Rich Shea hints that there might be a Nathan's qualifier in Minnesota's 2nd most populous city (St. Paul) in 2012. A Minneapolis/St. Paul area Nathan's qualifier was held from 2005-2009. The new poll asks what city that previously held a qualifier (but was not on the 2011 circuit) would you most like to see regain a qualifier.
A picture of the Nathans' Famous wall of fame with Kobayashi can still be viewed on the official facebook for the restaurant chain. The wall was redone last year to remove Kobayashi's image.
NY Daily News reports that the Nathan's Famous on the Coney Island Boardwalk (not the site of the annual competition at Surf & Stillwell) has signed an 8 year lease for a larger location on the Boardwalk.
"Hungry" Charles Hardy announces that he is considering returing to competitive eating in 2012. The new poll asks what inactive former Nathan's finalist would you most like to see attempt a comeback.
A judgeship in the Nathan's finals is available in United for Lung Cancer's charity auction. Bidding (minimum $300) will open tomorrow and close on November 17. The item page says the bidding is for the July, 4 2011 contest and is illustrated with a picture of Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi (who will probably not compete in the 2012 finals). (via kNOwLungCancer)
TheOtherSports.com has an article about the women's division of the Nathan's finals reporting that Laura Leu reversed on the Coney Island boardwalk after the contest.
Minyanville has a video titled The Economics of Competitive Eating which asks Tim Janus and other competitors at the recent Nathan's weigh-in how rising food prices have affected their training.
The Connection has an interview with Sonya Thomas in which she says the first nickname she considered was "Seabiscuit". update CapFlyer.com reports that Andrews Air Force Base has named Sonya Thomas its "Warrior of the Week."
Ken Hoffman of the Houston Chronicle served as Erik Denmark's judge in the 2011 Nathan's finals. Unlike last year when he judged Juliet Lee, he reported an amount the same as the official result (33.5).
Top Story Weekly has a video of a sketch set at the women's division of the Nathan's finals in which competitors are heckled during pre-contest interviews. (probably not safe for work)
Pat Bertoletti appears on the Sklar brothers (hosts of ESPN Classic's Cheap Seats) recent podcast (Pat's appearance starts around the 5 minute mark) to talk about his runner-up finish in the men's Nathan's finals. (Pat's "Henderson" headband was a tribute to the Sklars.) Pat announces that he and Tim Brown have purchased a food truck and calls Joey Chestnut "washed up" and "burned out" despite losing to Chestnut 9 of the last 11 times he has faced him (see comments).
The Bert Show has podcasts (the bottom two audio clips) of Grace Lee's appearance this morning where she talked about her experience at the Nathan's finals. Grace says she was not aware she received a 20 hot dog deduction until July 5. In the second clip, Larell Marie Mele's comment about Grace is mentioned (without providing the source) and the show tries to call Shea Communications about the decision but cannot reach George or Richard. (The person answering the phone said someone from the IFOCE would call back later.) update Grace has posted a video from New York and The New York Daily News has a short article in which George Shea stands behind the deduction, but says that Grace is welcome in future IFOCE contests. update July 12 Gothamist has a blog entry about the deduction.
The Las Cruces Sun-News has a column praising Stephanie Torres' third place finish at the women's division of the Nathan's finals.
British newspaper coverage of the Nathan's finals: Guardian blog entry | The Times article (requires subscription) titled "Hard not to scoff at display of mastication dedication" (via Real Clear Sports)
Some more Nathan's galleries: Boston Wolverine | asterix611 | Food Republic | Washington Post | Jamie NYC (behind the scenes)
Grace Lee says she will give her side of the controversy (20 hot dog difference between her claimed total and offical count) about her Nathan's total on the Bert Show on Monday.
The Albuquerque Journal has an article (which appears on the front page of the physical paper) about Stephanie Torres, who is looking forward to the possibility of defeating Sonya Thomas at the 2012 Nathan's contest.
KenExcellence has videos recorded near the stage of the Nathan's finals for almost the whole event. Women's contest: Part 1 | Part 2 | Men's Contest. George Shea calls Stephanie Torres the best female rookie in history and praises Grace Lee's performance several times during the women's contest.
The facebook for the US Embassy in South Korea has a post about Sonya Thomas winning the Nathan's womens contest.
Sonya Thomas' appearance on NBC4 this afternoon can be viewed online on NBC Washington.
The Orange County Register has an article about Damon Wells and Stephanie Torres competing in the Nathan's finals which reports that Stephanie Torres won a CIF-Southern Section Division II championship in cross country in 2003 earning her the title of OC Register Girl Runner of the Year.
Pete Davekos talks about his training techiques in an Electric Pig post.
Atlanta Metromix has a gallery of pictures taken by Grace Lee at the Nathan's finals. (via Firsthomerealty)
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