Health category

Randy Santel wrote an article for his website on recovering from eating challenges.
Ed "Cookie" Jarvis announced on his facebook today that a cheek tumor was discovered in his head. Jarvis was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2010, but declared cancer-free later that year. Best of luck to Cookie with the results of his upcoming CT scan. (via Brian Seiken comment).
Men's Health has an article about Ed "Cookie" Jarvis loosing almost 200 pounds (from 575 to 279 pounds).
Joel Podelsky announces he lost the most weight (18 pounds) among the competitive eaters who participated in the DietBet challenge.
Will Millender has a blog entry about the "Diet Bet" he is starting with Eric Dahl, Joe LaRue, Joel Podelsky, Mike Sisco and Todd Greenwald. The participants will be required to lose 4% of their body weight in 28 days. The diet will begin on March 9 with a "last meal" pizza eating contest at Ripley's Believe it or Not in Times Square. update A press release about the event is available.
Fox5Vegas reports that a customer experience a heart attack while eating a Triple Bypass Burger at the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas. The unnamed diner is reportedly recovering in a Las Vegas Hospital. (video of paramedics taking man to hospital.) update as of 4pm eastern, "Heart Attack Grill" is the #9 worldwide trending topic on twitter.
The website for Egizi Funeral Home announces that "Tollman" Joe Paul, winner of Wing Bowl 8 in 2000, passed away. update The Wing Bowl website has a post about Joe Paul.
The Wing Bowl website has a gallery from one of today's qualification stunts captioned: "Wingdippidy Forced To Stop Eating After Near Asphyxiation"
Yahoo! Sports has a column asking the question: "Competitive Eating: Sport or Mental Disorder?"
Baltimore.CBSlocal.com has an interview with Mike Solano about the visions he experienced after choking in a crab cake eating contest in Timonimum, MD in September. Solano was technically dead for four minutes and suffered a mini-stroke.
MSNBC's BodyOdd blog asks the question "Can eating too much make your stomach burst?"
Mirror.co.uk reports that Freddie Starr was hospitalized for food poisoning after eating a fermented egg in a gross food eating contest on the British version of I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. In addition to the egg, the 68 year old comic also consumed a pig’s anus, cockroach milkshake, camel toe, turkey testicle and mice tails to win the contest.
Body Odd on MSNBC asks the question: "Are competitive eating contests a terrible idea?"

Scripps Network chairman on Man vs. Food format change

KnoxNews.com reports that ratings for Man vs. Food:Nation have declined, but were decreasing before the change from Man vs. Food. Ken Lowe, chairman, president and CEO of Scripps Networks, owner of the Travel Channel, has more on the reasons why host Adam Richman no longer does eating challenges:

I can tell you the decision to tweak it was driven mostly by the concerns for Adam. The format was very hard on him, and he came to us and we had a conversation about how we could keep the format going without continuing to be such a heavy health concern for him. And we’re obviously willing to do that. But I think just like a lot of series in television, there’s a certain arc, and I think the arc of that particular format is just by nature two to three years.

update Broadcasting & Cable reports that the Travel Channel’s ratings were down almost 15% in the third quarter and the decline is primarily due to Man vs. Food: Nation slumping. The new poll asks what do you think is the main reason for the ratings decline.

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An advisory board for the Taiwanese government suggested that injuries suffered in eating contests should not be eligible for government health care.
71 year old Peter Dowdeswell, probably Britain's most famous competitive eater, announced his retirement after suffering injuries while trying to drink a pint of beer upside down. (A video of a successful upside down drinking attempt by Dowdeswell, who claims he holds 339 world records)
Live Science asks the question "Can Eating Too Much Spicy Food Kill You?" (via NY Daily News)
The new poll asks your opinion about end of contest "chipmunking". According to a Patch.com report, Michael Solano "chipmunked" a crabcake sandwich at the end of a contest held at Michael's Cafe before he choked and lacked a pulse for four minutes.
BelAir.Patch.com has an update on Michael Solano, who had a near death experience and lacked a pulse for four minutes after choking during a crab cake eating contest held September 24 at Michael's Cafe in Timonium, MD. Solano thinks that he might have experienced a mild stroke and received the $500 that was designated for the contest winner.
The Daily Mail reports that a spicy curry contest held in Edinburgh, Scotland hospitalized two competitors.
Patch.com reports that the crab cake eating contest held at Michael's Cafe Crab Ball in Timonium, MD was cancelled after a contestant choked and was hospitalized. (via Mike Longo) u pdate A Patch.com update lists the man's name as Mike Solano and says he remains hospitalized after lacking a heartbeat and pulse after the contest. (via comment)
News24.com reports that a 77 year old man died after winning a dumpling eating contest held in The Ukraine. The Gazet van Antwerpen uses a picture of Kobayashi at Nathan's to illustrate it article about the death. update Sept 21 The Guardian has more about the death.
The Rockford Corner Bar announces that the amateur record holder for its chili dog challenge (43 chili dogs in 4 hours), Balinda Gould-McIntosh, passed away on September 2 at the age of 46 after a struggle with cancer.
Cleveland.com reports that Glutton Bowl competitor David "Moe Ribs" Molesky passed away at the age of 57. (via Don Lerman) update Molesky was the runner up to Don Lerman in the butter eating contest at the Glutton Bowl.
Easy Reader News reports that a diner at Amigos Tacos in Huntington Beach, CA was hospitalized after completing a ghost pepper burrito challenge.
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