At the weigh-in, I found myself next to Gersh Kuntzman's young daughter, Jane, who was right up next to the stage, ball cap on and pen and paper poised in imitation of her reporter father. I couldn't help sneaking a peek at her notes to see what she had deemed worthy of taking down for posterity. It was only two words, written in bubble letters: "hot dogs." There was a tiny heart over "dogs."

And though this was the beginning of the busiest and most exciting two days of my trip to New York, by the end of it all I would feel like I had been hit by some fantastic storm that left me reeling a bit, and left my notes in an eerily similar state as Jane's. I learn more at each competition I attend--more about the eaters, more about the sport, more about the politics--and find there are less things I'm taking notes on. I'm not sure if that means my reporting skills are slipping, but in some cases I know its because I'm getting more interesting information. Though maybe in the end, "hot dogs" is all you really need to know.

But what am I talking about? I'm making it sound like this wasn't the most exciting upset to hit the competitive eating world in a long time. So let there be no mistake: this shit was edge-of-your-seat from the beginning. There was a lot of hype before the competition surrounding Kobayashi's jaw and whether he'd be in competition condition by the 4th. I heard everything from TMJ to "jawthritis," but the final and most plausible explanation I heard was that he had been having jaw pain and they removed a wisdom tooth to try and relieve the pain. This happened approximately eight days before Kobayashi was scheduled to compete in his biggest competition of the year and defend his title against the man who recently smashed his hot dog world record.

Everyone at the weigh-in, held on July 3rd at City Hall as a way for press to get a sneak peak at the competitors, was anxiously holding their breath to see in what condition the champion would show up. His usually upbeat demeanor was noticeable dampened as he climbed the stage to be weighed in at 154 pounds. He goofed around with the Frankster, who was in high form the entire day, but the lighthearted enthusiasm that was behind his eyes at last year's weigh-in was definitely not there. When they brought him and Joey Chestnut face-to-face for the traditional stare down and single hot dog eating for the cameras, Joey downed the dog easily, while Kobayashi visibly struggled, mushing the bun into his cupped hand rather than in his mouth. After the cameras had their shots, Koby removed an intact, uneaten dog from his mouth and rubbed his jaw.

During the question and answer session, when asked if his jaw was up for the challenge, he was only able to say that it would be a game day decision. They asked him to demonstrate how wide he could comfortably open his mouth at this point and the reporters swarmed in to get this pic:

But even if Kobayashi was a bit down, the mood was still heightened for the rest of the competitors, who had all worked hard to make it there and were eager for the next day. Erik "The Red" Denmark confided that this was the worst day, really. Stuck in a city with some of the best food in the country with some of the best eaters in the country, and trying not to ruin your stomach for game day.

There was also more sad news from the international front. The Indian giant who was slated to appear on stage, was not able to make it after all. After a nasty fall, a test showed he had a blood clot and he was unable to travel. When I expressed skepticism about the Indian giant's existence, Dale Boone whipped out his camera and showed me a picture of himself next to a very tall man. I can only attest to the fact that Dale Boone does in fact know someone who appears to be an Indian giant, but I hope he is an eating champion, and I hope he recovers successfully.

* * *

On the morning of the 4th, weather was the topic on everyone's minds. Before leaving the house, a local newscast pretty much went back and forth between the two big stories of the day: whether or not the storm prediction and cloud coverage would prevent the fireworks display and whether or not Kobayashi's jaw would prevent him from winning. Reports were coming in that the champ was planning on competing after undergoing a series of acupuncture treatments, and everyone revved themselves up for a real competition.

The gray skies weren't keeping away the crowds, and Coney Island swarmed with people hoping to get a good spot to see the hot dog competitors tear into their HDBs. Near the front, by the stage, family, friends, and other VIPs milled around, catching up with one another. "Beautiful" Brian Seiken was there, in spite of threats that he wouldn't attend this year if he didn't get a good spot to view the competition, along with Cookie Jarvis in his coat (more flowing than ever), and Don Lerman, dressed to the nines in his bright yellow Nathan's outfit. The area set aside for these lucky folks (and one non-bunnette-status blogger) is a strange one. Set off to the left of the stage, it allows people close to the action, but at such an angle that a clear view of the main action is almost impossible.

We all had excellent seats for the hot acts prior to the competition. There were many things included in last year's line-up that never made it to the stage due to time constrains, but this year, it was all about stalling. When the big clock was about to start the one hour countdown, the crowd noticed and began chanting down the numbers. Unfortunately, there was a groan where the cheer should have been--instead of heading into the final hour, the clock suddenly had 20 minutes added to it. Which is great if we're talking about getting to finally witness the presentation of Joe Mullen's teeth or Clogtastica!, two events in particular that Krista and I had been sad to not see last year. But let's just say there was a moment where George Shea danced with the three Bunnettes to "My Humps" that might have reeked a little bit of sheer desperation to fill time.

But before that had to happen, there was the presentation of Rookie of the Year. Three strong contenders were up for the distinction: Arturo "The Natural" Rios, who we met at last year's Thai qualifier, "Beautiful" Juliet Lee, the amateur pizza champ, and Tim "Gravy" Brown, who had had strong showings all year (and who, in a gray suit, looked either ready to take a meeting or slip into a Beastie Boys video). Though I have to admit my money would have been on Juliet, the first female to break through on the competitive eating scene in a long time, the award was presented to Arturo, who looked beyond thrilled.

Okay, let's back up and talk about the Bunnettes. As you probably know, I tried out to to be a Bunnette, and was denied in light of Nathan's decision to use professional models. First of all, everyone I ran into in New York had only the nicest things to say about my entry video. Seriously, I was blushing the entire time. My personal highlight of the day was Eric "Badlands" Booker getting on stage to sing his new hit, "She's My Bunnette" and dedicating it to me and Dani, who was Koby's Bunnette last year and who submitted a great video to the competition (four words: "underground lesbian pinata parties."). Take that, hot leggy models! Oh yeah: there were some hot leggy models. Yawn. No, actually I'm lying when I say "yawn" because what I really said was, "Holy shit, that Bunnette was on America's Next Top Model!" It's true!

Bunnette #1 = Sara Racey Tabrizi from cycle 2.

Besides that being exceptionally hilarious for me, the Bunnettes on average were...average. They did what they needed to do (though I noticed our ANTM friend flipping the numbers the wrong way a couple times before catching herself--don't worry; they're not actually counting, just reflecting the referees' counts). My main issue was that there were only three, one for Joey, one for Kobayashi, and one for Pat Bertoletti. I don't think that traditionally there's been a Bunnette for every eater at the table, but three seemed like an exceptionally sparse showing. Why wouldn't the crowd be interested in knowing how the other eaters are doing? In a situation like this, the organization dictates the public's interest; if there are no Bunnettes, and no announcement of totals, then the people can't care how the other eaters are doing because they have no means to. Especially when there were willing dog counters in the audience :-)

The word on the street is that the Bunnette videos will be kept around for a future competition in the fall. Hmmm, Krystal burgers have buns...

Lucky for me, I was in the section where there were a lot of people who cared. Joey's family wore shirts with a lurking shark image on the front; Tim Janus's family came in face paint and matching shirts; Erik Denmark's family outfitted themselves with red headbands that matched his; Carlene LeFevre pressed herself up against the stage when her husband got to the table, yelling out "Rich! Rich! I'm over here!" until he turned and acknowledged her with a smile and wave. There were two entrances for all the eaters. The big splashy one with intro songs and rattled off stats for the crowd, and a more mellow one for the ESPN cameras.

The entrances are always a fun way for the crowd to get to know the eaters' personalities a little. Juliet came out and demonstrated her extreme flexibility with a little stretching, Dale Boone came out in his famous fur hat, waving an American flag, Pat Philbin did his usual goofy mugging, there was some serious muscle flexing between Erik Denmark, Hall Hunt, and Kobayashi, while Chip Simpson opted for some more dancey moves. There were also subtle dedications: Pat Bertoletti wore a headband bearing the name of his grandfather who passed away, and Erik Denmark wore the number 11 on his wristbands, in memory of his mother's birthday. The eater who managed to make his entrance the most controversial was Tim "Eater X" Janus, who came out with a sign that said, "And on the 7th day god created HARTFORD!" which got cheers. Then he flipped the sign over:

This got boos (though also a lot of laughter). The most common reaction I heard to the sign was a worried, "Does she really?" (Yes, America. J.K. Rowling, a secret competitive eating fanatic, decided that the sole copy of her unpublished manuscript should go directly to Tim. Boy did be blow that one!)

As the last eater joined the stage, George Shea officially began the competition. Pat Bertoletti was off like lightening and even led Joey and Koby briefly. The two caught up and headed neck and neck into the final moments. The Bunnettes flipped furiously, but when the final second hit, it wasn't clear who had won. Both cards showed a glowing 63, indicating both eaters had shattered the new record, but who had actually eaten more? Adding to the controversy was something I couldn't see from my spot: a slight reversal on Kobayashi's part. Though that can be grounds for disqualification, the eater contained the explosion and...uh..un-regurgitated it. There aren't hard and steady rules for something like this, mostly because there aren't very many instances where this happens. Usually if an eater suffers a reversal of fortune, they do so absolutely. Ultimately the judges decided that since the expulsion did not hit the table and since it was reabsorbed, Kobayashi would not be disqualified.

What I could see was Joey arguing definitively with his judges. He had an intense look on his face, and he would later tell me that he was keeping count of the number of plates he had eaten, so knew he had at least consumed 65 HDBs, which is what he was relaying emphatically.

This went on for a minute and then the arguing stopped. Joey closed his eyes and broke out into the the most heartbreaking smile. In that split second, I knew he had it. George Shea regained his composure and announced the new winner, with 66 HDBs and a new world record, Joey "Jaws" Chestnut! Confetti rained down against the cloudy sky and the Mustard Yellow Belt and trophy were brought out for presentation.

Kobayashi was gracious as always. Through his translator he said the new record was amazing and agreed that Joey is a true champion. When asked if he would be returning next year, he said, "Of course." And would he beat Joey? Kobayashi smiled for the crowd. "I will definitely beat him next year."

More photos here and here.

It's a day some thought would never come: yesterday the great Takeru Kobayashi fell to the superior eating skills of another, America's own Joey Chestnut. With the crowd chanting his name during a nail-biting pause for judging, it was finally announced that Joey had not only crushed the world record, but had beaten Kobayashi by three HDBs. Under the cloudy sky, the mood was nothing short of electric as everyone burst into elated cheers at the news of the soon-to-be-famous 66 HDBs. Kobayashi, always a good sport, said he was in awe of the number and can't wait for his next opportunity to try and beat it.

Full scores:

Joey Chestnut: 66
Takeru Kobayashi: 63
Pat Bertoletti: 49
Tim "Eater X" Janus: 43.5
Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas: 39
Bob Shoudt: 35
Chip Simpson: 35
Rich LeFevre: 31
Hall Hunt: 29
Juliet Lee: 26
Dale Boone: 25
Pat Philbin: 24
Crazy Legs Conti: 23.5
Erik "the Red" Denmark: 23
Tim Brown: 22.5
Arturo Rios, Jr.: 21
Allen Goldstein: 21

I forgot my camera cord and can't seem to figure out how to download my pics and videos without it, so a full write up with visuals will have to wait until next week. I promise to make it worth the wait!

The last HDB has been consumed in the fight to the Nathan's finals in a few days. "Humble" Bob Shoudt ate 32 HDBs to grab the QVC qualifier yesterday, and rookie Arturo Rios took the Civil Service qualifier on Wednesday. Rios's win caused a bit of a disturbance, since traditionally the Civil Service qualifier has been reserved for only civil servants, and Rios--a driver for the Daily News--didn't exactly fall into that category. Additionally, the second place winner, Allen "The Shredder" Goldstein, finished with 26 HBDs in what was his third qualifier, which made him the overall wild card winner.

If Rios hadn't competed, Goldstein would have won outright, leaving the wild card slot open for Tim "Gravy" Brown, who also had a strong showing across three qualifiers. While everyone was happy to see Goldstein and Rios advance, there was a general grumbling about the apparent bending of the rules. Someone must have been listening, because the IFOCE announced they would be sending both Goldstein and Rios to the finals.

With Kobayashi still insisting he'll be there to eat off against America's best on the 4th, the final slot at the table went to someone new: a giant from India! Apparently, the 7'8" P. Theyagarjan is "the eating champion of India," holding titles in chicken tiki masala and hot dogs. Uhhh....weird! Of course, how much of this is hype and how much is the real deal will be revealed on th 4th.

This reporter--still pending Bunnette status confirmation--is heading to New York on Tuesday and will be faithfully bringing you competition stories in the days to come.

The rematch between Joey Chestnut and the Japanese champ, Takeru Kobayashi--the one that has been hyped since the closing minutes of last year's hot dog competition--may not happen this year. First, rumors were swirling that Kobayashi might not compete due to the recent passing of his mother. Then came word that the eating athlete had contracted some type of jaw arthritis. Though he seems determined to get better in time for the competitions, he admits that it hurts him to open his jaw more than a just a little bit, and likens the condition to tennis elbow.

The competitive eating community's reaction has been mixed about this announcement. While some have offered sympathy and concern for the star, others are speculating that it is a manufactured diversion, an excuse for Kobayashi not to beat Joey. Of course, this latter thinking is most likely the result of a shocked community. Though many people have been eagerly anticipating the championship that would bring the Mustard Yellow Belt back to the States, the thought that Joey would do it without a fight to the finish with Kobayashi at his side has everyone down.

This new comes on the tail end of what was a rather exciting weekend in competitive eating. Pat Philbin ("Pat from Moonachie") won the Molly Pitcher qualifier for the second year in a row, with 24 HDBs. Allen "The Shredder" Goldstein, who made it to the finals last year, was hot on his trail, but couldn't catch up enough to pull ahead for the win.

The Atlanta Zoo qualifier held a surprise for most fans when competitive eating bad boy Dale Boone won with 21 HDBs. Boone is a curious character, who was banned from the IFOCE and then reinstated. He spent time in India before returning to the states to continue his eating career. This will be his first trip to the big table since 2004.

On the west coast, Rich LeFevre finally won his qualifier in San Francisco. After being beaten out in two other qualifiers by Pat and Joey, despite putting up record numbers, this last qualifier must come as a relief to the 64-year-old eating pro. With his traveling and winning finally behind him, he can go into this final week with his mind at ease.

Back on the east coast, there was a departure from hot dogs, as handfuls of amateur and pro eaters competed with shoo fly pie (a heavy molasses-based pie with a crumb topping). The title for this sweet concoction once belonged to Tim "Eater X" Janus, but it was taken from him last year by "Humble" Bob Shoudt. This year, Bob would have to defer to Pat Bertoletti, who smashed the previous record of 9.25 pounds of pie by almost 2 pounds to win with an astounding 11.1 pounds.

And in what would certainly be the weirdest competition of the weekend (if not the year), several top eaters gobbled up pigs' feet in Rutherford, NJ. Arturo "The Natural" Rios won with 2.875 pounds of the cold trotters, and Erik "The Red" Denmark followed with 1.875 pounds for second place. Crazy Legs came in third with 1.187, and Pat Philbin--who was coerced up on stage--picked at a couple, somewhat unwillingly. Erik "The Red" described a foot as a "cold mass of bone, skin and chewy meat." Mmmm!

This week will bring a close to the Nathan's qualifiers, with three more official competitions.

The Nathan's table will hold at least two women this year, as Juliet won the Norfolk qualifier over the weekend with 26 HDBs, and will be sitting alongside Sonya and the big guns this year on the 4th. As a woman, she joins an elite few who have made it there, and she is surely in contention for the Rookie of the Year Award, which Joey walked away with in 2006.

This interviewer must have had one drink too many over the weekend, because I don't even remember calling Crazy Legs to talk to him about his win at the Minnesota Mall of America Nathan's qualifier with 24 HDBs (a personal best). Luckily for me, he was kind enough to transcribe our conversation:

MOA (Mall-On-Arrival) True Fan Interview

Liz,

Here is the transcript from our lengthy interview, thanks for calling. Sorry for running up the long distance bill.

Long Winded Answer to first question:

What better place to have a roller coaster of emotion than a 4 million square foot mall with two actual roller coasters in its glass ceiling center. The pressure was more than just on my stomach; with the DVD release of "Crazy Legs Conti: Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating" all lot of folks were hoping that I would be on stage for the big eat July 4th. Plus the movie is in Taste-O-Vision. Years ago Kobayashi told me that focus comes from thinking about the contest every moment of every day. For the 007 hot dog qualifying campaign, I would say I was more haunted, consumed, and overwhelmed than simply focused.

So after four months of agonizing waiting, mindflips and stomach butterflies, I found myself moments before the Minnesota qualifier. Four tiers of fans packed the Rotunda; in the distance a ferris wheel slowly turned above their heads. I excused myself from the circle of Mall of America eaters and sat on a plush square and stared away. I felt the nerves tighten in my throat. Trying to relax, I made a mental checklist of the last words of advice from Badlands, Hungry Charles, X, The Bun Fairy, and my Uncle Dinshaw, but it wasn't helping. My eye caught the display in the bookstore. Appearing at this very spot tomorrow was going to be Sid Hartman, author of the book on the display, "Great Minnesota Sports Moments." I couldn't see the thickness of the book, but I thought, "Hey this hot dog contest could be another one." I mean, Mongo Marquez is no joke. Any wing specialist who can turn his knowledge to the hardest discipline and put up great numbers is not to be loved, but feared. Frank Wach, Justin Mih, and The Hammer (Cookie 2.0) all solid doggers too.

I thought, all right Sid, it's you and me, "We are gonna make this Minnesota sports history." I took a walk to the bathroom and was overcome by that electric feeling of confidence. I'm just walking and talking to my main man, Sid. We are gonna make this happen, You and me, Sid.

I walked back, just before my introduction and was curious, as to how thick really was Sid's book. It wasn't very thick, plenty of room for more great Minnesota sports moments. Then I noticed Sid had written another book; this one called, "Sid." Wait a second, Sid's book, "Sid" was a lot thicker than the Minnesota Great Moments Sports book. How could Sid have the hubris to think that "Sid" should outweigh all the great Minnesota sports moments in history?

And then, I noticed that Sid didn't even write "Sid" by himself. He only co-authored it.

I heard Mike Castellano calling my name, but I just stood and stared at the book display. I thought to myself, "Screw You Sid, I'm gonna eat these hot dogs by myself."

And that's what I did. Then I went to aquarium in the Mall and petted a shark (rough) and a sting ray (smooth). I also rode the roller coaster, but not the spinning one due to my assessment of my stomach and the large group of school children on the log flume below.

Shorter answer to follow up:

Of course, it's hard waiting to eat so late in the qualifying circuit and seeing the numbers skyrocket. Especially this year. I mean, Colonel Hall Hunt with 28 1/2 , My God! I may need to start going to Church or at least start wearing a, "Jesus is my bun dunker" tee shirt. And Shredder and Denmark? Those guys are animals. It's no wonder I passed on a two dollar metrocard trip to Shea Stadium and had to fly a thousand miles to the Midwest. I knew what Philben and Juliet Lee were capable of, but some of these other guys are standing on Joey's shadow looking for the sunlight. It's got to be demoralizing to those of us who can only improve a couple of dogs a year. If I don't get to thirty by next year, I'm going to be like Dennis Hopper's character in, "Hoosiers".

Can I get a word in edgewise as the interviewer?

How do I think it will affect the rankings? Well, as we have seen in the past a lot of emphasis is placed on Hot Dog season. I generally never cared about the IFOCE rankings, but those historical archivist have probably noticed that I debuted in 2002 at #15, bounced around to #13, dropped to #17 and then have spent around 3 1/2 years at #11; more than anyone one else in the history of the sport. Do I think I can crack the top ten and realize one of my last competitive goals? I think it depends on what happens on the 4th. The corn title certainly helps me, but I wouldn't begrudge the Halls and Denmarks who if they hit thirty on the 4th would certainly get the nod. I suppose it would be nice to be in the top ten, that way, when all the bogus internet pundits bash the MLE, saying, "It's only worth it if you are in the top ten...or Crazy Legs" at least they no longer would have to mention me by name. I'd already be included.

Last question due to exasperation (I called you, but I really have to get off the phone. I have a life you know):

Prediction for the fourth? Of course the record will be broken and really it's the only record that matters...the record number of eaters, fans, families, bunnettes, grandmothers and groupies attending the official hot dog contest after-party @ Ruby's on the Boardwalk. Everyone's invited.

Ice cold drinks, light food. Eat (and at the after party and after-after party drink) all you can.

Ruby's Bar and Grill
Coney Island - Boardwalk
between Stillwell and 12th
JULY 4th. Coney Island, USA
1:33PM
www.coneyisland.com

Last year's rookies are certainly this year's stars. Hall Hunt, who won the wild card slot in the Nathan's competition last year by eating the highest combined total from three qualifiers, slid into the competition this year by winning his first qualifier in Charlotte. Though he put down an impressive 28.75 HDBs, a personal best, he was followed very closely by newcomer Juliet Lee, who ate 28. Juliet's total marks the highest ever Nathan's debut by a woman, but she'll have to keep at it in order to make it to this year's table, where no one is holding back. True Fan caught up with Hall a few days after his qualifier to see how the success was sinking in.

Like Erik, you had to battle three qualifiers to make it into the competition last year. Did it feel good to win your first one this year? How do you think that affects you differently (mentally or physically) going into the final weeks?

It felt very good to be able to win in my first qualifier this year. I just have to thank the Lord for letting me do well right off the bat. Last year I was so exhausted from traveling what felt like every weekend to a qualifier, by the time I got to the finals I just wanted to relax and pull a Jed. This year I am hoping to be able to rest up some and get refocused for the finals.

You were going head-to-head with Juliet, who I think surprised the competitive eating community with such a strong Nathan's debut. Were you surprised she came out of the gate so strong? Did it feel any different with a woman as your main competition?

I was not surprised at all that she did so well in Nathan's. I was impressed and happy to see how well she did though. She has had a few good results in other contests, so I was anticipating it carrying over to Nathan's.

Woman, man...if you can eat, you can eat. I felt very comfortable eating up there. This maybe a bit of a tangent, but it reminded me of a time in college when I was dating this one girl who was a big eater herself. She and I after getting a good workout at the gym would rent a good movie, buy a couple large containers of food from the local wholesale grocery store and see who could eat more. I must admit that one time she beat me. That was the only time I ever lost to anyone in an eating contest before I joined the MLE and it was to a woman. Ever since then I have never underestimated females.

It used to be eaters were more territorial around their home turf, but this year everything seems a little more shaken up. Why skip out on Sunrise this year?

Anywhere within driving distance I consider my territory. I really wanted to go to Florida, but something came up. Its name is Chip Simpson. Plus it ended up being the weekend after Saint Patrick's Day. I think I was just waking up a few days before the Florida qualifier started.

Once I saw they were having a NC qualifier this year, I knew I had to go to that. NC is always good to me. I went to my first ever MLE contest in NC and met Joey Chestnut, Sonya Thomas, Booker, Rich LeFevre, Carlene LeFevre, and Joe LaRue. I ate about 4 lbs, but just finished outside of the money. NC is also where I won my first contest. My dad was born and raised there. I have an uncle that is a state senator there, Neal Hunt. Plus the main time I go there is to visit relatives for Thanksgiving, so I always associate NC with food. My family strongly encourages eating a lot. One of my cousins in NC owns a supermarket and always brings tons of food to his farm where the whole family gathers to eat for Thanksgiving. So, as you can see, NC is my home away from home. I also get to visit all my family on my mom's side just across the border in Columbia, SC! It always makes for a nice trip! :o)

Okay, seriously: is this Joey's year to win it?

Takeru is amazing. He has never lost and has held the Nathan's belt for the last 7 or 8 years. However, Joey now has taken the world record from Takeru so you have to believe he has the ability to beat him. I say if Takeru shows up, they trade the lead a few times and keep it close all the way to the end. Either that or Takeru eats 100 HDBs and then ascends into heaven in a beam of light. Of course the beam of light thing may happen regardless. After all, nobody knows what might happen if he looses. Takeru loosing could possibly knock the planet
earth out of orbit and send it flying towards the sun.

What about the 4th of July contest are you looking forward to most now that you know you're in the competition?

First off I would like to thank my manager for giving me the entire week off! I was afraid I was going to have to fly up and back all on the 4th since I am new at this company and haven't earned any PTO yet. I was trying to suggest maybe a half day before and after at minimum, but he cut me off and said I should have the entire week off. No argument here. In answer to your question I am mostly looking forward to just enjoying the whole experience this year. Last year I was way too nervous to enjoy anything. Now that I have been there before I think I will get a
lot more out of it and have a lot more fun. SEE YOU AT CONEY!

To say the Nathan's qualifying rounds are still going strong would be the understatement of the season. Saturday saw the best showing yet, when American champ Joey Chestnut ate 59.5 HDBs at the Tempe qualifier and broke the world record. That's right; for at least one month (though hopefully more), the Americans will hold the hot dog title, an honor that we haven't enjoyed since 1997. If you thought people lost their shit when the boy ate 50 at last year's qualifier, you haven't even touched the excitement that's coursing through this year's competitive eating community. It's less of an astounded response as a tremendously excited and hopeful one. This could be our year...

Sadly, Rich LeFevre, who won this qualifier last year, had to settle for second place, even with his amazing showing of 33 HDBs. We always feel for the eaters that have to go to three (or in some cases, four) qualifiers, and when you're putting back numbers like that, it's no easy feat. Though currently in first place for the wild card slot, it would be a shame for Rich's vast talents to not receive a win and the community is fairly confident he'll come through in an upcoming qualifier.

Sonya Thomas held strong in Philadelphia last week, winning that qualifier with a whopping 36 hot dogs. It was a tight one, with Bob Shoudt coming in a close second.

And on Sunday, the Shea Stadium qualifier ushered in Erik "The Red" Denmark as its new champ with 26.5 HDBs, plus 3.5 additional HDBs in an overtime. For Erik, whose road to Nathan's was much more difficult last year, this marks a tremendous personal growth. He chatted with True Fan after his win.

So, it seems like you have a thing for stadiums. Do you credit your environment at all for your qualifier successes?

I have to say I am drawn to the competitions that are associated with some sporting event. I think my interest comes from a combination of a more educated fan base when it comes to a sporting event and the fact that it puts me into the subconscious mindset of a serious sporting event that I relate to more - as opposed to a lazy fair or a general venue. But every Nathan's contest has an aura about it that gets the juices flowing.

Did hearing about Joey's amazing victory the day before affect your mindset?

I was inspired by Joey's performance YES. I am still trying to beat the 2005 version of Joey so my timetable is a couple of years behind Mr. Chestnut's right now. I can't wait for the fourth, to see what I can do and to be able to feel that intense competition between Koby, Joey and Pat on stage.

Last year, you had to eat in four qualifiers, one the night before the big competition! This year, it's easy breezy with one. Are you relieved?

Easy breezy? Haha, that was the most intense and pressure packed contest I have ever been in. Goldstein was pushing all of us and beating us through the majority of the contest - he really had an awesome contest. Philbin snuck up and came on strong at the end and I don't know, there was not an easy moment in the entire contest. But yes, I am relieved to get 'er done and have some more time to prepare for July 4. Maybe this year I will actually have a name tag at the table.

Okay, not quite "easy breezy": you had an intense overtime finish--the first of the season; how did you psych yourself up to eat those extra dogs?

Honestly, the final minutes of regulation were so frantic for me because I was trying to catch up and I knew I had more in me and I was so afraid of running out of time. I knew it was close but when they said that Pat and I had tied, Charles Hardy came over and asked me: "how bad do I want this?" I knew that meant we were going to overtime, and my answer was "I want it, let's do it."

I was actually somewhat relieved just to know that I hadn't run out of time and I felt confident that I could eat more in OT. I know Pat wanted it bad as well, we both put down 30 HDB's in 13 minutes of competition. And when Charles told us whoever swallowed it first would win, it was a pure adrenalin rush that helped me get that mess out of my mouth and down my throat. I think it probably took me about 20 seconds to swallow everything, it was painful I am not going to lie.

J and I had a debate going about which competition was easier: the qualifier or the main competition ("easy" being a relative term, of course). I said the qualifier because you have a higher chance of winning, the hot dog quality might be better, and the stress levels are lower. J said the main competition had to be easier, with the roar of the crowd, the adrenalin, and the do-or-die pressure in your favor. Maybe we have no idea what we're talking about. What's your
take?

Unless I can double my capacity in the next month, I would have to say the qualifier is more stressful for me. The crowd on the fourth is so huge and pumped up that I think it motivates you to have an awesome performance. But for those who might have a shot to win this year, aka Joey, Koby, Pat, it will be exhilarating, but a pressure unlike anything anyone has ever felt - trust me that is not a lie, there will be more pressure in that 12 minutes than in any contest in competitive eating history. But you have to want that pressure if you think you are the best in the world, that will bring out the best in you.

As Steakbellie put it in a recent EatFeats.com comment, when it comes to hot dogs, 40 is the new 20. Just last year, Tim "Eater X" Janus took his hometown qualifier in Hartford with 27.5 HDB. He went on to the big table to eat his personal best on the 4th: 34 HDB. His success with the food seems only to have accelerated and he won his qualifier this year with 41.5, an amazing number to join Pat's 46 and Chip's 39.5. This year may include the highest total of winning qualifier dogs yet.

Just two days after his stunning feat, Tim went on to compete in a chicken wing competition held in Grand Central and co-hosted by SNL's Kenan Thompson. Having not competed in a wings competition since 2005, Tim's performance was all the more amazing. Though he placed third behind Joey and Sonya, he managed not only to eat a pound over his personal best, but to surpass the world record.

True Fan caught up with Tim to ask a few burning questions.

Three short years ago, Don Lerman won the Hartford qualifier with 20 HDBs and you finished a question marky 4th; this year you took it with 41.5, and the second and third place finishers both did the deuce. Do you feel like competitive eaters' abilities will always improve exponentially or do you think eaters' abilities are reaching an inevitable plateau?

I feel pretty confident there's a ceiling.

At-home physical training isn't endorsed by the IFOCE/MLE, but what about mental training? Have you considered the lucrative business of competitive eating meditation retreats? Who would you hire to run the seminars?

Sometimes I think it would be fun to coach other eaters myself. But not right now. I don't want to help anyone beat me. So I'd probably hire my brother Cheeky because he needs the work and doesn't really know anything. Cheeky, if you're reading this, GET A JOB! I don't want you bringing me down no more.

Over the years, the crowd has grown and the Bus of Champions has shrunk. How much does the anticipated awesomeness of the Bus of Champions factor into your desire to make it to the big table? Like, if you knew they were talking sweet reclining seats and a live orchestra and hand massages would you eat more hot dogs than if you knew for sure it was just going to be a rented U-Haul van with no ventilation?

I'm pretty happy riding in any vehicle that's called The Bus of Champions. It doesn't have to be a bus, and it doesn't have to be for champions. I like the name, the romance of it. You know you don't sell the steak; you sell the sizzle.

Who are we going to see at the Nathan's table this year that we didn't see last year?

God willing, Beautiful Brian Seiken.

Your glorious return to wings was marked not only by surpassing the world record and by beating your personal best by over a pound, but also by being joined by Kenan. Tyra, Kenan...which celebrity would you most like to see emceeing a competition next?

Tyra talks too much, and Kenan doesn't say enough. I'm partial to George and Rich. Can't we just stick with them.

On May 3rd, while most of us were gearing up for Cinco de Mayo, Pat Bertoletti, now the 3rd ranked competitive eater in the world, ate 46 HDBs at the Vegas Nathan's Qualifier. That number makes him the only other person besides Joey Chestnut and Kobayashi to eat over 40 HDBs. It was at the Vegas competition last year that Joey ate a groundbreaking 50, so maybe the second qualifier of the year is a charmed one (though not so much for local Rich LeFevre, who for a second year in a row ate over 30 HDBs in his home state and was powered out of a win). But Pat didn't stop there, he went on to celebrate Cinco de Mayo properly on the 5th with a tamale eating competition outside Houston, eating 51 of the hefty treats and coming in second place to Joey's 53.5. After being disqualified at last year's tamale eating competition for a reversal of fortune, this marks a strong return to a difficult food.

True Fan caught up with Pat on during his recent trip to Mexico. And though he was kind enough to answer some questions for us, due to some technical difficulties involving pina coladas, we had to run Pat's answers through our patented Beer-terpreter.

So, holy shit: 46 HDB. Were you gunning to break Joey's Vegas record specifically?

start this interview off right I must say that I just won the cancun taco eating contest followed by the pina colada drinking contest. I'm pretty sure I drank like 20+ pinas in 2-3 hours. I think that my typing ,spelling and grammar will justify this. 46 was a good number but I trully wanted to break joeys vegas record of 50. There is no bs here, I am certainaly not happy with 46 and hope to improve on it on the 4th, 50 or bust, that is all I say.

Beer-terpretation: Always glad to talk with you, True Fan. I just returned from a lovely dinner. While my score of 46 was certainly noteworthy, no real competitor can ever truly be satisfied knowing he didn't live up to the potential he set forth for himself. Thusly, having not met my goal of defeating Joey's Vegas record, my quest continues unsated.

Last year, when Joey busted out his 50 HDB, some people wondered if he should have kept his talent quiet until the big day, so as not to tip off Kobayashi that he'd improved so much. Obviously he felt differently, and it seems you're in the same camp. Why blow your cover now? Or is it that you are unable to eat below what your talent allows?

I dont think that joey blew his hand too early last year because I think that kobey was a better eater last year. I think that joey has a better chance this year and really could be kobey this year. Joey has awaken the sleeping giant inside of kobey, look at krystals, 97, are you kidding me, I am still in awe of that. I only did 76 my grandmother could eat 76, well when comparing it to joey and kobey is seems possible, not shite against anyone else but they put on a f****** great showl. I hope to break that 20 unit barrier because they normally beat be by 20+ units of food I e nathans and krystal last year. I'm drunk by the way. Speaking of joey, he sets goals for himself and will not rest until be accompishes them. He is by far the best eater america has ever seen. I am not even in the same paragrasph as him, he is a god. Last year he wanted to set a presedent and to prove all the haters and ne sayers.

Beer-terpretation: It is not a matter of tipping one's hand, but a question of whom is the better eater. Last year, Kobayashi demonstrated that he was the superior gurgitator, though he appears to be fueled by Joey's rising capabilities. One clear result of this competitive nature is Kobayashi eating 97 Krystal burgers. My grandmother, from whence my competitive eating skills came, can eat an impressive 76 Krystals, which is coincidentally the same number I was able to consume in the same contest. I hope to break free of the genetic restraints and close the gap between myself and Joey and Koby. I keep a poster of Joey in my room for inspiration.

Do you feel any more pressure with the slick new MLE website, knowing that your audience is growing? Is there any downside to the extra press?

I think the audience is growing and it making us all better eaters. Rios, seaver, and juliet, along with denmark, mongo, and numerous others are all nipping at our heels. This makes us and pushes us to improve. If there wasn't more talent we would settle for mediacrety and less then our best, fresh talent is ideal to keep it interested and to challenge us. More press equals more press, notoriety, contests, and prize money.

Beer-terpretation: I love pina coladas. With the coconut? And the pineapple? And the rum. The rum is totally the best part.

Last year, you had a rather unfortunate time with the Baja Grill tamale competition. Did it feel good to rebound from that so successfully this year?

The tamales is a sore subject. I am not happy with 51, not throwing up yes, but not eating our projected 55-60 really let me down becuase it's only logical that we would all jump to 55-60. I am happy for not puking but not happy that I didn't win or eat up to my potential. That's how I feel for all contests, I cannot and will not eat up to my potential. I know it's stupid but I take this very seriously and anytime i don't eat up to my percieved potential I become unhappy and want to redeem myself. I think all eaters that are serious are only happy with there totals for 20 minutes but are then questioning why they didn;t jump to 80 krystals instead of 76. At least that is how i feal usually a day after all contests. That must be what drives all eaters, a percieve improvement and a lack of content with usual totals. The future of mle and competitive eating should be quite exiting, i'm exited to see how it all plays out.

Beer-terpretation: To quote Theodore Roosevelt, "It is only through work and strife that either nation or individual moves on to greatness. The great man is always the man of mighty effort, and usually the man whom grinding need has trained to mighty effort."

After a bit of a dry spell throughout the winter for the IFOCE, a pack of new competitions were recently announced, and March marked the official start of the 2007 Nathan's hot dog season. As you'll recall from last year, the eaters have to win a qualifier in order to be guaranteed a spot at the final Nathan's table in Coney Island on July 4th. As per tradition, the first qualifier was held in Sunrise, FL. You may remember a bit of an upset from last year in Sunrise, when Crazy Legs Conti overtook the local favorite, Joe LaRue, in a controversial overtime. This year, neither Conti nor LaRue showed up. In fact, the only pro-ranked eater who showed up was the current 6th ranked eater in world, Chip Simpson. Through a rain storm, Chip seemed to be eating not against the other eaters present, but against those top competitors he know would be watching this performance closely. He closed out the qualifier with a whopping 39.25 HDB in 12 minutes, beating his personal best and giving him the second highest American qualifier total (surpassed only by Joey Chestnut's astounding feat of 50 HDB in last year's Vegas qualifier).

Chip is also wracking up the points for his Fantasy Eating team. Out of 50 members across five teams, Chip currently holds the third highest individual score of 44 points (Joey is in first with 103, and Tim "Eater X" Janus in second with 46). But of course Fantasy Eating is all about the team, and Chip's points combined with team member Pat Bertoletti's fourth highest score of 34 points, puts their team--The Hungry Hooligans--into second place overall.

Chip has certainly stepped up his game in the 2007 season and let it be known that he's a force to be reckoned with. He was kind enough to answer a few probing question for True Fan.

Did this competition feel different for you? Was there a point where you knew you were going to surpass your personal best?

I felt like I was going to surpass my best about the halfway point. Even though it was pouring rain and literally buns were flying off the table that I had to bend over and pick up while eating... I knew somehow that I would at least better my mark by one... I just had to after my pitiful performance at Coney last year.

Do you credit your success to better physical training or better mental training? You can tell us: have you been reading "The Secret"?

I credit it totally to mental training. Just telling myself to push through any pain and keep eating.

Why Sunrise and not a different qualifier?

The Sunrise qualifier fit my schedule best. I will be in Italy most of June and will miss most of the qualifiers. I wanted to qualify and not have to worry about it if something went wrong right before I left because then I would not be at Coney at all this year.

It seems like you were the only pro-ranked eater who attended. Did people hear you were coming and decided to stay home?

I have heard that some pros did not show up but I can not validate nor deny those claims at this time.

Who do you predict we'll see at the finals that we didn't see last year?

Juliet Lee will most certainly be there... also I believe Arturo Rios will make his presence felt.

Pat Bertoletti is right on Joey's tail, and you're right on Pat's tail. Koby aside, are you going into these next months thinking of your most immediate competition as Joey or Pat?

I think I am close to Pat in some foods and close to Joey in some foods. I feel my worst foods just seem to be the ones that they are best at. Any sandwich type food seems to give me trouble and those seem to be primarily what the majors (Nathan's and Krystal) are.

Your performance at Sunrise pulled your fantasy team, The Hungry Hooligans, ahead of the previous front runners, The Manitoba Meatsweats. With you and Pat B. on the same team, will there be any way to stop your team's ascent?

I believe our fantasy team when it is all said and done will definitely come out on top.

The competitive eater can take many forms: the professional, the amateur, the aspiring, the weekend warrior. While their goals and aspirations may vary, what they all have in common is a love of eating and a desire to test the limits of their bodies by doing what they love. Head-to-head competitions are one way to indulge their hungry side, but not all eaters can participate in all competitions, and often they look for other ways to keep their stomachs in competitive mode. The IFOCE restricts their eater to competing in officially-sanctioned contests only; outside of these, the next best thing an IFOCE eater could look forward to was a solid challenge offered by a local restaurant. An oversized hamburger. A twelve pound pizza. A dare to down as many malts as possible.

Unfortunately for those who loved this individual aspect of the sport, this week officially marks the end of an era. Earlier in the week, the IFOCE released an email to its members, banning their participation in restaurant challenges. Ostensibly, the ban is about upholding standards. The IFOCE has always taken a strict stance on safety measures. They disallow (to the extent possible) training at home, and are careful to adhere to standard safety guidelines for all their sanctioned competitions. Their website clearly states that they believe "speed eating is only suitable for those 18 years of age or older and only in a controlled environment with appropriate rules and with an emergency medical technician present." So, they may believe that by allowing eaters to participate in restaurant challenges where they have no say in safety measures, IFOCE concerns are undermined.

But of course, there's a bigger driving force at play here: money. The organization's concern is that restaurants offering these challenges cash in on free publicity when a top IFOCE eater comes in and slaughters a record (see Joey Chestnut and his recent conquering of the Heart Attack Grill's Quadruple Bypass Burger). Because the IFOCE has contracts with sponsors who are paying money for advertising at appearances and competitions, they want to make sure these sponsors don't feel like their exclusivity is in jeopardy or that they're paying for what others are seemingly getting for free. Eric "Steakbellie" Livingston, 39th ranked eater in the US and recent Wing Bowl participant, put it this way, "The IFOCE needs a certain amount of exclusivity (or rareness) for them to be able to sell their product (the events) to their customers (the Sponsors). If an Eater shows up at a restaurant challenge and creates his own Spectacle (especially in front of press), then no one is getting paid for what the IFOCE perceives as their product."

While on the surface, this ban shouldn't come as a surprise to eaters familiar with the organization's strict policies, it hit home with many eaters who looked forward to these challenges as a way to test their eating capabilities and wow local restaurant owners and fans. There's a long history of eaters with professional accomplishments or aspirations seeking out establishments that offer big challenges. Often the prize is little more than a name on a wall or getting the challenge item for free, but for the eaters it represents a different kind of personal accomplishment. There are certain ones, like Denny's Beer Barrel Pub's burger challenges, that have become legendary within the competitive eating community, acting as a rite of passage for newbies and also as a bit of a litmus test for how good a seasoned eater really is.

And while some of the challenges, like aiming for Rockford Corner Bar's Hot Dog Hall of fame (chili dog title held by Tim "Eater X" Janus) or demolishing the Sasquatch Challenge at Big Food Lodge (most recently killed by Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti), are solo attempts, many others, such as Pointer's and Schiappa's pizza challenges, rely on team efforts. Adding another layer to the challenge, eaters can then build "dream teams" amongst themselves to shatter records. Sometimes it's not just about the solo eater--it's about two freakin' great solo eaters putting a standing record to shame together.

As it often is in this sport, where the big motivation behind eating isn't always the money and the fame (and how could it be for those who don't regularly grace the top ten lists?), sometimes eaters just want an excuse to hang out with other people who share their love of the food. And for those who can't afford, with money and/or time, to attend all the competitions their hearts desire, local challenges have always been there to fill the void. Steakbellie puts it this way, "Eaters eat like climbers climb. Because it's there. A restaurant challenge represents almost everything they eat for in the purest form...to be able to say, 'I made it to the top.'"

The IFOCE seems to be concerned about new places offering challenges in order to grab the attention of their top competitive eaters and gain publicity for it, but some of the more famous challenges have been around for years. The Pointersaurus debuted in ten years ago, Denny's has been challenging large appetites since 1991, and the Rockford Corner Bar's Hot Dog Hall of Fame has been up since 1968.

The restaurants that offer these are often mom and pop operations that started their challenges as a fun way to attract customers. While disappointed about the ban, there doesn't seem to be any illusion that it's not about the bottom line. Jon Basso, founder of the Heart Attack Grill in Phoenix, which opened its doors a year ago and specializes in oversized challenge burgers, expressed a deep admiration for the professional eaters and seemed sorry they wouldn't be allowed to wolf down his challenges in an official capacity anymore. Basso claims he is willing to put down a prize of $10,000 for anyone who can beat Joey Chestnut's recent win, and said he spoke to the IFOCE about sponsoring a competition. The IFOCE declined to comment for this article, but allegedly Basso was temporarily turned down due to the organization's current ties with Krystal. Basso stated, "I think it's sad that these athletes are bound by an organization that only allows one hot dog place, one burger place, one burrito place."

Dennis "Denny" Liegey, owner of Denny's Beer Barrel Pub echoed this sentiment, saying "I'm sorry to hear about the IFOCE ban. We offer a great product with unique challenges. The problem, as in many things today, is money. We would gladly work with Mr. Shea of the IFOCE if the price was affordable. We however will continue to be a spring board for all competitive eaters as they prepare themselves for bigger things."

For an organization that has been criticized in the past for being too controlling with their eaters, is this most recent ban going a step too far? Some eaters are questioning the set boundaries as somewhat arbitrary and confusing. One eater, who wished to remain anonymous, said, "A 'restaurant challenge' -- in most cases -- is just a oversized menu item. As a ranked eater, if I go to a restaurant and see a three-pound burger on the menu, am I not allowed to order it? And where do you draw the line? If it were only a one-pound burger, would be okay for me to order it?" Steakbellie added, "What if I just show up at a restaurant and order a big meal? How big is too big? I can see their point, but lets not squeeze all of the fun out of this."

Most eaters understand and support the IFOCE's desire to cater to paying sponsors; after all, it is they who attract ESPN, create recurring competitions, and pay out the big prizes. However, some wonder if the organization's tight reigns aren't a bit shortsighted at times. Can publicity for a top-ranked eater completing a restaurant challenge ever be bad publicity? Steakbellie sees it this way, "I don't believe that [competing in restaurant challenges] dilutes the IFOCE brand in the same way that I expect they do. I think that an eater finishing something like Denny's Burger, does more to support 'The Legend' of the eater and makes them more marketable and of more interest to the public. Look at Kate Stelnick--she's done a single challenge and we all know her name. A boy seeing a plaque on the wall for the time Steakbellie ate the 50-pound pterodactyl burger, might just Google that event and become a fan." Dave "Mega Munch" Shoffner, an unranked eater who has competed in IFOCE events and regularly participates in casual competitions among friends and restaurant challenges, believes the IFOCE can benefit from having a top competitor win a challenge. "It's good publicity for the organization and the more publicity the IFOCE gets, the more fans they attract. The more fans they attract, the more sponsors they can sign."

From a restaurant owner's point of view, the money-making aspect of it is pretty cut-and-dry. Basso is offering the $10,000 dollars for the person who can beat Joey's time, he says, because he knows he'll see $11,000 in business as a result. His dream right now is to have Kobayashi, the world's #1 ranked eater, come in and claim that money. He says after Joey did the stunt, he had someone teach him the correct Japanese phrasing in the hopes that the Kobayashi would hear the challenge he broadcast over the television. "And if someone can beat Kobayashi's time, I'll give them $12,000," he said. Though for now, that challenge will have to be put on the shelf.

Will this open the doors for non-IFOCE affiliated eaters to dominate the restaurant challenge scene? Of course, the top-ranked eater competing in these challenges has always been the exception, not the rule. Those with big dreams and bigger stomachs will continue to face the burger behemoths and impossible pizzas, but the IFOCE may lose some of them among their lower ranks. "I believe the IFOCE will have some success with the eaters who are winning money at events," said Steakbellie, "and a harder time controlling eaters who are strictly 'The Faithful'."

Update: The full Fantasy Eating League website and group can be found here. Download the score card and keep up on your favorite team members!

Welcome to the 2007 Fantasy Eating League! We decided that it would be fun to have teams made up of the top IFOCE eaters that would compete against one another throughout the year. The IFOCE recently announced that they would be using a new scoring system to award points to the top 10 finishers in every competition. While this doesn't necessarily mean that judging will be more objective, it DOES mean that they're at least dedicated to scoring the top ten finishers, which is a big improvement.

Teams will accrue points throughout the year by competing in competitions. Teams will get points for every point a team member earns from the IFOCE. Additionally, points can be earned and deducted in the following way:

Positive Points

Setting a new record: +5 points
Setting a personal best record: +1 point
Breaking an established record: +10 points
For every five competitions an eater competes in: +10 points
For every 20 pounds or 100 units of food consumed: +5 points

Negative points

Reversal of fortune: -5 points
Finishing outside the top 10: -1 points

Teams!

After submitting their top 45 competitive eater team wish list, the captains had their choices narrowed down to the following teams. The lowest-ranked captain, Dave "Mega Munch" Shoffner, was given his first choice. He chose Pat Bertoletti, who was then crossed off all the other wish lists. The next highest-ranked captain, Steakbellie, then got his first choice after Pat, and so on until all five captains had a team of 10 eaters. They now have the opportunity to trade any team members amongst themselves. This first open trading session will end on Friday, February 2nd, at which point the teams will be set until the next trading session (TBD). Teams may also be allowed trades later on if a team member retires or new rookies emerge.

Trading will take place over at our Google group page, so feel free to check in on the progress.

Once teams are set, team names, logos, shirts, and websites may emerge! (I mean, one can only hope.)

Mega Munch (Captain)
Patrick Bertoletti
ChipBurger Simpson
Arturo Rios, Jr.
Frank Wach
Jim Hammer Hamrick
Chris Abatsas
Jim Reeves
El Toro Jimenez
Paul Barlow
Kevin Ross

Eric Steakbellie Livingston (Captain)
Timothy Janus
Sonya Thomas
Seaver Miller
Micah Collins
Yellowcake Subich
William Myers
Andrew "Skinnyboy" Lane
Russ Keeler
Pete Davekos
Brian Seiken

Hall Hunt (Captain)
Joey Chestnut
Crazy Legs
Pat Philbin
Ron Koch
Larry The Legend McNeil
Marco Marquez
Brickhouse Braunstein
Kevin Carr
Kevin Lipsitz
Todd Yeates

Erik the Red (Captain)
Takeru Kobayashi
Rich LeFevre
Joe LaRue
Jed Donahue
Jason Erb
Tim Brown
Juris Shibiyama
Sam Vise
Molly Zakarian
Pat Bruss

Justin Mih (Captain)
Bob Shoudt
Juliet Lee
Dale Boone
Loren Yarbrough
Allen Goldstein
Mongo Federighi
Don Lerman
Paul Sakelarides
Pete Miernicki
Donovan Busta

Note: if anyone is included here that doesn't wish to participate, please let us know and we'll remove you from the game. Also, let us know if we spelled your name wrong or there are any other changes to be made.

After seeing the new comment on our Ebay post, we think it's safe to announce the winner of the magnets was none other than our favorite dreadlocked eater, Crazy Legs Conti! Being the sweet son he is, and it being the giving season, he had us make an eater monster magnet in the likeness of his mom and number one fan, Rona Conti. J had a lot of fun designing this one, ultimately pulling art from her website and using the same color palate as we used for Crazy Legs.

It's been a rough year for Sonya. Just as she was recovering from her second place world ranking being overtaken by Joey Chestnut, she was bumped to fourth place by Pat Bertoletti. It used to be she represented a certain level of excellence in eating skill, one that few could touch. But something must be in the lemonade, because one by one, the pros have been stepping up their game and it's no longer a sure thing who will walk away with the trophy and giant check at these competitions.

This year's meatball competition, held at Carmine's in Atlantic City, could have been Sonya's chance to redeem herself and hold onto one of the titles she was most proud of. Or would it go to Joey, who seemed the likely winner? Or would Pat Bertoletti show up last minute and pound them all? There was the newcomer to consider, Juliet Lee, an ameteur off the pizza circuit who would represent the first (real) female with pro goals to join the IFOCE table in a long time. And what about the slew of others in the top rankings who also seem to get better with each contest? Would this be a breakout performance for one of them?

As it turns out, it was "Humble" Bob Shoudt's turn to shine, winning the competition with 9.97 pounds of meatballs. The controversy came during the weighing, where Sonya actually looked like she had won by only a tenth of an ounce. But, this year in particular, the judges have been stern about applying rules about prolonged dunking and messiness. After surveying the eaters' places, a one ounce deduction was taken from Sonya and from Joey for excess debris, leaving Bob in the lead. When George Shea announced the deduction and awarded Sonya second place, she stood with her arms crossed and simply said, "It's not fair." Much cheering greeted Bob as he came out to accept 1st prize. Humble as always, he reached out his hand to congratulate Sonya, but she turned away--arms still crossed--and stalked off stage. The crowd interpreted this as bad sportsmanship on Sonya's part and started booing her. Quick to remind the crowd of what they should be focusing on, Joey came over to hug Bob, while 4th place winner Chip Simpson raised Bob's arm in triumph and encouraged the crowd to cheer for him. Video can be seen on Beautiful Brian's site.

Usually after a competition, eaters are told to scrape any remaining pieces of food onto their plates so an accurate total can be weighed. While the IFOCE claims this was done, it's unclear why they didn't make sure each eaters' place was clean before weighing the plate. Taking deductions taken after the plates are weighed seemed to cause problems that could have been easily averted.

In any case, this was a well-earned victory for Bob, and we were lucky enough to snag a few words with the humble one after his big win.

1st Bob Shoudt 9.97 lbs, $2500
2nd Sonya Thomas 9.91 lbs, $1000
3rd Joey Chestnut 9.35 lbs, $750
4th Chip Simpson 9.23 lbs, $500
5th Rich LeFevre 9.03 lbs, $250
6th Tim Janus 8.93 lbs
7th Juliet Lee 5.53 lbs
8th Allen Goldstein 4.96 lbs
9th Seaver Miller 4.75 lbs
10th Pat Philbin 4.73 lbs
11th Crazy Legs Conti 4.71 lbs
12th Bill Myers 3.83 lbs
13th Larry McNeil 3.77 lbs
14th Kevin Lipsitz 3.34 lbs
15th Pete Davekos 3.32 lbs
16th Brian Seiken 2.73 lbs
17th John Bulin 2 lbs

TrueFan: First off, how did it feel to come in first place?

Humble Bob: I felt stuffed. That was the most stuffed that I have ever felt.

TF: The placing was controversial; did you know you were going to come in first after you finished eating, or were you waiting with everyone else to learn the results?

HB: George said that I was leading through the first plate (6 lb) and through the 2nd (2 lb) so I knew that I had to be in the mix at the end. Like any food that has to be weighed, you never know till all of the results are in

TF: Usually, they have everyone clean up their areas, scooping detritus onto their plates before weighing. Was this not done at this competition? It seems like it would have given you a cleaner win instead of seeming like they were penalizing Sonya.

HB: Everyone was told to clean up their area after the contest. I cleaned up mine but I can not speak for any others. I was spending 100% of my time trying to find a position that was less uncomfortable then the others. I didn't really speak to or look at other eaters while on stage. I was just trying to find "my happy place."

TF: How did you feel about Sonya's reaction when you offered her your hand?

HB: I was in so much discomfort afterwards that I did not realize all that was going on. Sonya has always been a great competitor and has been super supportive of me from the day that we meet. She obviously had her concerns. I took this as absolutely no slight to me. She is every bit as much of a friend and competitor to me today as she was before this contest.

TF: How were the meatballs this year? Did you employ any different strategies from last year?

HB: The meatballs seemed like they were slower then last year. They seemed colder and less moist. My goal was 10 lbs before the start and after the first meatball, I knew that it would be tough to get. My strategy this year was the same as last year - eat as many meatballs
as I could.

TF: What was Joey's reaction to coming in third after he's been finishing so strongly?

HB: To me he is the same Joey that he always is. He is a guy that loves the sport and the competition. He shows up and gives it his all. He did not win but that did not mean he was not happy. You can see from the different videos the sincere congratulations he extended to me
after the contest. He is a good guy and if anyone deserved the nickname "Humble" it would be him.

TF: How did Juliet do? Were people welcoming to a new female pro?

HB: I think Juliet did well for her first pro event. I think she was every bit as welcomed as every other eater. The CE community is really a big family and everyone welcomed her into it.

TF: Anything else you'd like to add?

HB: This was another event in which both of my parents attended. They also were there when I set the Shoofly pie record. I think that I must do better when they are both there. Maybe they could both come to Wing Bowl this year so I can win two cars!

TF: What will you spend the prize money on?

HB: My wife and I have our eye on a 15 acre "ranch" in Argentina. It is a nice area with lush vegetation and 3 buildings. A main house, a small guest house (that needs much work) and the barn. Believe it or not this will give us our 20% down payment that most foreign nationals need to get a mortgage. Most people do not pay it off outright as we really will only get to spend 3 - 4 weeks there a year for quite sometime. It is a beautiful country though. Now if I could just get the IFOCE to have some contests down there, I could write of the travel on my taxes...

This post was originally titled "Meatball results!" so we could call J and he could post the everything remotely. But now we'll have to be in the back bleachers with the rest of the world who won't be in Atlantic City.

Stupid weather!

I watched helplessly as my 1am flight drifted to 4am, then into the dreaded CANCELLED zone, from which there's no return. I'm seriously depressed about this. The good news is that I do have JetBlue credit to be used towards a future trip, so hopefully I'll be traveling again soon.

On Friday afternoon, while most people were recovering from turkey and stuffing overload (some more than others), a quiet bidder won the complete set of eater magnets we posted on Ebay. The set ended up going for a whopping $51, and we are thrilled. The money will be put towards the travel expenses for our Atlantic City adventure on Saturday (not slot machines, we promise).

We'd love to tell you who the winner is (it's actually pretty interesting!) but the magnets are going to be a gift, so we can't ruin the surprise here. We'll tell you this much: the new custom magnet will be a female...

Thanks for everyone who lent their support for this venture! We'd love to be able to offer personalized magnets to everyone, but we might have to clear a few hurdles first. We'll keep you posted.

Happy Meatballs, everyone.

On Saturday, November 18th 2006, it was announced on EatFeats.com and the official IFOCE website that one Ms. Helen Haggerty, a recent Bryn Mawr graduate and field hockey enthusiast, had come in second place in the Posole eating contest in Acoma New Mexico - defeating Rich LeFevre and Eric Denmark, amongst others.

At first glance this seemed like an extraordinary occurrence. Not only had a newcomer to the sport beaten a very talented field of competitors, but she was a woman. No mean feat.

However, after True Fan had time to review the video, offered by Mr. Andrew "Skinnyboy" Lane we have come to the sad conclusion that Ms. Haggerty does not exist and in fact this is just another one of Mr. Tim Janus' alter-egos.

We have made multiple attempts to reach several of the competitors and the IFOCE for comment, but at the time of this post, none have responded.

There seems to be a conspiracy afoot - one that has multiple layers of duplicity and co-conspirators. We are not sure what alumni or current students of Bryn Mawr and their field hockey team (currently ranked 21st in their division) would think about this deception. A deception that looks like it had legs. It was announced this morning that Ms. Haggerty had started a blog. How far were they willing to take this?

We will be reporting more on this as more details arise.

We really hope you were home glued to your ESPN2 (or at least to your TiVo later) for the Krystal Square Off on Saturday. The nation witnessed some real world class eating when Kobayashi polished off his 97th slider, with Joey only half a Sackful behind, slaying the world record by 30 burgers. Impressive.

Even more impressive was the total efforts of the Krystal Killers, who ended up beating the Squeezable Buns by over a hundred points. I know this might seem like a sound beating, and we guess it was, it was only because a lot of people performed even better than our expectations!

We broke down the score card into some hard numbers, tallying the amount of burgers each player ate, comparing it to their personal best, adding in points for the sign-toting fans, and giving players points for pulling into the lead. Points were deducted if players ate under their personal best or had any small reversals. Subjective points (1-5) were awarded for how well the players fulfilled the positions given to them by their coach (or how well they coached). Points were also given for how well the teams' bonus players seemed to add to the overall effectiveness of the team. A subjective one point deduction was taken away from any player who had a "look of defeat" and while we were going to originally deduct for prolonged dunking or general sloppiness, we thought it was too hard to judge based only on who the camera was focusing on. Although we will say that Kobayashi is very neat eater, while Joey had a bit of a burger buns facial.

Here's a look at the final score card (click to enlarge):

We thought by giving players points for how many over their personal best they did would really give an advantage to non-Koby players, but holy crap if Koby and Joey both ate about 30 over their personal best, making Pat's super achievement of doing the same look negligible on the score card. We would like to note that Pat (Squeezable Buns) made the best improvement, eating 58% better than his personal best. Joey rounds in second (he can't catch a break!) with a whopping 47% improvement, while Kobayashi held on to a 41% improvement. Those are some serious numbers. Almost every eater made an improvement on their personal best, except Seaver (ate one less), Justin (ate the same), and Sonya, who had a 15% falloff.

True Fan extends big congratulations to all the Krystal Square Off stars this year. The way things are going, we know we have group more powerful than ever heading into the winter eating season, and we can't wait to be there for it all.

Here's a closer look at the two fantasy team that will face off at Saturday's Krystal Burger competition.

"Humble" Bob made a grab for Badlands Booker to take the final spot on the Team Krystal Killers, calling him a "personal hero and a first ballot Hall of Famer." While Badlands won't be able to add hamburgers to the team's final count, his overall (fantasy) effectiveness as coach will be taken into consideration. We think bringing in the retired eater was a smart move on Bob's part. Who wouldn't be inspired by Badlands?

As for the team positions, the captain broke them down like so:

Position Chew
Joey: He did not get the nickname Jaws for nothing. After Brats he
bit a piece of car tire right off of a Ford Mustang that was parked at
the event. I saw it with my own eyes.

Position Stomach Capacity
Kobayashi: Best capacity in the business - to quote Eric on his first CD, "He ate 21 pounds of noodles in Japan."

Position Swallow
Arturo Rios: at the ducks qualifier I think he was swallowing the dogs whole and it did not seem to faze him.

Position Personality
Seaver: who else could this be - the guy has a custom made fire fighter outfit. The women will be flooding ESPN with marriage proposals when they get a look at him.

Position Finesse
Chip: he has those Oakleys with the mp3. He looks like he is just chillin' while at the same time he is throwing down the food.

Positions End, Guard, and Tackle
Boone: He will sit at the END of the bench, GUARD the Gatorade and TACKLE anyone that tries to take any.

Seaver "The Achiever" and Arturo "The Natural" Rios seemed pleased with the results, while Dale "Mouth of the South" Boone lashed back with a stronger opinion: "THE BENCH???????? LOL. [A]fter I beat JASON CONTI AND MILLER AND RIOS AND JUSTIN WE SEE WHO LAUGHING." Indeed, Boone. Although we're concerned about the fact that he seems to be trying to defeat members of his own team. However, we have to give Bob points for putting Boone in charge of defense and offense. Very clever.

You may hear Krystal Killer's team song echoing in the crowd on Saturday:

Taking care of business (every day)
Taking care of business (every way)
We be been taking care of business (it's all mine)
Taking care of business and working overtime

But how will they stack up against their rivals, Team Squeezable Buns?

Crazy Legs surprised us by picking competitive eater Paul Barlow to take up the extra spot on their team as mascot and coach. He added another nickname to Paul's growing list and had this to say about his choice, "We believe 'Super' Paul 'Bonebreaker' Barlow; 'The Krystal Ball' to not be the Nostrodamus of Noslowdunking, but rather a delusional Kreskin of Crunch. When 'Super' Paul 'Bonebreaker' Barlow; 'The Krystal Ball' gazes down at twenty Krystals he thinks he can eat them in two minutes, but then realizes it's much better to enjoy them over eight minutes. We think all his predictions will be wrong, but that his love of the game (the fantasy game particularly) is what will make us prevail."

But will Paul's love of the game trump Booker's skills? And will Carlene really step in as team cheerleader, as rumored? We'll just have to see!

Here's how Captain Conti set up his team:

Position Chew: Tim "Eater X" Janus. What a lot of eating fans don't know is that Tim is a candy nut. He would love to work in the product think tank of a major candy producing company. Because of his lifelong pursuit of esoteric sweets (recently he sampled Economy Candy's Turkish Delight ala Narnia) his teeth have thinned and become brittle. To compensate for this he has been working his jaw with two 1/3 pound dumbbells that attach via straps around his ears. If only technology would catch up to competitive eating, then you could see the X Jaw X ray box on your TV and computer screen. And what you would see, would astound! Tim would also like to consult on the team logo...he's felt a lot of buns.

Position Stomach:
We don't believe in water training and as for your diaper comment. Team Bertoletti (aka Team Spacedock) will be resplendent in diapers in Chatty. They wear Adult Depends mostly for post-contest party issues, but they wear them well. The deadly Black Widow is our Stomachgirl and if Rich Shea doesn't say during the broadcast that, "Sonya has the stomach capacity of the Grand Coolee Dam" I'll eat my hat. Her stomach is a bottomless sinkhole of destruction. Because of the coin toss that gave the Krystal Killjoys Kobayashi, we have asked Sonya to open up her rarely used west wing of her stomach to accommodate the plus sixty Krystals she will throw down.

Position Swallow:
Pat Bertoletti. Rumor has it that Disney has optioned the life rights to, "The 48th Tamale." This amazing tamale will be featured in an animated movie of the same name. It is the story of a little tamale that gets separated from its parents and is raised in a Habanero Chili filled volcano. From the molten ash combined with the hot peppers, a little bland tamale grew into a spicy tamale adult; hotter than the sun. This tamales place in history was cemented when it made the unflappable Spacedocker reverse in 2006. It gave Whitebread Simpson his first win and set him on a path of confidence. At the same time, the little tamale left some of its magical spice dust on the inside of Pat Bertoletti. It has allowed him to compete in hot peppers with no ill effects and is like a built in Keep-Elvis-In-The-Building safeguard. Look to the other side for your reversal...Standing near Dale Bufoone is like trying to get Shamu's autograph at Sea World, watch the spray. My only advice for Hubris Bob is to keep The Mess from The South on the bench where he can only make so much of a mess.

Position Personality:
There was only one true star of, "The smaller screen" - the webcast internet Krystalcam. And in this contest there will be one true star of the small screen on ESPN. Know what every drunk Philly fan realized when they watched the Jumbotron at Wing Bowl, when the retired accountant throws off his falling glasses and works the mandibles that he calls hands, Women swoon and men break down in tears. He is a cross between Hugh Hefner and Mr. Magoo...and the future constellation that will burn so bright this week-end is Rich "The Las Vegas Locust" LaFevre.

Position Finesse:
The webcams don't lie, armchair eating critics who post on eatfeats do. Go back and watch Atlanta. Watch Perry. Watch Jackson...Bustin' Justin Mih is, as George Shea would say, "Poetry in Motion". He is the Linda Blair of pro-eating and will be performing a Krystal exorcism on Saturday; possessed, his stomach will spin 360 degrees. You asked, "Ease and Beauty" I answer Bustin' Justin!

Some interesting choices for Squeezable Buns! Will Bertoletti be able to avoid a tamale-esque return for Position Swallow? Will Tim be able to come up with a better logo ("I want our logo to be a pair of pink butt cheeks. And I want them to have a little brown smear on them.")? Will Justin be step up now that he finally has a nickname?

Maybe their motto, a quote from Bill Murray's Tripper Harrison, says it all:

"More important than the score of this game is to score at the big social at our place tonight."

We would like to announce the launch of Fantasy Eating to commence during the Krystal Burger competition on October 28th in Chattanooga Tennessee.

Two teams will face each other for a head-to-head fantasy eating battle. This idea is based on the Fantasy Football idea (Krista would like to thank her new job at the NFL for the inspiration), but we are modifying it to fit the sport of competitive eating...because that's how we roll. However, there is a twist, unlike Fantasy Football, the actual eaters will be participating in our fantasy contest.

The two team captains will be "Humble" Bob Shoudt and Crazy Legs Conti. Each team captain was randomly given an equal number of people (with one exception because of the uneven number of contestants) and will select which person will be in what eating position. The positions are as follows:

Position Chew (good jaw strength)
Position Stomach Capacity (they have been water training since they were in diapers)
Position Swallow (not one to ever have a reversal)
Position Personality (someone who looks good in front of the camera and/or knows how to use their God-given charisma)
Position Finesse (an ease and beauty when eating)

Each team can also choose one person, not competing at Krystal Burger Finals, to serve as the team mascot or coach. The captain not only gets to decide what position each person will play, but they also got to name their team.

The two teams are as follows:

Team Krystal Killers
Captain "Humble" Bob
Joey Chestnut
Chip Simpson
Seaver Miller
Dale Boone
Arthur Rios
Kobayashi

Team Squeezable Buns
Captain Crazy Legs Conti
Pat Bertoletti
Sonja Thomas
Tim Janus
Rich LeFevre
Justin Mih

The winning team will be chosen using normal fantasy sport scoring. Players earn points based on their performance during the competition. Criteria for each point earned will be revealed during the close of competition.

Lots more to come. We have fight songs being selected, logos being designed, and team captains ready to come to fantasy blows for their fantasy team.

Chip Simpson is going to the Show.

Though Tim "Eater X" Janus was just a burger or two behind for most of the eight-minute contest, the official results put Simpson half a Krystal ahead to win the trophy and a guaranteed spot at the Krystal Square Off champsionship table.

Janus was visibly disappointed with the result after IFOCE chairman George Shea was overheard ordering one burger to be discounted from his total (Shea was also heard ordering one burger from Simpson's total). As the final seconds ticked away, both eaters crammed liquid-soaked burgers into their mouths. Shea asked Janus multiple times to remove some of the excess Krystal, which was protruding from his mouth. With one burger presumably deducted from each eater's total, it is unclear whether the adjustments affected the final standings.

Third-place masticator Justin Mih (ranked 33) had an impressive showing with 33, beating out local favorite Bubba Yarbough, who finished fourth with 26 burgers.

With three more qualifiers to go, here's how the final table looks:

• Takeru Kobayashi
• Sonya Thomas
• Chip Simpson
• Joey Chestnut
• Humble Bob Shoudt
• Pat Bertoletti
• Winner of qualifier in Memphis, TN
• Winner of qualifier in Perry, GA
• Winner of qualifier in Jackson, MS
• Wildcard

Janus's impressive showing puts him far ahead of the pack in wildcard race, virtually guaranteeing his spot at the championship.

Eric "Badlands" Booker. Father, husband, conductor on the 7 train, competitive eater, rapper, and one of the nicest guys you'll ever hope to meet.

Booker announced his retirement late last month, but he will not be entirely absent from competitive eating. His next album drops (we've always wanted to say that) at Thanksgiving and he plans to continue rapping before events and work behind the scenes as much as possible. On a message posted on eatfeats.com Booker said, "I'm not going to be retired and gone; like the Godfather [Charles Hardy], I will still be a driving force in the competitive eating community." Like anyone would let him disappear! Hello, it's Badlands! There also is a chance this might not be the end of the competitive eating road for Booker. When we asked the man himself for his thoughts on retirement he said, "Right now I'm in a reframing stage in my career and life, and I feel that the fans deserve the very best from me at the table. So I've put my fork down to take steps to be better than I ever was before, should I decide to pick up my fork again." Booker also has a dream that extends beyond the table, "If ESPN would have me, I would love to be a commentator when they air eating events, that would be a dream come true y' know." ESPN, are you listening? What a coup! That would rock and definitely be better than those golf commentators they normally ship in for the events.

To honor this occasion we asked some eaters to give us their thoughts on Booker's retirement and we've assembled those thoughts below. Together they show us a man who was generous with his eating tips, a person who taught others to stand up for what they believe in and remain true to themselves, and a man who was amazingly well-liked and respected. It is clear from the heartfelt responses we received from eaters that Booker will remain a very large presence in the competitive eating circuit. He might not physically be at the table, but he will definitely be held in the hearts of every eater.

Joey Chestnut : "Booker is a great eater and brought a lot more to the table than an appetite. Booker was the first to recognize the mental aspect of competitive eating and the need to focus. I have nothing but
admiration and positive feelings for Booker."

Crazy Legs Conti : "Booker rocked Buffalo like a Hurricane. People who thought they were rooted to the ground in the freezing rain were blown away, literally, when Badlands roared some "Ingestion Engine." Some 12-year-old kid named Scooter was blown all the way back to Rochester. Scooter had to hop a bus back to catch the Buffet Bowl (Scooter is a huge Arturo Rios fan). Badlands got up and did his thing. People left cover and charged the stage in the gale force wind and whipping rain just to get close to the big man's mouth. And his son, Brandon was like the lightning in the storm. If the IFOCE was going to hire Booker into some sort of official role it would have to be Traveling Bard. Trade in the ocarina, and pick up the microphone....and Badlands the Traveling Bard is, "All good".

Pat Bertoletti : "I will miss the big man. He will be missed and never forgotten, I hope he stays promoting the sport. He is a big man but has an even bigger heart."

Humble Bob : "Eric's retirement? That is too tough for me. You are going to bring me to tears. After I won the Buffet Bowl, I dedicated my victory to him on stage. This is but a tiny gesture to what he means to my eating career. This is a man who literally took me under his wing and made me feel like a truly special eater. One of my favorite moments I have had in competitive eating: it was our last night in Vegas at the US Open. We were in a karaoke bar. There were about 7 or 8 groups of people in the bar, not mixing outside of their group. Someone would get up and only their group really cared. No one in another group paid any attention to them; they were just waiting their turn. Then Eric gets up there and almost brings down the house. Literally everyone in the place is up there on stage moving to a karaoke song. That was special. But then again, so is Eric. To be honest, that night really wasn't so special. It was just another day, in another town hanging out with Badlands, as Eric has a way of making every day and everyone seem special. I will miss him at the table, we all will."

Don "Moses" Lerman : "When I first met Eric it was at the Belmont Nathan's qualifier in 2000. I said then that he was a very dangerous eater because in a contest he eats for pleasure. H'es one of the true pioneers in the sport; he will be succeeded but never replaced."

Chip Simpson : "Any time you lose a great eater and person like Booker to retirement, it is tough. I loved it when I saw Badlands walk up to the table. He was always all smiles and the first person to congratulate you when you got the victory. Not only was he a great eater but a great friend as well. He will be missed at the table but I know we will see him at events and hear much more from this great man. All the best, Badlands; we miss you and good luck with your future endeavors."

Tim "Eater X" Janus : "I was very disappointed to hear that Badlands retired, but I know he won't deprive us of his presence. The greatest thing about eating with Eric was that I got to hang out with him. He's gonna stay involved with the sport, and he'll be around, so I'll continue to have many opportunities to see him."

Erik "The Red" Denmark : "...Booker is so loved by everyone on the circuit and he is a worthy ambassador of our sport. Booker can't go far because he is an entertainer and that is what we all are and there will always be a place for him at contests and with the IFOCE - he IS competitive eating."

Seaver "The Achiever" Miller : "Badlands Booker was one of the first eaters I ever met and right off the bat he was really nice to me. The competitive eating world is definitely losing a great competitor. However, we can always look forward to his musical entertainment at events. The only reason I am upset by his retirement, is that I was able to share a table with him just once, which was a true honor."

It's been a busy few weeks in the competitive eating world, and we thought we'd give you the recap to end all recaps. See, if you were a good little competitive eating fan, you'd already be reading eatfeats daily and getting your scoop there. But since you're already here, we're gonna serve you, like, 3,000 words of competition goodness. That's the reading equivalent of eating about 15 cannoli, so strap yourself in. Plus, no offense to our dear OJ Rifkin, the pseudonymous mystery man who runs eatfeats, but he's not giving you killer quotes like, "I threw up twice in my mouth," or "Just when you think the Masked Avenger is out for the count, he comes back like Barbara Streisand."

What OJ is giving us, however, is an award! Yes, you are looking at the two winners of the 2006 Trenchy Award for the Best Non-Eater Writer! Hel-lo! We feel really honored for getting the votes (um, over two freakin' published authors!), so thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Although, what's with this "no monetory or tangible award" bit? We were picuring a little something like so:

We can dream, can't we? Anyway, on to the competitions!

It wasn't long after the competitive eaters recovered from the Nathan's hot dog competition that they were already revving up for the 2006 Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship. Krystal burgers, for those of us not in the south, are tiny square burgers cooked with an onion flavoring and served on little fluffy buns. They go down fast and have become a favorite competition food among the serious eaters. "Humble" Bob Shoudt says, " In my mind, there exists no bigger single contest then Krystals. I marked 10/28/2006 as taken on my PDA as I was waiting for the final totals to be calculated on stage last year at the 2005 Krystals Finals. I live for Krystals. Everyone has a contest that they prefer, this is mine."

This is also one of Kobayashi's favorite competitions and he'll be back this year to battle it out for the $30,000 in prize money (1st prize is $10,000 of that). As champion, he gets an automatic seat at the finals, leaving every other soul out there with a competitive eating streak in them left to battle their way to an accompanying seat. And, dude, there are a LOT of 'em. Krystal has a following of "Krystal Lovers," average customers who have a passion for stacking the little burgers high on a regular basis. The chain has a bit of a cult following, even inspiring things like Krystal wedding platters (totally different than crystal wedding platters).

Anyway, it seems simple: there are eight local qualifiers (8-minutes long), with the winner of each, plus four wild cards, going on to take a seat at the big table in Chattanooga, TN. But then it gets more complicated: (deep breath) in order to go to compete in a local qualifier you can either a) be a professional eater or b) sign up for a 2-minute pre-qualifier, of which there are about 20 per city. The top 10 pre-qualifiers in each city go on to compete in the local qualifier with the pros. As Brian Cooley, who does PR for the Krystal Square Off says, "The 2-minute events are loaded with passionate customers that just want to have fun and be part of the excitement." So, if the talent is ripe, it is possible for a Krystal Lover to win his or her way to the big finals with the pros. You got all that? You wanna watch all of it? Helloooo webcams!

Because yo! Joey Chestnut and Sonya Thomas won the first two local qualifiers, in Jacksonville and Chattanooga, respectively. I know, I know, no big surprises there. Although, in the past, Krystal Lovers like Sam Vice have been known to stride past respected pros like Don Lerman in local qualifiers, so there may be shockers yet to come.

Although, since Joey's rise to 2nd best eater in the world, there has been some harsh Sonya doubting. Of course, her loyal fans and supporters know she's as determined as ever and her numbers are showing it. She ate 62 burgers in the 8-minute contest, a number that matches Joey's American record in last year's finals and that beats Joey's local Jacksonville win this year by 10 burgers. Joey doesn't discount Sonya's abilities going into this competition saying, "Sonya is an amazing eater and should never be doubted. She consistently puts up huge numbers and forces me to push myself. As far as Sonya being a threat at Krystal finals...I know she will put up a big number, I just hope it is not as big as the number I am going to be training to hit at the finals." And if there's anyone who's focused, it's Joey, who took his last loss to Kobayashi pretty hard. "I don't talk about Nathan's," he says. "I just want to walk away from the Krystal finals happy."

Sonya may have have been feeling like she had something to show her closest competitor, as he had narrowly beat her in a gyoza competition on August 19th. They battled it out right to the end, but Joey overtook The Black Widow at the end, beating her with 212 dumplings to her 210.

And our rising Phenom, Chip Simpson, certainly hasn't been sitting around twiddling his thumbs these past few weeks. On August 26, he stormed the GoldenPalace.net World Sausage Sandwich Eating Championship in Syracuse, NY. With 13.25 sandwiches, he won $2,000 and beat out Humble Bob by a quarter of a sandwich. Then only a week later, Chip had his real moment in the sun at the Buffalo Wing Festival when beat Sonya Thomas for the first time.

Did you catch that? Chip. Beat. Sonya.

"There is no competitive eating contest more elegant than the Buffalo Wing contest and no victory more important. The essence of the human struggle to survive is on display in Buffalo on Labor Day Weekend."

The quote above was taken directly from the IFOCE website and is attributed to convivial IFOCE Chairman George Shea. It speaks directly to the significance of this contest and the importance of paying attention in English class.

Sonya and Bob tied for 2nd place with 146 wings each, but it was a clean victory for the young gun, who downed 158 (though Sonya's record of 161 from last year still stands). Will Chip be the next eater to enter the Kobayashi level of eating? Joey admits it could happen. "I think the gap between Koby and America's top eaters is closing. Chip and Pat [Bertoletti] are great eaters and will most likely qualify for Krystals with a higher number than me."

There was some controversy surrounding this contest, apparently stemming from the bad weather. The method for cooking and delivering the wings had to be changed because of the rain and this, it's been said, caused the wings to run out before the contest ended--a big no-no. Hopefully, next year will be rain and controversy free.

Chip was understandably excited about this win. "The Buffalo wing competition was a huge step for me, as it is recognized as big contest to win," he said. "I actually was an alternate in the contest last year which would have been my eating debut. I went with the hopes of getting in, but all of the eaters showed up. I watched it from afar and thought to myself, 'I think I can hang with these guys, eventually.' I was extremely excited to compete, and finally beating the great Sonya Thomas was another HUGE step in my eating career. Of course she whooped my butt the next day, but at least I got one victory."

The whooping in question happened at the Waffle House World Waffle-Eating Championship, held in At