Were there two slices of cheese or three? Were they fried lightly or heavily?).

The eaters we talked to about this all agree that so much depends on the sandwich (glazed with water. Beside the white plates.), although to what degree was up for debate. We ran into Carlene LeFevre, Rich "The Locust" LeFevre's wife and ex-fellow competitive eater, who came for support. She is a sweet woman, who looks every inch the grade school teacher that she is (albeit one who bungee jumps, white water rafts, and holds a posole eating record), wrapped in a sparkling pink scarf and practically knocking us over with her charm. She maintains that while there is inevitably going to be a wide range of variance between the qualifiers, competitive eaters always have to deal with inconsistencies in the food. One person may be better situated (by chance) to receive slightly warmer food than another, for example, not to mention that preserving perfect consistency when cooking large batches of food is next to impossible.

Though almost every eater has something to say about how much the consistency of the sandwiches affects their performance, Humble Bob is quick to dismiss what he calls the "hype." "Everyone's going to say that their grilled cheese qualifier was the hard one. Of course they are."

Because of the qualifiers there is also, IFOCE Chair and master of ceremonies George Shea mentioned, a mad dash to find out who will be where. Shea said all of the competitors are constantly calling him prior to each qualifier in order to find out who will be competing at each location. They want to make sure they have a good chance of winning, so they spread out all over the country.

Hardy's Rule

Just one day before the competition, commissioner Hungry Charles Hardy instated a new rule limiting the time eaters could dunk their grilled cheeses in water to five seconds. There was a lot of grumbling among the eaters about this, as effectively using a liquid is one of the most important aspects to eating fast. In a comment on competitive eating fansite Trencherwomen.com following the competition, Hardy summed up the reasoning for the rule like this: "As far as the dunking rule it had to be because it's really difficult to judge if someone has a cup full of crap. How many sandwiches is equivalent to a cup of crap?" Exactly.

But besides the dunking rule, there were other water obstacles to overcome, namely the Planet Hollywood glasses. We're talking to Eater X, who is wearing a yellow sandwich board (pun possibly intended):

He says, "People are looking right through me for this competition." He's the first one to voice irritation at the mandatory glasses they're to use during the competition. Usually the eaters are allowed to bring and use their own cups, which are generally large mouthed and plastic. The cups in question are standard restaurant glasses and Eater X thinks they'll have to refill them too many times, slowing them down during crucial seconds.

None of the competitors are happy about the glasses, but of course they will use them. Water, or some other liquid, is vital for a competition that includes bread, though finding the right balance is also crucial. Cookie Jarvis says how hard it is because your instinct is to drink as much water as you can, but doing that leads to loss of valuable stomach space. He marvels at Sonya's apparent ability to use water sparingly. Though we didn't notice Sonya using much less water than others, she, too, emphasizes how carefully you have to work the balance.

The water doesn't do much for the cheese, though. Cookie Jarvis tells us you have to be careful how many sandwiches you cram in your mouth or your jaw and throat will get gummed up with the cheese. Carlene LeFevre likens it to glue. They're hoping the sandwiches are a little warm, so the cheese will be a bit melted, which would help. Rich is a bit worried because he doesn't make it a habit to practice at home ("It's very unhealthy.") even though he knows it might put him at a disadvantage in some contests. He says he knows the grilled cheese sandwiches will most likely be very chewy and hard on the jaw. He and Carlene are self-described "health nuts" when they are at home. Eating mostly oatmeal, yogurt, and skim milk. They do, however, splurge sometimes, saving up their big eating for places like the Carnegie Deli and Carmines.

Undercard

The surprise undercard is pickle eating competition between Beautiful Brian and Krazy Kevin, who ongoingly vie for the title of pickle-eating champ. George Shea has brought two jars of pickles, one for each eater. The first to finish their jar of pickles wins, no time limit. Even though Brian stays ahead for much of the competition, he has some trouble when it comes to swallowing the last bits. To paint a more vivid picture, pickle pieces keep shooting out of his mouth and he keeps shoving them back in, only to have them pop out again. Kevin is able to get his last mouthful down and takes home the title once again. To celebrate his victory or perhaps taunt Brian who is still trying to swallow the remaining pickle pieces he picks up the pickle bowl and drinks the juice with a flourish.

Competition

When asked to name her closest competitors, Sonya lists off four names: Joey Chestnut, Rich LeFevre, Eater X, and Ron Koch. But what about Patrick Bertoletti, who beat both her and Joey in the corned beef competition? She shakes her head and gives a sly look. "No, I think grilled cheese will be too heavy." Her thought is that the corned beef just wasn't that much food, and when it comes down to a competition where speed and capacity count for a lot, he won't pull through with the same results.

In a recent blog entry, Eater X likened his participation in the upcoming competition to a cage fight with a chimpanzee, with the chimpanzee being a composite of Sonya and Joey. He, too, was dismissive of competition coming from the rookie.

Even Joey Chestnut didn't rank Bertoletti as much of a threat. He agreed with Sonya's sentiments about his stomach capacity and abilities when it came down to grilled cheese.

However, Bertoletti has a little surprise for them. He has been practicing. He's determined that he might have a shot at this competition. The young Culinary Arts major from Kendall College is serious about food and when we ask him how he prepared for the grilled cheese challenge he said he had only eaten a little ice cream the day before, but had held a private grilled cheese challenge of his own on Monday. He said he ate as many sandwiches as he could cram down his throat and when we asked what that number was, he paused for a minute, his eyes darting around the room. When he was sure no one was listening he quietly says, "...Twenty-nine." It was then that we knew this Mohawk-wearin', Irish punk-lovin' kid from Chicago had a chance.

Heavenly Sights

All around us, the eaters are arriving and greeting each other with hugs and hand shakes. Also in attendance is the Virgin Mary. As she appears seared onto a half slice of a twelve-year-old grilled cheese sandwich. GoldenPalace.com, a casino website, bought Mary for $28,000 when she was auctioned on eBay in 2004. The sandwich is encased in glass and is paraded around by her original owner, Diana Duyser, who stops and poses for pictures when asked. The whole thing would be unbelievably hilarious if it weren't for the fact that Duyser seems tragically fastened to the sandwich, clutching it as if it alone could save her from Satan's hell fire. When we asked how she felt when she first saw the image of the Virgin Mary on her sandwich she said, "Blessed." Jesus could nothave said it better.

The ever sweet Joey Chestnut smiles and rolls his eyes at the whole thing, calling it "blasphemous." He says he once tried to recreate the Virgin Mary on a grilled cheese once, painting it with butter, and when that didn't work, mayonnaise. He suddenly stops and looks over at the competition table, "Ug. I hope they don't fry the sandwiches in mayonnaise!" "Would it make the sandwiches heavier?" we ask. "It'd just be disgusting."

Joey always seems to me like a character out of a Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-TV movie. You know the type: the sweet natured cowboy/farmer who quietly goes about his business in town/range, concealing a secret gift for painting water colors/writing poetry out in his cabin/farmhouse and one day falls in love with the fun-loving minister's/merchant's daughter after saving her from a rushing river, or a combine, or bear...or...you get the picture. He's totally a catch; we're waiting for the ladies to start asking about his availability as well as Eater X's who is currently considered the most gorgeous of the gorgers. If you want a closer look at Eater X's assets you can see him on an upcoming episode of MTVs "True Life: I'm a Competitive Eater" airing February 22th. He said, of the filming of the show, "It's like going on a really bad first date. The camera doesn't respond I just stopped trying to be charming. I don't know how I'm gonna look."

Let's Eat!

Finally it is time to get down to business. George Shae dons his legendary straw boater hat, begins his introductions, and the table begins to fill up with eaters. The competitors are a little cramped behind the table, and the last minute addition of Eric "Badlands" Booker, who got in late (he only got off work as a #7 subway conductor a few minutes beforehand), only worsens the space issues. Somehow they manage to make it work, and everyone fills up their despised Planet Hollywood glasses and arranges their plates of grilled cheese sandwiches as they come from the kitchen sitting five to a dish. Ron Koch feels the sandwiches, testing them for warmth. He looks at me and makes a face. "Are they warm?" we ask. He frowns, dons his famous goggles, and shakes his head no. As Shea gets ready to start the timer Cookie Jarvis yells out that he sees Kentucky on his sandwich, which elicits a laugh from the mostly press filled audience.

And they're off!

Though Hardy had laid out the 5-second dunking rule, there is an immediate controversy as both Eater X and Sonya take their glasses of water and pour them over their plates of grilled cheese. George Shea catches this and immediately reiterates the dunking rule, this time adding that eaters cannot dunk longer than five seconds OR pour water over their sandwiches. It's unclear whether this part of the rule was ever explicitly laid out for the eaters, but it's hard to imagine they would flagrantly break a rule they knew could lead to disqualification. Shea motions for Hardy, who rushes out to scrutinize the sandwiches. "Get him a new plate!" Shea intones, and Hardy signals for more plates to be brought out. Neither Eater X nor Sonya slow down as Hardy bustles around in front of them, though their eyes dart back and forth, taking in the action. A new plate is brought out and only Eater X's soaking sandwiches are replaced with dry ones.

In any case, there seems to be prolonged dunking going on with lots of the eaters, and no one's really holding a stopwatch. The main technique is to rip the sandwiches in half (so they'll fit in the Planet Hollywood glasses), dunk, and stuff. Bertoletti in particular seems to have hit a stride. He has earphones on and is visibly bouncing to a beat, chomping the sandwiches to a rhythmic pace. We're forced to watch from the side at a weird angle due to all the camera crews, so unfortunately we don't get a close look at what's going on at the other end of the table, where Crazy Legs, Shea announced, was doing something similar to the "Kobe shake," referring to a movement the #1 eater in the land, Kobayashi, perfected. It's probably not a coincidence, since Conti had recently spent four days training with him in Japan. Earlier, when asked if he enjoyed his trip he proudly announced that he and Kobayashi had eaten the deadly fogu blowfish while there. He seemed to be delighted to be able to live to tell about it.

Standing near Conti are Badlands, Hall Hunt, and Humble Bob. Hall Hunt had talked about taking an academic approach to eating, trying to figure out the best eating method to suit each type of food. Even though he said he was feeling under the weather and thus not in top form, we were disappointed not to have a better view of his academic approach to grilled cheeses. We're also curious about Humble Bob, who keeps a vegetarian diet when he's at home with his family. We'd earlier asked him if he was excited for a competition that doesn't involve meat, and he waved his hand dismissively saying, "I'm sure this cheese has rennet in it." We do get a nice view of a sweaty Cookie Jarvis who is putting the sandwiches away at a nice clip and belching loudly after each one. Unlike the meatball competition, watching the eating isn't stomach-turning. The fresh grilled cheeses even smell pleasant as they round the corner.

The final minute comes, and we help count down the last ten seconds:

Hardy comes out to start tallying. It is impossible to tell where everyone ended up, so we are eager to hear the results. After a brief meeting back stage, George Shea comes out to announce the winners. Eater X, perhaps needing a bit of an escape, dons a pair of headphones. Sonya looks a little worried. Third place is announced, eating 24.5 sandwiches, none other than our favorite rookie, Patrick Bertoletti, steps up to claim the prize. Joey takes second place with 25.5 sandwiches, and gets his trophy; a white plate with the Virgin Mary grilled cheese image above a bronze plaque...elegant. The winner, at 26 sandwiches in 10 minutes, is Sonya Thomas, who raises her arms in victory and poses with her trophy for the cameras.

(Watch the announcement!)

Earlier, we asked the eaters if there was a human limit to an eating competition. Whether there was a specific limit to the amount of grilled cheese sandwiches a person in top form could eat in a ten-minute competition. Sonya, Joey, and Hall Hunt all estimated the number to be around 40. Eater X, when asked, focused on the current competition. "Today? No one will eat more than 27 sandwiches. That's the limit." Eerily accurate!

The eaters free themselves from behind the table, and Sonya, incredibly, grabs another grilled cheese sandwich and starts casually munching on it as the cameras edge in.

Digest

We head to speak with some competitors for some post contest wrap-up talk. Our first question to Bertoletti, whose mouth is bright red from where the grilled bread rubbed his lips raw, is to find out what he was listening to. It really seemed to energize him. He answers, "It was Flogging Molly, Irish punk, but it went out right before the competition started, it always does that." Someone get that boy an iPod! We're pretty sure if he had music to get him all the way through a competition he would be unstoppable.

When we asked Tim "Eater X" Janus the same question he said, "Oh, it was Huey Lewis and the News and The Grateful Dead for awhile." We're thinking if we put together a competitive eating CD featuring the eater's favorites it would be a very eclectic mix. Any CD that could go from, "I Want a New Drug" to "Death Valley Queen" is something to behold.

As the clean-up begins we notice that Don "Moses" Lerman, who didn't compete in today's challenge seems to be holding his own little private eating contest in the back. He's busily feasting on the mountains of grilled cheese sandwiches left over from the contest. Every time we looked at him he seemed to be holding a brand new sandwich. We finally asked him how many he had eaten in the 5 minutes or so since the contest ended and he bashfully says, "Four." You can take the eater out of the competition, but you can't take the competition out of the eater. Or is it the other way around?

All this time there has also been an EMT standing close at hand in case the worst were to happen. No small man himself he looks like he could easily step into any of the eater's shoes, he watches the entire competition with a blissful expression on his face. As the eaters start to leave he grabs a sandwich and starts to chow down, he says to us, "This is great. I know all of these guys, but I've never seen them in person. I'm a big fan." He takes another bite of the sandwich and we ask him if it's any good. He looks down at it, looks at us, and says, "Nope," and then happily takes another bite.

Full flickr album here.

Posted on February 2, 2006 | Comments (4)

Grilled Cheese Competition Results!
by Liz

Here are the official results from today's contest!

1. Sonya Thomas 26 sandwiches
2. Joey Chestnut 25.25
3. Patrick Bertoletti 24
4. Humble Bob 20.75
5. Rich LeFevre 20
6. Eater X 19.5
7. Badlands Booker 19
8 & 9. Cookie Jarvis and Ron Koch 15
10. Crazy Legs Conti 14
11. Hall Hunt 11

Detailed report to come, including scandal with Planet Hollywood glasses, a new soaking rule, an impressive showing by a rookie, and a surprise pickle eating competition. Stay tuned!

Posted on February 1, 2006 | Comments (1)

World Grilled Cheese-Eating Championship
by Liz

by Liz and Krista

(This Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich, bought by the sponsor, GoldenPalace.com will be on display. Jealous?)

We are going at it again and meeting up to watch some of the world's top-ranked competitive eaters attack a pile of grilled cheese sandwiches for a new title and possibly a new world record. The contest takes place this Wednesday, February 1st at the Planet Hollywood in New York and we're lucky enough to have work schedules that are flexible for important life events like this. Although, as Krista found out, mentioning to your boss the reason one actually needs to take off half of the day is to view a competitive eating contest in Time Square might not be a good idea. Note to self: remember less is more.

The Players

Here is a partial list, as supplied on the IFOCE website, of eaters who will be competing for the world title. These are all competitors who won qualifying rounds all around the country in order to participate in this all-star contest:

Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas
Joey "Jaws" Chestnut
Cookie Jarvis
Tim "Eater X" Janus
Bob "Humble Bob" Shoudt
Hall Hunt
Ron Koch
Richard "The Locust" LeFevre
Patrick Bertoletti
Eric "Badlands" Booker
Crazy Legs Conti
Leland Collins
Walter Hamilton

We were lucky enough to meet a lot of these eaters at the meatball competition, so we're hoping the camaraderie we sparked there will extend into this and future competitions. Or, at least, we are hoping certain comments in our previous article didn't damage the tenuous relationship we forged at the Tropicana. Or worst of all did we even forge a relationship? Are we considered just a flash in the pan of the serious competitive eating devotees?

Odds

Sonya won the 2005 world competition last year, eating 25 sandwiches in 10 minutes. However, this number was soon surpassed by others as they qualified for this year's competition. It seems a lot of records are being smashed this year. Is it something in the air? Has global warming affected the competitive nature of these eaters?

In August, Eater X ate 31 grilled cheese sandwiches, setting a world record and starting a ripple through the competitive eating community that Sonya would have a run for her money.

Then, during the October qualifier, Joey Chestnut broke Eater X's record by one and a half sandwiches, setting the current bar at 32.5 sandwiches in 10 minutes.

If there's anything to be learned by this sport, it is never to underestimate the new blood. You never know when an ingénue or a secretly-training pro is going to pop out of the woodworks and out eat the current best. Isn't that what keeps us on the edge of our seats? Another one we'll be keeping our eyes on is Pat Bertoletti, who was a huge upset at the corned beef competition earlier in the month, beating out both Sonya and Joey Chestnut by eating 11 sandwiches to their 10 3/4 (they went into overtime to determine 2nd place, which went to Chestnut by an eighth of an ounce!). He's young (20-years-old), and a serious contender. Could he be the new darling of the IFOCE? How long will it be until Sonya is usurped as the reigning champion? Is there a shelf life for a competitive eater? These are some of the questions we will be asking of as we talk to the competitors this Wednesday.

Burning Cheese Questions

We also want to hear from you, dear readers. We want to know what questions you would like us to pose to these eaters as they set out to consume the greasy cheese filled goodness. What are you dying to know? What hard-nosed questions should we be getting to the bottom of?

Posted on January 30, 2006 | Comments (6)

I say MEAT, you say BALLS!
by

The 2005 Carmine's Meatball Eating Competition
By Liz Kellermeyer and Krista Overby

Some competitors define it at 6 minutes, while some of the iron-stomached among them put it closer to 8 minutes, but there is an inevitable wall competitive eaters hit during a 12-minute contest. In a shorter contest, you can argue that it is just about shoving as much food down your gullet in as short of time as possible. In an extended contest, especially one focusing on a heavy food like meatballs, the competition becomes a battle of skill, endurance, and technique. In addition to the speed and efficiency with which you shove the food down your throat, of course. Standing in the middle of the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City, outside Carmine's restaurant, Krista and I are watching fourteen top-ranked competitive eaters devour plates heaped with Carmine's famous meatballs, and as the eaters enter the sixth minute, something happens we weren't prepared for: we hit the wall. The smell of the meatballs has permeated the first few rows of screaming fans and the reality of people masticating piles of mushed meat starts to lose some of the romantic sheen. Floppy pieces of basil escape from their mouths, greasy marinara sauce stains shirts and clouds the outside of drinking glasses, and the competitors' eyes are tearing. We have to look away periodically and breathe through our mouths. But we didn't come all this way to give up on them now, and they sure aren't giving up anytime in the next six minutes. So we do what we came here to do and shout encouragement as loud as we can. "Looking good, Chestnut! You can do it, Sonya! Keep it together, Crazy Legs! Do it, Eater X! C'mon Chip! Brian, looking good!"

Jason (my husband), Krista, Tom, and I arrived at the Tropicana about an hour and a half before the competition was due to start in the Quarter, an enclosed courtyard made to look like a festive Havana street. Y'know: strings of lights, fake facades, street lamps, palm trees, blue sky mural on the ceiling. The giant lit Christmas tree amidst all this broke the mood only slightly. I've always been a fan of competitive eating, though my knowledge was fairly limited to the annual Nathan's hot dog competition. So when Mike asked if I'd be interested in covering this meatball competition in Atlantic City for Digest, I jumped at the opportunity. And here we were. The table was set up outside Carmine's, a few camera crews were getting organized, and we were debating if we could convince someone to let us backstage.

Krista, the real go-getter of the group, decided that there was no way we were going to stand around for an hour and not at least try to get in on the action. She assured me that our lack of much to offer them in the way of information wouldn't be a problem. And, in what turned out to be the first of many such incidents of genuine kindness and friendliness, this turned out to be true when the restaurant manager introduced us to the man running the show, George Shea. He only paused for a second when, after asking where we were from, I answered stupidly, "New York!" Krista luckily slid in with the right answer: "A publication. Out of Portland. Called Digest." and he escorted us backstage. George welcomed us brightly with a rundown of what he thought would be the crux of today's competition: Sonya, the returning champ, or Joey Chestnut, an up-and-comer who upset the world of competitive eating by almost beating the number one ranked eating champion, Kobayashi (the Japanese hot dog dude), in the recent Krystal Burger competition. Joey ate 62 hamburgers to Kobayashi's 67. I had sent J out earlier for a notebook and he returned with a snowman-themed pad of paper, the only thing he could find, and I scribbled notes furiously while Krista asked very interviewy questions. George showed us around a bit, while other members of the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE) made themselves busy preparing handouts, getting the contestants to sign affidavits, which they wouldn't let us see, and what we can only guess contained legalese such as: signer agrees not to sue the Tropicana, Carmines, or the IFOCE if they choke or their stomach explodes, and getting t-shirts on the backs of contestants. I can't tell you how many times I heard the phrase, "Do you need a double or triple X."

J and Tom went with the camcorder to secure a good spot outside, and Krista and I were approached by the two eaters who had already arrived, "Beautiful" Brian Seiken and "Krazy" Kevin ("That's with two 'K's.") Lipsitz. I admit it: I was feeling a little intimidated. We were about to meet a whole crew of well-known, well-ranked competitive eaters and I just didn't know enough about their world to really ask any hard-hitting questions. I pictured them an aloof group, focused on the upcoming competition, annoyed by reporters, and eager to win. Beautiful Brian eagerly introduced himself and Kevin, who was wearing a baseball hat with a polar bear's head making up the front and rim. He asked a little about where we were from ("A small publication out of Oregon.") and before we knew it, we were talking about his and Kevin's pickle eating rivalry, namely that Brian had just unseated Kevin from his previously-held title. It became clear, as they ribbed each other and began to warmly greet other eaters as they entered, that the rivalry was friendly and that they seemed to really enjoy the other's company. Rather than be put-off by our questions, they seemed to get a kick out of talking about their competitions and strategies, filling us in with other stories and personal information along the way.

Beautiful Brian: Carnegie Deli Pickle champ (2.7 pounds of Kosher dills, though his favorite are sour garlic). Ate 2.65 pounds of meatballs in last year's competition and hopes to double the amount this year, saying he now has the experience to pull this off.

Krazy Kevin: Practices on the buffets in Staten Island, where he eats very quickly. Has a fan club run by "a pretty girl in the UK." He hopes to eat six pounds of meatballs this year. Minimum.

The meatballs, we learn, will be larger-regular Carmine's sized-than last year's. They had made them smaller for the first competition in 2004 so that the number of meatballs eaten by the winner would be the most impressive amount possible. However, they ended up calculating quantity eaten by weight, instead on individual meatball, so it turned out not to matter. Sonya "The Black Widow" ate 6 pounds last year and holds the current meatball championship title. She is the woman to beat and is the IFOCE's number one earner, making over $44,000 in 2005 alone.

Next we meet Allen "Shredder" Goldstein, is wearing a black Carmine's shirt. All the competitors wear the uniform Carmine shirt and loose-fitting, stretch waist pants. Allen soon fashions his into a tough man version with cut-off sleeves. He's with his wife, Greta, and believes he may have an edge because Greta helped him train by learning Carmine's recipe for meatballs and preparing them for him in advance. He ate 3.5 pounds in last year's competition and hopes to eat five pounds this afternoon. Though he holds the current bologna eating title, he doesn't anticipate defending it. His exact words are, "Never again." Apparently it was an early morning competition and something about large quantities of processed meat and 9:00am don't mix well.

So far, all the men we've met so far are middle aged, so when we meet Chip Simpson, we are immediately struck by his age, as he is decidedly younger than the average person there (Crazy Legs Conti will later refer to this emerging demographic of competitive eaters as the "Saved by the Bell Gang.") This is Chip's seventh competition, his last one being turkey (he at 3.38 pounds). Though the dark meat was easier, the white meat got dry and difficult to eat very quickly. "Other people were dipping it in gravy, but I don't like gravy."

Goal: six pounds of meatballs. Though he usually works out before a competition, he didn't get a chance to do so this morning. He ate a granola bar and protein shake for breakfast.

Moisture, we would learn, is an integral component to the competition. The meatballs will be in a marinara sauce, which we were told would add a needed layer of moisture to the food. Although, when it comes down to it, the key is just getting it down, Allen Goldstein tells us. He has covertly waved us over from the other side of the room, which is starting to fill up, to give us a sneak peek as he unpacks his bag of competitive eating essentials. He pulls out the following: two tall cans of Arnold Palmers, an Arizona iced tea, a bottle of water, a bottle of generic antacids, a scale, a stop watch, and his very own secret weapon: a latex glove. Last year, he tells us, his hand started stinging from the acids in the tomato sauce, so this year he came prepared with the glove. The drinks are arguably the most important tool available to the competitive eater. Allen is the first to mention the 6-minute wall to us, telling us that after the wall, you just need something to mix up the taste in your mouth. It's not a question of enjoyment; it's a matter of getting whatever is on the plate past your mouth and into your stomach by any means necessary, and if ice tea helps accomplish that, then bring it on.

A tall guy with dreadlocks and an easygoing gait is chatting warmly with a group of eaters: Crazy Legs Conti. One of the more mediagenic competitors, Crazy Legs comes off as a very sweet and sarcastic guy. He admits that last year he was a bit overwhelmed by Atlantic City, briefly mentioning too much whiskey and peer pressure , so he thinks this year will be better. He's not feeling overly confident about this competition due to the heavy nature of meatballs; his real specialty is seafood. Crazy Legs puts his goal at five pounds. Krista says, "Krazy Kevin says he'd like to eat six pounds, minimum." Crazy Legs guffaws and says, not-unkindly, "If you want leftovers after the competition, go hang out by Krazy Kevin's plate." When asked about goals, he hopes to stave off Humble Bob, who he believes to be a close competitor. Here's where he drops the line about the "Saved by the Bell Gang;" he thinks it's the responsibility of the more seasoned competitors to make a good showing so that the younger guys don't get too cocky. As far as technique, he feels strongly that it's a matter of "mind over stomach," and lets us in on some exclusive information: this coming year, he's off to Japan to go study eating techniques with Kobayashi and hopes that after his return he will be able to really gives these guys a run for their money, or at least be a little bit more intimidating. He calls it a "tour to gorge scenario." I get the impression the entire time we are speaking to him that his striking vocabulary and humorous turns of phrase about competitive eating are somehow what he enjoys most about the whole thing, but I could be wrong.

The backstage area is brimming with excitement as everyone starts to arrive and greet each other with hugs and handshakes. Joey Chestnut has come in and we corner him for a few questions. He may be one of the younger competitors, a "rookie out of the asparagus circuit," but his recent showing-especially coming in the close second to Kobayashi in the Krystal Burger competition-is making people talk. People are talking him up as Sonya's real competition today, though you wouldn't get that from the conversation we're having. He's soft-spoken and smiles a lot and the closest we get to him admitting the real competition is an admission that he believes between Sonya and him, they will break a world record.

Though pre-competition meals are a matter of personal technique, we've found most competitors have eaten something so far today. But Joey looks at us like we're crazy when we ask if he's had breakfast. Just a gallon of water last night to stretch the stomach.

Everyone gathers for some group photos even though Sonya hasn't shown yet, but competitor Larry McNeil stays nestled by a doorframe. A black beard and mirrored aviator sunglasses take up most of his face, and you get the sense that he's happy to be hidden in the background and doesn't much want to intrude. When asked how much he hoped to eat today he estimated 5 or 6 pounds, but said, "I just don't want to come in last." He's a mysterious dark horse. One gets the sense he could easily be either a CIA operative or mass murderer. Either way we want to stay on his good side.

Eater X shows up not only with his face painted, but with a costume and accessories including a skull cap and a pair of blue nylon overalls. He explains that he has a big fan who calls himself "The Whaler" and runs a website at eaterx.blogspot.com, so in tribute to this fan, he's decided to dress the part of a whaler. We think this is very sweet and I take a picture thinking I can send it to the fan. (It wasn't until we got home and checked out the website that it became clear The Whaler and Eater X are different personalities of the same man, both of whom write a very funny website.) Krista admits later that he seemed really familiar to her, which is funny because I thought the same thing. Even J and Tom admitted they thought he seemed like someone they knew, but no one could put a finger on it.

Do you know this man? He eats jellybeans for breakfast, because they burn off fast. He's also single. In case you were wondering. And he's totally that cute in person. By the way, Eater X, so is Krista.

If you want to inadvertently insult a competitive eater? Ask him if he's an ex-competitive eater. Which is what Krista did when she started talking to Badlands Booker, a self described man mountain, who wasn't wearing a Carmine's shirt. It turns out he missed the deadline to compete so is going to rap instead. He's putting out his second rap album, Ingestion Engine II, based on his life as a competitive eater and is promoting it today. He appears wistful about today's competition and lets us know that if a seat opens up he's ready to go.

Finally, the woman of the hour walks through the door: Sonya, "The Black Widow" Thomas, She is greeted affectionately by everyone. A handler tries to whisk her away to get situated, but she lags behind nonchalantly to chat with eaters as they come up to her to say hello, and she gives us a huge smile when we get her attention. Her listed weight is 105-lbs, but she comes off even tinier. Her Carmine's shirt is neatly tucked into her belted jeans and her lean arms poke out as she perches her hands on her hips. She, like Chestnut, did not eat today. She won the competition with almost six pounds last year, and has been strategizing about how to beat that weight by one or two pounds. Because meatballs are such a heavy food, she believes you really have to have a good technique going into the competition.

The eaters are told to get ready and Krista and I head out to the front to watch. A large crowd has grown and there are a few hand-drawn signs of encouragement being waved around. Some of the crowd have come to the Tropicana expressly for the event and others were drawn in by the news cameras and lights. It's not uncommon to hear a southern drawl shout out, "What is going on he-ah?" George Shea comes out in his signature straw boater hat and welcomes everyone. It seems this moment is what George Shea lives for. He has a rapt crowd and a sound system. He is in heaven. Badlands Booker soon joins him on stage and his beats start and his rap begins. It's pretty good. His rhymes are catchy and you got to love any man who can rhyme "feast nor fowl" with "Colin Powell." He, however, really gets the crowd going when he starts yelling, "I say 'meat' you say 'balls'! MEAT!" "BALLS!" the crowd shouts. "MEAT!" "BALLS!" This goes on a few more times and Krista and I are probably having too much fun yelling, "BALLS!" at the top of our lungs in a crowded public space. The rap ends and soon George starts elaborately announcing the competitors to a soundtrack of popular hip hop songs, and the competitors begin to take their place at the table as he calls their name.

One by one they line up along the table. Two glasses of water have been carefully set out for them, but it becomes apparent that they are mostly obligatory as eater after eater comes out and sets up their own personal bar made up of Gatorade, water bottles, Arnold Palmers (a mix of iced tea and lemonade), or, the overwhelming favorite, ice tea. Allen Goldstein keeps his glove hidden until the last minute. Joey Chestnut is put in the middle, next to Sonya, the last eater to join the stage, and who is carried out to greet the cheering crowd. We count down together from ten, and suddenly BANG it is on!

Technique is varied. Some eaters stand, some kneel, some sit. Sonya stands but bends forward over her plate, first pulverizing the meatballs with her fingers so it more closely resembles a dog food puree and then shoves the food in and making little bobbing motions with her body. Right off the bat Joey Chestnut is not looking good. His eyes tear up immediately and he seems to be battling the urge to, er, reverse the eating. He stands up and looks to the crowd. He looks like he wishes someone would take him away from the insanity, but no one comes to his rescue, so he gets himself together and crams more meat into his mouth. Crazy Legs is moving at a respectable pace and seems entirely present, though focused. The others, Sonya, Chestnut, and The Locust, in particular, seem to be in their own world. You can tell they are responding positively to the cheers, but other than that there is no indication that they are aware you're there. You can tell right away why the number of meatballs eaten would be merely academic anyway, as the balls quickly become general mush, which is reshaped by the eater as they cram it into their mouths. They alternate cramming down handfuls of meat with pouring their liquid of choice over the contents of their mouths. It's a little sickening and a lot fascinating. Unfortunately, our placement in the crowd makes it hard to see what's going on at the far ends of the table.

Minute six-difficult minute six-passes for all of us and it's a race to the end. Each plate holds over three pounds of meatballs and several eaters are on their second plates. Third plates are brought out for a select few. The tension rises and the cheers rise with it; we all count down again to cement the close of the 12 minutes. The players look pained, but they know they have to finish what's in their mouths and they methodically chew away as George instructs them to clean up all the pieces on the tablecloth and place them on the plate. Everything counts. The plates and eaters are whisked away backstage.

The Carmine's workers are left to clean the stage, and though we can't see the carnage they're sweeping, their faces tell a whole story. Chip Simpson, who was doing particularly well, may have had an eating reversal of his own under the table. Apparently he disappeared under the table after the competition, to much finger pointing by his neighbor.

Krista then goes to see if she can get backstage for the weighing. Incredibly she's given full access. Amid the cameramen with fancy equipment she isn't questioned as she takes pictures with Jason's little Canon digital camera.

Krista:

As the contestants filter off the stage and stand in line with their greasy plates and the remains of crushed meat there is an odd mix of relief and...something else. I can only describe it as the air at the table after the Thanksgiving meal. Everyone is so full that even uttering a single word seems too much. I notice that a few of the competitors still have a mouth full of meatballs minutes after their plates have been weighed. Beautiful Brian's cheeks are stretched to the limit and I wonder if he will ever get up enough nerve to swallow the remaining meatballs.

The plates are each weighed by Carmine's restaurant manager using a kitchen scale. Each weight is scribbled onto a scrap of paper and cell phone calculators are used to count up everything. I don't know what I was expecting, but I know it was something more official than two cell phones and a pencil.

Always the intrepid reporter, I learned everything I needed to know by watching court tv, I saw a man in a chef's jacket being interviewed. I jumped right in. "So you are the man who made the meatballs!" "Yes I am," he replied. After that I couldn't think of anything else to say. It seemed like that about covered it so I took his picture and moved on. I could kick myself now for not asking him how long it took and how many eggs and bread crumbs it took to amass the contest's meatball needs, but that never occurred to me. Next year Krista...next year.

After about 10 minutes George comes out with the results. In fifth place Rich "The Locust" LaFevre. Tim "Eater X" Janus comes out to claim fourth place, followed by (incredibly enough) vegetarian "Humble" Bob Shoudt who ate 7.6 lbs for third place. Second place: Joey Chestnut who won $1,000. Though he came in second, he demolished his goal, last year's winning weight, and a world record: 8.3 pounds. Which only leaves one person for first place, Sonya with a dizzying 10.3 pounds. She is ecstatic as she hops onstage and shakes her fists in triumph as she claims the $2,500 prize. Her previously flat belly puffing out from beneath the tee shirt. To the crowd, she reveals her technique: last year she chewed and only ate 5.95 pounds, this year she just crammed as much down as possible. After a final, victorious cheer, the crowd disperses.

Carmine's gives out samples of the meatballs, but Tom is the only one of us who takes the plunge, declaring them good. He is unwilling to eat a baby's weight in them, however...amateur.

Though it is past lunchtime and we haven't eaten, we all feel a little sick, but we set out for some Chinese food anyway (the furthest thing from meatballs we can think of). It seems we of queasy stomachs aren't cut out for participating in the rigors of competitive eating, we who are slightly sickened by merely watching the eating. The eaters we saw today were of a different stock: hearty, optimistic, uniformly kind and generous, and Hungry. Maybe they can be summed up by Allen Goldstein's parting words to Krista, "I could really go for some spaghetti."

See the whole flickr album here!

Posted on December 5, 2005 | Comments (13)