Crazy Legs Conti wins Escondido Nathan’s qualifier

update July 1 The sports / athlete gossip blog Deadspin did a post about the controversy after receiving a tip from Dave Wagner “Sam” containing this quote from Rich Shea:

The officials at this particular qualifier reviewed Crazy Legs Conti’s eating area and determined a deduction should be made for detritus. After the deduction, Conti’s total was still enough to win the event. The ruling stands and Conti will compete in Coney Island on July 4th.

update June 30 Sammy Bee served as a contest judge and emailed a post contest picture of Conti’s plate & cups:

update June 29 Space Pirate Queen has a flickr gallery with videos of the contest

update June 28 pt 2 Runner-up Adrian Morgan has posted a comment.

update June 28 Dave Wagner has posted the uncut video to youtube Part 1 | Part 2

update #4 NC Times has an article

update #3 DL Wagner has a blog entry and video from the qualifier focusing on Crazy Legs Conti.

update #2 The OC Register has an article

update The MLE facebook has the top 5 (Part 1 | Part 2 )
1) Crazy Legs Conti 25
2T) Adrian Morgan 22
2T) Brian Subich 22
4) Damon Wells 21
5) Ron Koch 19
? Shawn Kirby 9

OCRegister has a preview of the Nathan’s qualifier in Escondido, California listing Shawn Kirby, Damon Wells, Crazy Legs Conti and Adrian Morgan as expected entrants.

Kevin Ross and Matt Cohen will also compete and did an interview on the Scott and BR show. (podcast)

Comments (147)

147 Comments »

  1. Crawfish said (Registered May 24, 2008)

    June 26, 2010 @ 4:44 pm

    San Deigo Nathan’s qualifier (via Wrecking Ball)
    1st Crazy Legs 25
    2nd Adrian Morgan 22
    3rd Damon Wells 21

  2. Crawfish said (Registered May 24, 2008)

    June 26, 2010 @ 5:08 pm

    Adrian Morgan and Brian Subich tied for 2nd w/22

  3. spraymucus said (Registered July 1, 2009)

    June 26, 2010 @ 7:10 pm

    Subich ate 18 HDB’s, he jokingly told Dave he ate 22 and that’s how it got reported. Sorry big Brian, I’m not gonna go to NY so let me at least have my 3rd place win. 🙂

    it was nice meeting some new faces today, maybe next year I’ll make it to Coney!

    ~Damon

  4. spraymucus said (Registered July 1, 2009)

    June 26, 2010 @ 7:14 pm

    Kevin Ross also finished with 18 HDB’s btw

  5. Unbiased observer said

    June 26, 2010 @ 8:53 pm

    In observance of this eating contest, I was in awe of the mess that I witnessed today. The winner was making those dogs dissappear but not into his mouth. I am amazed that the dunking cups were not filtered out because I saw dog after dog get spit into them. The second place gentlemen were cheated of an opportunity and the Federation they are involved with should be embarassed.

    It was mentioned that a one dog deducation was given but I swear it should of been at least 5 or 6. Is this because the winner seemed to be the favorite going in and this is what they wanted?

  6. DWagner said

    June 26, 2010 @ 9:46 pm

    I have to concur with the tainted Conti victory. I was at the event today, and have video of the event posted on YouTube and my blog. I thought it was odd that he appeared to repeatedly spit big mouthfuls of food into his cups. I have a passing interest in this subculture only, but still big enough to motivate me to go to the event and record it as blog fodder. If you want to check the video out, the youtube link is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_VEMm8a5q0, or just search “San Diego Nathans Hot Dog Eating Comp 2010” which is what I named the video.

    Dave Wagner

  7. Finally exposed by a non eater said

    June 26, 2010 @ 10:52 pm

    God Bless you Mr. Wagner for telling it from a spectators percpective, there has been a lot of controversy for a similar contest Conti was in out in San Jose California, where he hide a hot dog in his glove, if you look at the youtube clip you shot today at the 3:30-3:48 mark in Conti’s right hand you can see he did the same exact thing with his glove AGAIN!!!!!

    But as you said, in the grand scheme of things, who really cares except for the person who gets robbed a trip to Coney.

    Thank you for finally exposing Conti for what he is….

  8. Anonymous said

    June 26, 2010 @ 11:20 pm

    Am I crazy? What the hell are you guys talking about? You’ve made a pretty slanderous accusation based upon bad video shot from 40 feet away. What I see is a guy putting a cup to his lips, which is what people do when they’re drinking, which is what people do when they’re eating.

    Headline: Conti Was Thirsty!!!

  9. Anonymous said

    June 27, 2010 @ 7:06 am

    Video from the San Diego Qualifier. Watch the “disappearing” act at the end of the contest, around 3 minutes into the video. Not so smooth moves Legs.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_VEMm8a5q0

  10. Anonymous said

    June 27, 2010 @ 7:11 am

    Guess I should read the posts. Thank you for the video Dave.

    If you are “just thirsty” you drink, you don’t spit out whatever is in your mouth into the cup and then wring it out and then hide it in your rubber glove.

  11. Anonymous said

    June 27, 2010 @ 8:35 am

    I looked at the video. Even went as far as looking at it frame by frame. I saw shots that were so close that it looked very nuch like bits of bun were floating in some cups. Water just does not have that white cakey and fluffy look a bun has.

    Also bringing a cup up to your mouth to drink means one tips the cup and the water or liquid flows in your mouth. Try it at home and see. Many times he would bring the cup up to his mouth but not tip it to drink. Looked like he only held it close to his mouth. This would make it very easy to spit something in the cup while trying to make believe he was drinking.

    Third. I thought I read before eaters could only compete to qualify once, twice or maybe 3 times tops. Not 5 or 6 times. They really must of wanted him to win because I heard he had all his travel costs paid for each time he competed.

    There has been talk here about how much food product is left on the table and floor by Juliet. Here is a case where a lot of food product is left behind in cups. If the contents of these cups were pourd into a cheesecloth, placed over a pail. What would remain after the water and liquid was drained would most likely add up to 5, 8 or 10 more hot dogs and buns.

  12. anonymous said

    June 27, 2010 @ 8:41 am

    Wow i love this video . It even starts off with what sounds like eery sounding music from a 1962 movie titled carnival of souls. I think it is a disgrace the way he gets away with this shit year in and year out . They want him in the contest so bad that they will do anything to make sure a spot is reserved for him on the 4th of July . An outrage to the highest degree

  13. anonymous said

    June 27, 2010 @ 9:33 am

    Who the hell was this new guy dave that mc the contest? Another one hit wonder like Damien who did the five spot cheesesteak contest in brooklyn last sept? I guess as long as you meet the criteria of sounding and dressing like a shea carnival barker , then you have a two month future with MLE. Good luck with your unemployment benefits dave if you can get in enough weeks to become eligible for it.

  14. A-Bomb said (Registered May 7, 2009)

    June 27, 2010 @ 10:23 am

    That’s sad, Mr. Conti, really sad.

    I guess we know why he’s called the Houdini of Cuisini. He’s now the Mike Scott (he of the Houston Astros; look it up) of Competitive Eating. I wonder how long he has been doing this. His finishes mean almost nothing now.

    On the video it looks like Adrian Morgan and Kevin Ross saw something. But Conti cleaned up his area. So even if they had brought it up, there was not much evidence left on the table. It was in his gloves or Conti ate it after the contest end.

    Pete Rosini of Cuisini?

  15. Anonymous said

    June 27, 2010 @ 10:29 am

    Holy bad magician act Batman!!! After this video they should start checking cups, gloves, crazy hats, and dreads!
    Adrian got robbed!! I hope someone reviews this!

  16. KevinRoss said

    June 27, 2010 @ 10:31 am

    I ate 18 btw and am disappointed in my performance. Those buns were really odd and just were difficult for me. I doubt I’ll compete in hot dogs again, it just is not my thing.

    But I’ve been giving the crazy legs situation some thought and decided I’ll post something (not anonymously but under my real name, whether it alienates certain people from me or not). The truth is, crazy legs was being intentionally messy to the point where it was incalculable what his deduction should have been. It is not hard to put food in ones mouth instead of all over the place. There is a lot of eaters on the circuit who take advantage and seem more busy making a mess than actually eating food. Adrian ate his 22 completely clean as Damon did his 21. CLC was counted with 25. Was his mess more than 3? I would say very likely, but hard to tell for sure. And that’s the problem. When somebody is making such a mess on purpose to the point where it is impossible to tell what an accurate deduction is, it should just be a disqualification. Who is really going to sift through that disgusting mess to try to accurately figure out what happened? Nobody! That’s why this kind of behavior is gotten away with because nobody gets DQd when they take advantage of the situation.

    Heck, maybe I could have “eaten” 40, but only really put 20 in my stomach. It would have made a huge mess, but maybe I’d have only gotten a 10HDB deduction. I’d be the winner with 30! Woo hoo! Obviously this hypothetical situation is not close to what happened, but my point is, where does this sort of thing end? At what point does it become too ridiculous?

    This situation pains me because I’ve always liked Crazy Legs. He’s a great person to talk to and hang out with and very charismatic. He’s always been nice to me and I’ve never had anything negative to say about him. So I want to be clear I don’t think he is a bad person or anything of this nature. . .I just think perhaps he wants to win so much he might have lost track of doing it the right way. . .

  17. Anonymous said

    June 27, 2010 @ 10:33 am

    Moment’s of interest in this video (so far):

    0:25, 1:22, 1:37, 2:10. 2:45, 3:33, 4:13, 4:20, 4:37

    Don’t expect the Sheas to do anything about it. They were / are behind this loser 100% even with proof.

  18. Smut video said

    June 27, 2010 @ 10:34 am

    The post event looks staged. Clearly he has been exposed! The hiding food in your cup trick he has been doing for years! If only Adrian Morgan had yelled out check his cups, he would be the one going to Coney not clc. What a disgrace to mankind!!!!!

  19. anonymous said

    June 27, 2010 @ 10:50 am

    So look back at the contest Mr Conti did prior to Nathans (2009-2010_. Looks as though this top “ranked” eater has been on the down slide and has not finished very well in our foods. Perhaps there was no way of hiding debris like he is able to in nathans. Why wasn’t George Shea out there to watch this contest as in San Jose, because he is the only fair one at deductions. He would have nade it right and given Mr Subich or Morgan the chance to move on.

    Shame shame shame

  20. Nothing to see here said

    June 27, 2010 @ 10:55 am

    This isn’t news. Move along. It’s huge if anyone else at the table would have done it. This has been going on for years. It’s just the first time somebody caught it on camera so blatantly.

  21. RJ said (Registered August 28, 2008)

    June 27, 2010 @ 11:33 am

    I can’t imagine any reward driving me to cheat in that manner. Between the debris, the smashing and hiding food in his gloves, eating a minute after, sweeping food under the table, spitting food back into his cups, and later his shirt in repeated layers that he folded over and over and they wrung into the fabric before unrolling – I would have to say this was worse than anything I’ve seen on video yet. Just horrible. Other eaters at that table deserved that seat. I’d be embarrassed to go up on that stage next week if I did that, even after telling myself only a few other eaters have seen the video. It would be my own self image I couldn’t deal with.

  22. Anonymous said

    June 27, 2010 @ 12:26 pm

    4:40-4:45 ***CLEARLY***YOU CAN SEE HIM STUFF HIS GLOVE

  23. Anonymous said

    June 27, 2010 @ 1:40 pm

    Let me understand this “joke” that Subich made. He told the emcee he ate 22 and then never told the emcee that he actually ate 18. That’ a joke? Wouldn’t a joke require him to fess up at some point to get a laugh?

  24. Anonymous said

    June 27, 2010 @ 1:44 pm

    KevinRoss – Great post. Messy is one thing, but rolling the evidence up in his rubber gloves INTENTIONALLY hiding the debris is another. In other contests, he has been seen kicking debris under the table to make it look like his competitors did it.

    Heck yea, I would get a pair of his gloves and dig into the debris he left JUST TO PROVE that he should have been disqualified.

    What a joke his actions were and have been lately. Time to hang it up Legs. Put a fork in you, you are DONE! The MLE train has left the station and you are no longer a “top dog”. (puns intended).

  25. abracadabra1 said (Registered June 27, 2010)

    June 27, 2010 @ 6:00 pm

    Big Brian only took 3 plates. 5 dogs per plate is 15. He was also using the big mess , slight of hand , back wash method. So with a quick plate stack and the reporting of his own dog count he came up with 22. I dont think it was a joke . Maybe just an honest mistake due to sweat in the eyes and bad math. I shot a video from the ground floor that also concures with many other points in time referred to in prior post and exposes others that have not been referred to yet.

  26. Smut video said

    June 27, 2010 @ 6:28 pm

    All eaters who compete against Crazy cheating legs should stick their hands into his cups post contest. You will be surprised what you feel! Just see his tricks for the krystals circuit. I bet he’ll have full burgers in his liquid. He is a master of deception. This tainted victory will have real eaters gunning for him. Hopefully people will smarten up and say something or expose his cheating ways at the event. Not here. Point out everything to the emcee and demand a fair contest. The Sheas were in on this one. He had to make it with his face on the new wall of fame. For Conti it’s better off being called wall of shame. I will never look at him the same. He robs people for a little fame.

  27. Stop hatin on Big Brian said

    June 27, 2010 @ 7:10 pm

    Why do you guys take pleasure in constantly bashing Subich. Does it have anything to do with his first name being Brian? Does he ever post negative remarks about anyone else? Never. Does he foam at the mouth like certain people when someone posts a satiric comment on his facebook page? Never. Has he ever outed another eater or bashed them in person? Never. All you people hate on him cause your jealous you dont have his size good looks and talent. I got news for you the first person the newbies in CE come to for eating advice is Subich ok? So shut your stinking mouths and reveal your true identity so he could hand you the proper beating you deserve. And word to the wise you dont want to get him angry

  28. Huge Crazy Legs Fan, BUt... said

    June 27, 2010 @ 7:16 pm

    that was the best “catching them in the act” video ever. Crazy Legs magically went from 16 hdb’s in one qualifier to 25 in this one….unfortunetly, we saw the ricks behind the magic…shameful

  29. Huge Crazy Legs Fan, BUt... said

    June 27, 2010 @ 7:18 pm

    the tricks behind the magic gypped poor Adrian The Rabbit Morgan of a possible Rookie of the Year trophy

  30. Zen and the Art of Cheating said

    June 27, 2010 @ 7:56 pm

    Wow. I have never seen cheating like this on video.

    Dear Shea Brothers,

    Your organization is getting stale and is boring to watch. A decade into it and you still have not made it what it could have been. I say “could have been” because you guys went from from pro promoters to hacks over the last two years. One single season of Man vs Food and Adam Richman have made the IFOCE/MLE and eaters like Conti, Booker, Sonya, Bob, etc.. irrelevant. The Travel Channel has taken what you built away from you! Nice sideline reporting in Miami but no one associates anything from that show with Rich or George. You guys are done unless the “sport” you created gets legitimate and you focus on the young talent. As you have seen, no one misses Cookie, the LeFeveres, or Erik Denmark. Oh, wait, Erik is still in it. Sometimes I can’t tell.

    Joey and Pat are cool because they can eat. But they looked like stiffs eating pizza. Seriously, no drama (think NBC and the Olympics) and diminishing talent on the bench. Track and field is BORING but exciting once every four years due to the scarcity. Your product is now diluted unlike Conti’s cups. More protein there than whatever supplements Kobayashi drinks for breakfast.

    Because of your lack of big name sponsors with their big checks you have to crank up the volume of contests. You have driven yourself to mediocrity by the number of contests and the type of sponsors. Anyone remember Johnsonville? I do. Quality sponsor who quit the game because people like Conti make a mess of their product. Sixty year old brand name associated with gluttony and vomit? Sign me up!

    I am disgusted that an organization who claims to be the official league of competitive eating puts up with blatant cheating as well as stacks the deck in contests. The hypocrisy is deafening. If we want to pretend it is a legitimate sport then play by the rules you have created. Until then, it’s a sideshow act that belongs on the street in places like Coney. Fitting that the Fourth is next week and the best and brightest will be on display right down the street from the sword swallowers and fire eaters. You are one degree away from a freak show. ESPN knows that and good luck going live next year. And I personally hope no one gets seriously injured as they drink two gallons of water to “train” or choke on whatever they stuff in their mouth. It might be better due to the liability and the fact that you have peaked to quit now and live in the history books as the ones that created and popularized competitive eating versus becoming part of its downhill slide into obsolescence.

  31. Anonymous said

    June 27, 2010 @ 8:11 pm

    I am so disappointed in Crazy Legs. He was once my hero. He’s now my zero.

  32. Anonymous said

    June 27, 2010 @ 8:38 pm

    Can someone direct me to the complete list of qualifiers for the 4th of July?

  33. Big Sexy said (Registered May 8, 2009)

    June 27, 2010 @ 9:00 pm

    http://nathansfamous.com/PageFetch/getpage.php?pgid=28

  34. Anonymous said

    June 27, 2010 @ 9:23 pm

    Zen and the Art of Cheating you can kiss IFOCE ass! Everybody knows who you are. Even if all the things you state are true, it does not help your jive-ass organization one iota!

  35. Anonymous said

    June 27, 2010 @ 9:43 pm

    Hey Zen and the Art of Cheating, Bob, Tim, and Sonya and can outeat everybody in your flippin organization. If you think not you are lying to yourself.

  36. Anonymous said

    June 27, 2010 @ 11:09 pm

    Anon 8:38
    http://eatfeats.com/2010-nathans-qualifier-winners.html/comment-page-1#comment-581261
    Here is a list of the folks who will be @ the Coney table

  37. beautifulbrian said

    June 27, 2010 @ 11:30 pm

    Lunatics such as Zen of cheating are dangerous. Why do i think that? Anyone that can sit back and compose a long and winding comment filled with hate can only point to one individual and its obvious who he is. This individual has issues loads of issues far beyond those of mortal men. I would hate to be the spouse of this mentally deranged lunatic for god only knows when he might go off and shoot up his own home and god forbid anyone get in his way . On the Crazy legs situation i think the verbal battering should cease right now. I used to like the man but of late he has gone from one of my favorite eaters to least favorite eaters and it has nothing to do with his alleged cheating. I dont think anyone deserves to be slammed in this manner. Maybe i dont see it your way because ive never been put in a position where his debris has cost me a spot at Coney Island . Maybe if i was a dog or two away from the finals after competing with Legs at the table i might think a whole lot different. Ive been in the sport for 13yrs and basically have seen it all. Call me the Ed Kranepool of the organization. As far as character Crazy legs can be defined as the ultimate sport being the first to buy the round of drinks or treating you to lunch or dinner. How he performs at the table is another issue by itself. Remember the episode of BB corner in 2007 with Crazy Legs where i emphasized the fact that the so called cheater is not to blame but the one that allows the cheating to persist is the main culprit. I know what its like firsthand to be blasted on this site and nobody has ever come to my defense. Maybe im not the one to step in and bring law and order to this latest tirade of hate but whats the point of beating someone when they are down. If you viewed Mr Wagners blog the first comment is almost comparable to Muhammad Ali Lary Holmes fight in 1980 where Ali might have gotten in one good punch while being beaten to a pulp for the remaining 9rds before it was mercifully stopped. The same applied with that first anonymous comment calling Wagner a dick while the rest of the comments were relentless beat downs of CLC. Its obvious that the haters have won unless some of the top guns in MLE decide to come out of the woodwork in his defense. You gotta feel for Subich Adrian and Ross but lets face it, has a Nathans qualifier ever been reversed due to excessive debris from an eaters plate or cups? Suvcih beat Wingador in 2004 but the decision was never reversed. Wingador showed some real class by offering his trophy amd spot in the finals to Subich but Rich Shea would have no part of that. Would Conti offer the same gesture for Larue? Larue had a legit beef in Sunrise 2005 but the decision was never reversed. He is well liked by the people that run the show especially Rich Shea and thats all that matters. Its like the co workers at your job that bitch to the supervisor that a certain indivdiual is getting pref treatment. Has that supervisor ever told you “Gee you know youre right maybe i should start taking stock of myself and give you some of that pref treatment” Never happen in this lifetime but if by chance it does , then you got one hell of a supervisor and i suggest you never ever leave that job. I know for a fact that they want Crazy Legs at the table every 4th of July. Without CLC its just not the same. Dont ask me to elaborate like i said ive been around the biz for 13yrs and most of what i percieve without being present in the MLE office is for the most part pretty accurate.

  38. Anonymous said

    June 28, 2010 @ 12:10 am

    Mr. Wagner you are my hero……Mr. Conti you are a loser.

  39. DWagner said

    June 28, 2010 @ 12:21 am

    By request, I posted all of the footage, unedited, in 2 parts on my YouTube page. Not sure what else there is to see, but if that interests you, the links are here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIbzktuglVY and here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HizeHs30Us

    Not sure what to think about all this. I hope some good comes of it…

    Dave W

  40. Gentleman Joe said (Registered December 8, 2005)

    June 28, 2010 @ 1:01 am

    I’m confused as to who all of you think Art of Cheating is. It is written way to well to be Chapman or Boone. My candidate would be Coondog, who does attempt to write.

    If you are an experienced eater, you know exactly what you saw in that video. That’s all i’ll say re: that…for now. I’ll let you guys beat each other up, a bit longer before I comment/suggest what should happen. If it doesn’t happen 1st.

    On self-reporting of what’s been eaten, its obvious that some have been overestimating, regularly, for yrs. Does it matter that much when its not for the win, maybe not, but it does matter to the “clean” eaters & for rankings

    Boone more than likely made a “mistake” when asked how many pelmeni he ate about 100 yrs ago, & it seems that Subich must make a habit of “joking” about his totals & not telling the truth, that its really half or so of the joke. Those two are by no means the only ones.

  41. Curly fries said

    June 28, 2010 @ 2:09 am

    CLC reputation is forever tarnished… He has been exposed and his buddies the Sheas are hating life right now. How many free rides has this cheat been given. Competitive eating is even more of a joke now. Anything but a real sport. All this blogging and he’s sitting at home laughing at everyone especially Adrian Morgan. Next time I hope people who he cheats against take action. The kind of behavior at the table needed to be stopped this so called man who is the face of competitive eating. What a sad,cruel, truth finally exposed..

  42. Ron Koch said

    June 28, 2010 @ 2:50 am

    Surprise surprise surprise, everyone cries…I was there and ate 19 dogs with no debree anywere. I did not hear anyone complain at the event..So why complain now..Why didnt the guy who shot the video say anything? If eaters saw debree or the hidden dog trick, why didnt you say anything? An eater saying he ate more than his total,once again why didnt anyone say anything..What I say is good job Legs and give them hell in Coney…..

  43. anonymous said

    June 28, 2010 @ 6:53 am

    Joe if zen of cheating is Boone then the idea of Beautiful Brian being the administrator of Eatfeats becomes less of a shock then originally stated. Talk about the greatest split personality ever to hit this planet considering what we have become accustomed with after reading Boones illiterate posts. Then again the most famous serial killers have been known to show flashes of brilliance at the keyboard or with the typewriter. .. Coondog would never utter one bad word Conti but after re reading the post you do have a point. He is a strong candidate with phrases such as “boring ” and “dear” He has used those words in the past

  44. Anonymous said

    June 28, 2010 @ 8:22 am

    beautifulbrian :: well written post. Thank you for your insight.
    Gentleman Joe :: Great reply!
    DWagner – I still love you man! PLEASE don’t let ANY of this get you down! Thank you for the additional footage.

    The point that eaters & fans are finally able to make with this video is that they just want everyone to play fair & by the rules, plain & simple. CLC does NOT play fair and in a world as competitive as this, it is NOT acceptable.

    I know that CLC can be a good guy of the field, but man when the whistle blows, he is a despicable contestant (at least with hot dogs).

    Have you learned your lesson CLC? You KNOW you will be under a microscope (and video) now at every competiton. You asked for it by cheating. If MLE doesn’t govern your ways, the other competitors will. This little corner of the internet is the only place where eaters are punished for their actions since MLE does nothing about instances as this.

    How does CLC rectify this? Easy. STOP CHEATING!

    How does MLE rectify this? STOP LETTING PEOPLE CHEAT! Especially with something as big as the Super Bowl of this eating world :: Nathan’s. Make some debris rules and follow through with them.

    If MLE wants CLC to be at the Fourth table that bad – give him a pass. He has lost his game and can’t compete against the others vets and the rookies coming up. It’s pathetic to see him try. We all know his #’s are low and he won’t win (or even come close…) so why not just give him a “pity spot” on the end and let the others participate in a solid competition to earn their way to the table.

    I would have MUCH rather watched Adrian Morgan compete this year than Crazy Legs Conti. That being said, I know that CLC is a 4th fixture there. Is it time for that to change? I think so. Why not set him up with a color commentator job?

  45. Anonymous said

    June 28, 2010 @ 9:01 am

    Ron Koch: There is “crying” now because there is finally proof of CLC’s actions. Seriously – what do you expect the other eaters to do during or even after the competiton? What can they do? What good are rules if they are not enforced?

    As far as the cameraman Dave goes, he didn’t realize what he was filming until he came home to edit. He is a fan, not an eater. Seriously – what did you expect from him?

    So the other eaters (esp. Adrian) are left to just be po’ed and frustrated, but now we can all see what they see, so yes. CLC is going to be called out.

    CLC, get ready for your most shameful appearance in Coney in your eating history.

  46. beautifulbrian said

    June 28, 2010 @ 10:29 am

    The problem i always had with CLC is when a small bone was thrown my way media wise , he would end up getting rewarded with the prime ribs and the bone to boot either the same day or a day later. EX” spike tv, discovery channel, TLC the list goes on. That would piss the shit out of me. I even wrote a song called “retaliation” off the stick to blogging CD in 2008 which alluded to that very situation
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn661Um5pa0

  47. Anonymous said

    June 28, 2010 @ 11:08 am

    Problem?? Sounds like jealousy to me. BB, just be glad that you got any media thrown your way.

  48. nunonabun2 said (Registered November 10, 2009)

    June 28, 2010 @ 11:14 am

    Legs is a damn good guy. If this ruins what people think of him as a person that is sad. If the rules are not strictly enforced it is not the eaters fault. Hell who hasnt seen a pile of bun goo next to them and thought it was wrong. If my numbers wer that close though I would bitch like a rational person. I feel for Adrian because he seems like a damn nice guy and getting better out on the there. But if he felt cheated at the time he has to speak up for himself.

    BB, I will tell you this, last time I saw legs and yourself at an event he told some other eaters there to stop bad mouthing you. I am not going into the details of who said what because it is meaning less to the tale. But Legs defended you and he was dead serious.

  49. beautifulbrian said

    June 28, 2010 @ 11:18 am

    Damien email me when you get a chance i want to discuss this in private
    Beautifulbrian43@aol.com thanks

  50. nunonabun2 said (Registered November 10, 2009)

    June 28, 2010 @ 11:31 am

    Done. I am not trying to call you out, I got nothig but love for you too.

  51. Anonymous said

    June 28, 2010 @ 11:42 am

    Brian, do you realize that if you boil things down, your complaint is that you’re jealous? What you don’t like about Crazy Legs isn’t actually anything at all about Crazy Legs; it’s something within YOU. Do you expect him to turn down opportunities to soothe your envy? Should he turn down opportunities so that he doesn’t arouse the envy of others too? Should he turn down all opportunities just to be certain that no one anywhere is jealous of him? Honestly, you might want to start working on your jealousy problem because it’s not something that other people can help.

  52. spraymucus said (Registered July 1, 2009)

    June 28, 2010 @ 11:48 am

    I’m surprised more hasn’t commented on Kevin Ross’ reply. Seems like a fair thing to me, once there is so much debris you can’t even make an educated guess as to how many to deduct, there has to be a point where you just have to DQ somebody… I still really don’t understand how you can’t put food to mouth chew and swallow! I had a hot dog slip out of my hands cuz it was greasy but I caught it on the table and then ate it.

    G-Joe “On self-reporting of what’s been eaten, it’s obvious that some have been overestimating, regularly, for yrs. Does it matter that much when it’s not for the win, maybe not, but it does matter to the “clean” eaters & for rankings”

    This was my intention about making Big Brian’s number known, this was the first time I met Subich, and I really hope he doesn’t think I was trying to out him or embarrass him in any way. He seems like a guy who doesn’t care either way, so if I crossed a line, I am sorry. My intentions were exactly for what you stated above. Glad somebody else understands.

    AS FOR CLC’S CUPS, I ATE DIRRECTLY TO HIS LEFT, THE CUPS WERE LITERALLY 3 FEET FROM MY FACE, I HAVEN’T HAD TIME TO REVIEW THE CLIPS YET AS I AM AT WORK AND BLOCKED FROM YOUTUBE, BUT I’M SURE IT SHOWS ME LOOKING INTO THOSE CUPS QUIT OFTEN.

  53. beautifulbrian said

    June 28, 2010 @ 11:51 am

    Not a problem . I know who competed in the PB& B sandwich contest in Jan. Process of elimination is easier than a coin toss. The two faced asshole is coming off my facebook page as we speak . Thanks for the heads up and BTW you hanicapped fool, even if i suffered from bronchitus you couldnt hold a candle to my elvis impersonations. If you took the time to listen to some of my stuido work on youtube you cannot tell the difference between myself and the real elvis . Go eat shit and die jackass!

  54. beautifulbrian said

    June 28, 2010 @ 12:00 pm

    anony 11:42 the only thing i realize is that you are an asshole that takes great pleasure in hiding your indentity. If you know so much about me then i must know you very well now dont i? What really amazes me is that your entire life revolves around my gripes with Conti or anyone else on this blog . You wait for the golden opportunity for me to mouth off and then you decide to play shrink. You are a very sick lonely person who’s life revolves around what i do. Would you care to follow me around during the day ? My lifestyle is nothing to write home about. Find someone else to pick on you sad loser

  55. Anonymous said

    June 28, 2010 @ 12:08 pm

    Damien, don’t email him. He’s being nice to you because he wants your insight. So he’ll buddy up to you briefly, write a couple of nice things about you on his blog, and then get mad at you for no good reason and write bad things about you on his blog. If you confront him on it and ask him why he wrote what he wrote, he’ll say something like, “Yeah, I was mad. But it’s water under the bridge now,” which doesn’t make any sense at all because you should be the one in that case to decide when it’s water under the bridge. He does this time and time again. It’s his M.O. He did it with Jarvis, with Lipsitz, with Subich, with Janus, with Conti, with Dave Goldstein, and who knows how many others.

  56. KevinRoss said

    June 28, 2010 @ 12:17 pm

    I did just want to make it clear that my intention isn’t to pick on Crazy Legs specifically or to go as far as saying he was cheating. There is so many eaters on the circuit who eat more messy than they should (and many much more dramatically then I’ve ever seen Crazy Legs do). The real culprit obviously is unclear rules and judging which rarely provides a stiff penalty to anyone for any sort of behavior – thus things like messy eating, eating before or after clock, etc is currently allowed as a valid technique. So neat eaters have to either decide to continue to eat clean or try to keep up with competition by forcing themselves to eat more sloppy. I do understand that it is very hard for an MC to see what is going on. There is seldom a dedicated judge in front of the table to watch what is happening. There is a lot of commotion, they’re trying to entertain the audience, etc. They seem to want to announce the winner as fast as possible before audience filters away, which often leaves a lot of inaccuracies. So I think things are just going to continue as they have been and certain people will continue to push the envelope. . .It is what it is and I don’t think any amount of bitching is really going to change anything. . .but I’m glad I voiced my opinion (and under my real name).

  57. RJ said (Registered August 28, 2008)

    June 28, 2010 @ 12:56 pm

    It seems to me Krystal themselves took the best approach to the debris situation last year. When I ate t the Krystal qualifier, they had a Krystal rep sit in front of each eater, down on one knee in front of the table, and they watched the entire eight minutes without so much as blinking an eye. Kenny Hammontree brought all the eaters together about 2 minutes before Rich Shea brought eaters out on stage and very clearly and slowly defined the rules bullet by bullet. He then proceeded to say if you break the rules, “you will be disqualified.” Simple and effective. I knew the rules going in, and I certainly don’t cheat. But when he clarified everything to everyone in one circle right before going up on stage, it left no room “bending the rules” like in this video. No one dropped a crumb.

    I’m not saying Nathan’s needs to ban dunking (although I thing it would be way cooler of a contest), but actively participating a bit more makes it way better of an event in general. Krystal spoke to everyone online beforehand, organized it better and ran it better in my opinion. In the end, I think it pays off.

    With all of this being said, I still disagree with everyone commenting it’s not the eaters fault that they cheat, it’s the judges. Come on… What a crock of shit. How about being an honest and fair competitor? I would despise myself if I rolled up hot dog into my gloves, kicked it under the table, whatever. And to do it consciously is no ones fault but the eater. How can you even blame the judges at all at that point? Who’s wrong in a bank robbery, the guy who took the money or the security company who had a camera pointed 5 degrees to the left of where it should be? Show a little character when you go up there to compete and play fair.

  58. Anonymous said

    June 28, 2010 @ 1:11 pm

    To add to anoy 12:08’s list, you left out Booker, Pete Davekos, Pete Mierniki, Wild Bill, Wingkong, Juliet and her husband, Rona Conti, OJ Rifkin, and as of lately Shredder Goldstein. You can also include Elvis to the mix since he would not be be happy about the mockery BB makes of him.

  59. beautifulbrian said

    June 28, 2010 @ 1:24 pm

    anony 12:08 i cannot begin to describe how worthless your life is . No Damien i am not using you by any stretch of the imagination. You know what you remind me of? Picture a scenrio of some kid getting beaten up or verbally abused in class real bad (referring to CLC) but the the little outcast to society that happens to be sitting behind me is totally oblivious as to whats going with the kid getting beaten up because he has this huge hard on just for me. So what does he do? He totally ignores the matter at hand and gets in his some snide little digs just to see if he can get my goat. You are one true sad pathetic fuck and if by chance i ever find out who you are god help your soul because i certainly wouldnt waste my time handing you a beating you prob deserve but never recieved , but i would embarass and humiliate you to the point where you would never ever fuck with me again.

  60. beautifulbrian said

    June 28, 2010 @ 1:30 pm

    Sad bunch of fuckers I wouldnt post or read anything from this loser blog ever again and Mr Rifkin dont post my videos and updates ever again . Your blog has done more evil than good in the CE community . Drop Dead BTW anony 12:08 and your buddy hate to burst your bubble but the names mentioned aside from Stinky Miernki still love me. Life is a bitch aint it

  61. anonymous said

    June 28, 2010 @ 1:35 pm

    Words ring so true when Ray Meduna was interviewed on national tv stating that eatfeats has destroyed the camaraderie of the sport. Case in point just go through this thread for proof in the pudding .

  62. beautifulbrian said

    June 28, 2010 @ 1:41 pm

    Wow hey Pretty Boy , Wild bill , Kong , Juliet Badlands Subich , US Male, Joey Lee Dont worry its water under the bridge ok? LOL LOL LOL You are one pathetic bitch I would just love to meet you . You must have got really beaten down physically in the school yard to vent such bitch type hate If i had three wishes having the pleasure of meeting you would be one of them. IVe met some sickos in my day but you have to top the cake

  63. Bellylicious said

    June 28, 2010 @ 1:54 pm

    A twist on the old phrase states it is only cheating if you get caught. When someone is aware that cheating is happening, they can decide to inform those in charge; rise above it and try to win with honor; or level the playing field and cheat as well. My concern is that with all the eaters aware of “cheating” taking place by many eaters, the judges and organization must be aware as well. It is their responsibility to make a decision and either allow it or change it. For now, it appears the former is the stance some decision makers have made. (this is not directed at CLC or any other eater and organization)

  64. ojrifkin said (Registered July 27, 2005)

    June 28, 2010 @ 1:58 pm

    The 1:30 pm request has been accepted.

  65. Bellylicious said

    June 28, 2010 @ 2:00 pm

    I love OJ.

  66. Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)

    June 28, 2010 @ 2:01 pm

    Sometimes wonderful people do less than wonderful things with no ill intention. I honestly cannot think of an eater who hasn’t eaten “messy” at one time or another.

    I’ll say it again, allowing dunking (for up to 5 seconds even!) encourages sloppy eating, not just by Legs, but by anyone.

    There is not a single eating event that happens without the issue of sloppy eating coming up. And the accusations are both more profound, and more prevalent in dunking events.

    That’s one thing I’ll give the reason the AICE. Their eaters eat neater. Why? They’re not allowed to drown their food.

    In time, if dunking is not prohibited at Nathan’s, more than one eater will break the 100 HDB barrier. That is, he’ll be given credit for going through that many.

  67. Anonymous said

    June 28, 2010 @ 2:06 pm

    beautiful brian, youre the sicko. I have never heard such bad mouthing on any forum ever.

  68. A-Bomb said (Registered May 7, 2009)

    June 28, 2010 @ 2:48 pm

    OJ, that’s probably the funniest thing I’ve read all day! Thanks!

  69. beautifulbrian said

    June 28, 2010 @ 2:49 pm

    Anonymous said
    June 28, 2010 @ 1:11 pm

    To add to anoy 12:08’s list, you left out Booker, Pete Davekos, Pete Mierniki, Wild Bill, Wingkong, Juliet and her husband, Rona Conti, OJ Rifkin, and as of lately Shredder Goldstein. You can also include Elvis to the mix since he would not be be happy about the mockery BB makes of him.

    Hey asshole just for the record i emailed nearly every one of the names you mentioned and asked each one if i made a mockery of them. Now what do you have to say you pathetic troublemaking no life jerk. Your attempt at destroying my integrity which is all you have to latch onto because you know im not the greatest eater in the world has failed and failed miserably Try some other angle ok?

  70. Anonymous said

    June 28, 2010 @ 3:02 pm

    No one is trying to destroy your integrity. They’re just saying that you do a lousy Elvis. You look nothing like him, you sound nothing like him. But you do seem to fit the costume. That should count for something.

  71. TheRabbit723 said (Registered October 29, 2009)

    June 28, 2010 @ 5:23 pm

    First off, I’m the kind of person that hates confrontation. I really rather not prefer to speak negatively on anyone’s behalf. With that being said, I feel I should make some sort of interjection on this subject since I ate directly to Mr. Conti’s right in the Escondido qualifier. I went in knowing he was a messy eater, but never had eaten directly next to him or examined his spot very closely post-contest. During the contest I was able to keep an eye on his plates at sporadic intervals and they were consistantly messy. This isn’t really anything new I understand, because some eaters are just messier than others. During the last couple minutes of the contest I was able to catch a glimpse of his eight “dark liquid” cups and was shocked to see every one of them full of hot dog pieces and soggy bun chunks. I’m not one to point the finger, so I thought he would be deducted when the totals were finalized. When the results were announced I was more in shock than anything. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I didn’t want to make a scene on stage or start any accusations. Quite honestly, after looking at his spot, I felt almost as the emcee did when he looked at it… Was all of CLC’s debris equal to 3 HDBs? In my personal opinion, easily, but how can one actually tell? It would be near impossible. Kevin brings up a good point of excessive messiness resulting in a DQ, and I agree that it should definitely be considered.

    When I saw the video that surfaced, I was even more dumbfounded and a little outraged. How can someone so blatently disrespect the rules? It’s one thing to eat messy, but to intentionally bend the rules, and apparently (as seen in the video) outright cheat your way to a win? I just don’t understand this behavior. Maybe neat eaters don’t belong in the world of competitive eating. They’re certainly at a disadvantage. There really should be better judging methods across the board.

    It was really hard for me to write this post, but I felt I owed it to everyone at the table in Escondido because we were all at a disadvantage on Saturday. I probably should have made a bigger deal of it at the table, but it just really isn’t my nature. I look forward to eating with all of you in the near future and I hope everyone has a great day.

    adrian

  72. anonymous said

    June 28, 2010 @ 5:40 pm

    This is irrelevant crap the matter at hand os that seiken has been disrespected on this blog by saying his voice and the king do not match? wwwwhat . Its obvious he does not look like elvis but he sure as hell sounds like him

  73. DWagner said

    June 28, 2010 @ 6:33 pm

    Adrian, thanks for posting – I was really hoping you would. I wanted to hear your take on it, for sure (as opposed to all of this Elvis stuff). You’re a class act. Not knowing the industry movers and shakers *at all*, what are the odds that the results will be modified and Conti DQ’d? Seems the logical thing to do, but I know logic doesn’t always win out in things like this.

    Dave Wagner

  74. Anonymous said

    June 28, 2010 @ 6:39 pm

    Take the seiken mishmash to the abuse room!

  75. nunonabun2 said (Registered November 10, 2009)

    June 28, 2010 @ 6:49 pm

    Adrian your a nice mello guy from what I have seen at events. Your smart enough not to throw a fit like a kid, unlike some eaters have, but you learned something from this I am sure. I am glad this has not put to sour of a tatse in your mouth and hope to see you eating soon.

  76. InTheDark said

    June 28, 2010 @ 7:32 pm

    Who is Gentleman Joe? I keep seeing his name on posts, but have never heard of him. Is he a washed up eater or a disgruntled former eater?

  77. neal from bob said

    June 28, 2010 @ 8:42 pm

    both!

  78. Anonymous said

    June 28, 2010 @ 10:25 pm

    Dave Wagner, is this your one chance to do something with your life? Is that why keep pressing this? Jesus, why are you so f-ing motivated?

  79. Adrian Rocks! said

    June 28, 2010 @ 11:32 pm

    Wow, you ARE all that! Really sorry you were cheated out of a trip to the final table. You’ve got talent and balls. You got got ripped off by the best cheater out there and you have every right to be pissed. Probably someone should have told you beforehand what was going to happen.

    Now you know the deal. If YOU do it, you’re totally screwed. If the great Houdini does it, you need to eat a whole lot more. They should put an empty spot on the table for the dude who should have been there. Next year for sure.

  80. Wrecking Ball said

    June 29, 2010 @ 12:08 am

    Well since it seems like every eater that competed in this qualifier has posted maybe I should too. I am just glad that when I proposed my fiance said “yes”! Adrian is was awesome meeting you and I know you will do well in future competitions. Kevin, awesome job! We will have to get them in something other than damn hot dogs! Mr. Koch, you are the man! Brian, it was cool meeting you and I am glad I got a chance to see you eat up close since you have been doing it for so long. Where is my man “sweet tooth”? Well whereever you are nice meeting you too and good luck with that ice cream! I am and always have been a big fan of Crazy Legs, the dude is a class act. I want to be an eater not a judge so I will leave all that crap to the people whose job that is! MLE has been awesome with me so far and I can’t wait for my next event!

  81. Ron Koch said

    June 29, 2010 @ 1:34 am

    LEGS FOGET ABOUT ALL THE POST AND CONSINTRATE ON CONEY,, SHOW THESE GUYS WHAT YOUR MADE OF..GIVE THEM HELL BABY…ILL BE WATCHING……………………………RON

  82. Coney Bandit said

    June 29, 2010 @ 2:22 am

    The problem Wrecking Ball is that the people who were supposed to be doing their job in fact DID NOT! It was ordered from the top to allow Crazy Legs to do whatever it is he does to get a spot at Coney. MLE is a joke a disappointment and a snub towards the sponsors! Total disrespect for a so called sport. CLC will never be looked at the same. Being nice and well spoken only gets you so far in this life. Integrity is what really counts; the Sheas and Crazy Legs have none…. Some things will never change. If an eater at the event had just stuck his hands into Crazy Legs 12 cups and pilled what he took from them into one area we would find a small mountain of hd&b’s. Easily 5 to 10!! He does not deserve to be there on the 4th….

  83. anonymous said

    June 29, 2010 @ 7:48 am

    Coney Bandit you happen to be dead wroing . There are 3 partners in the MLE clan. 2 of them feelings on crazy legs is take him or leave him. If he walked out today they could care less. Out of the three there is only one that carries him i think everyone knows who that is and it’s not George Shea

  84. Anonymous said

    June 29, 2010 @ 9:40 am

    doesnt look like anything will come of this. legs still golden boy with his twin. check out the new pool on espn
    http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/polls?pCat=46&sCat=1331

  85. anonymous said

    June 29, 2010 @ 11:06 am

    Who do you think is responsible for this poll? ESPN hell no? Sheas have the pull with ESPN because Nathans is their baby. They tell ESPN i want Conti in this poll . Hype Conti and Janus at all costs. Please guys don’t play dumb you know the deal

  86. Anonymous said

    June 29, 2010 @ 11:17 am

    Hey – non eater here.

    question for ya. I am looking for the official rules for the eaters for the Nathans HD contests.

    TIA for anyone who has a link or can post them for a fan like me to check out.

  87. Whatscheating? said

    June 29, 2010 @ 11:33 am

    Jesse “The Body” Ventura once said: “If you aint’t cheating, you ain’t trying!”

  88. nunonabun2 said (Registered November 10, 2009)

    June 29, 2010 @ 11:52 am

    He also said “Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat.”

  89. Matt Cohen said (Registered April 12, 2010)

    June 29, 2010 @ 11:54 am

    This is an individual sport that we all love . I do it for fun and am pretty sure thats what we all do this for. There is no real money in it , The fame portion is short lived (before and after contest) and it is not very glamorous. So the personal bashing makes us all look bad . If the right people read these post then maybe changes can be made for the future of CE . We need not point fingers within our group of eaters because we have individual styles of eating that can all be tailored to compete fairly with concrete rules and an active and non biased judge/ref system . The countinued bashing is only going to bring tension within the competitors at future events and none of us want to deal with that BS before we eat . The tension will take the fun out of it . If its not fun than what is it…. work . F that I came to play. Some of you may know who to contact to begin to address issues that can put the wheels in motion to continue to grow the sport of CE . As individual athletes we need to stay tight knit or this sport will implode. We need to address issues as a group of athletes, in a manner that creates change rather than termoil. I ‘am new so I may just be pissing into wind. I think we all agree that this sport can grow and I want to be around for a while. I had a great time on saturday, dispite my foul performance. Can’t wait for my chance to eat against all you guys again. It was great to meet all of you. – Sweet Tooth

  90. Anonymous said

    June 29, 2010 @ 12:14 pm

    Too bad he doesn’t consider the hotdog contest the same way.

    “The cannoli contest is old school. It’s pure. You don’t need the money,” Conti said. “You compete simply for the joy of competing.”

  91. Steakbellie said (Registered August 11, 2006)

    June 29, 2010 @ 12:14 pm

    More importantly Jesse also said “Bunch of slack-jawed faggots around here. This stuff will make you a god damned sexual Tyrannosaurus, just like me.”

  92. nunonabun2 said (Registered November 10, 2009)

    June 29, 2010 @ 12:50 pm

    One of the best movies ever.

  93. SPBBBBMBBB said

    June 29, 2010 @ 1:25 pm

    I wonder if the poll still would have included Crazy Legs if he didn’t make the finals. No offense, CL, but what really surprises me is 10% of those polled pick you to win!! Better wear your super-sized gloves. This poll has got to fire up Deep Dish and Formerly Humble Bob…they don’t get no respect. I’m looking forward to seeing who steps up as the Best Dressed Eater – my money’s on the Chicago contingent.

  94. Anonymous said

    June 29, 2010 @ 3:40 pm

    The reason why Pat and Bob don’t get respect is because the general public have no idea who they are. Conti and his crazy hats and dreds have been shoved down our throat (pretty much the same way he shoves hot dog debris down his gloves) for years, so he’s a recgonizable face in CE.

  95. S0 said

    June 29, 2010 @ 4:17 pm

    Interesting but fawlty logic

  96. Bellylicious said

    June 29, 2010 @ 5:27 pm

    Am I the only one offended by the name of which “Whatscheating” has called Mr. Ventura? I believe he likes to be known as Jesse “The Mind” Ventura. Let’s treat this man with the respect he deserves and demands.

  97. anonymous said

    June 29, 2010 @ 6:56 pm

    We the loyal idiots of the IFOCE get screwed again..We spend for airfare and hotel to come down to compete when the winner was already picked..Before the contest we were told there would be no debris in cups , on the floor or where ever..Yet when the contest ends the winner is declared immediately., without anyone checking..Amazing isnt it.. All the contaversy ,video ,people who saw this, well nothing is done..” We remain loyal ” Why even bother to compete if your rated 15 or below for main contests, you will get no respect…

  98. beautifulbrian said

    June 29, 2010 @ 10:08 pm

    Anony 12:08 and 11 June 28 I have a very good memory almost as keen as yours but maybe better. Very good with long term events not that hot with short term. To my recollection not one soul in the competitive eating world has ever approached me in person questioning my editorial in bits & pieces with the exception of Molly Pitcher hot dog qualifier in 2005 when this individual took offense to what i wrote about the alka seltzer lottery pool not being on the up and up. I might have coined the phrase “water under the bridge” at that time along with an aplogy . At the clam contest several weeks ago another individual approached me with an apology about an elvis video which i asked for but was never sent. I have no interest in the video at this point but i believe i reciprocated with the term “water under the bridge: For you to fabricate a bunch of bullshit that never occurred just proves that you are nothing but a hostile troublemaker with a chip on his shoulder. I would never try to clean things up with the water under the bridge phrase if i was directly approached in a hostile manner. Unless i actually go to far which rarely happens , im not removing anything for anyone and if decide to do so which i might have done in the past , that thin skinned individual will never get mentioned again. Maybe you can refresh my memory of other incidents where i showed fear because i dont remember any others but the ones i mentioned. . Maybe in your dreams perhaps. I have no time for sensitive people. One thing i can say about Crazy Legs is that he told me in confidence that he doesnt care what i write about him just dont include his GF who is off limits. Maybe everyone else needs to incorporate that trait in their lifestyle. One more thing if youre the person i think you are, those names you reeled off in your 12:08 comment you will be quite suprised that a few of those names slammed you bigtime behind your back over the past few years. . So before you start defending others think again. Another thing you might want to consider is that i save emails going way back to 2002. Instead of the X files lets call then F for food or fools files. Some of those emails are kinda damaging if you know what i mean. So maybe the less you know the better. If i am pushed to the limit by you or anyone else i just might publish these emails on my website. Maybe go PPV again who knows. I guess that would really kill the camaredarie we thought we had now wouldnt it. Keep up the bad work i have an idea who you are

  99. A-Bomb said (Registered May 7, 2009)

    June 29, 2010 @ 10:28 pm

    Ha! Paul cracks off a beauty:

    “Better wear your super-sized gloves.”

  100. HowIronic said

    June 29, 2010 @ 11:33 pm

    Isn’t it hilarious that the only eater that gets docked from the San Diego contest is Subich? Meanwhile there are pictures, video evidence, eye witnesses, people coming out of the crowd complaining about Conti’s antics and the IFOCE does nothing. As for Subich not one picture, not one video clip of him cheating, and they drop his totals!

  101. anonymous said

    June 30, 2010 @ 12:16 am

    subich always gets the short end of the stick and that is totally unfair. Go pick on someone else

  102. Anonymous said

    June 30, 2010 @ 12:28 am

    Perhaps it’s time that Nathan’s steps in and takes their ball back and runs this show themselves. The evidence is there, I think it’s only a matter of time before it gets into their hands and some changes are made.

  103. a huge pile = 1 hot dog? said

    June 30, 2010 @ 12:33 am

    So that huge pile of mush, peices of chewed up hot dog that clearly came out of his mouth and he only got a 1 hot dog deduction huh? Yeah okay!

  104. Anonymous said

    June 30, 2010 @ 1:22 am

    conti was penalized two hot dogs

  105. Anonymous said

    June 30, 2010 @ 9:38 am

    No, I just reviewed the video again. He was only penalized 1 hot dog. 26 is the highest number he has on the sign behind him. 25 is was the final count was.

  106. Anonymous said

    June 30, 2010 @ 10:17 am

    HowIronic, Subich wasn’t docked hot dogs. His number went down because the truth eventually came out about how many he even attempted to eat.

  107. SPBBBBMBBB said

    June 30, 2010 @ 1:23 pm

    I just got an “invite” to friend a new competitive eater on Facebook….Lazylegs Monty.

    I consider myself a friend of Crazy Legs, and a huge fan of Competitive Eating’s most colorful character (I’m still a weak 2nd, at best). Frankly, I hate that he may have “over-reacted” in his pursuit of frank-eating fame, and hate that he is the focus of all this beefing. But even Crazy Legs will like Lazylegs – whoever came up with this one – it’s funny!

  108. Craig Reed said (Registered February 21, 2009)

    June 30, 2010 @ 3:05 pm

    Got the friend request from Lazylegs as well. It is pretty funny, I’m loving these sleight of hand videos.

  109. anonymous said

    June 30, 2010 @ 5:19 pm

    There are 107 hits for this contest, yet nothing is being done..The amount of debris on the floor and in the cups should equal at least 6 to 8 dogs, nobody does anything They let it go..What kind of an eater is Brian if he lies about his total and nothing is done..Where were the judges? No word from any contest officials…

  110. anonymous said

    June 30, 2010 @ 5:25 pm

    All this proves that all these contests are for the top 15 only.Let the other competators beware,you have no chance ifthe qualifier you are entering is a last chance qualifier for one of the elite

  111. I'm from the future said

    June 30, 2010 @ 6:12 pm

    I’m sure somewhere along the line the powers that be at Nathan’s are catching wind of this, much like the folks at Krystal’s did with J. Lee, If the IFOCE doesn’t “clean” up their act then they could very well be in danger of losing their number 1 sponsor. Imagine that, First Koby then Nathan’s, the domino effect would trickle down and you might as well kiss MLE goodbye!

    WAKE UP IFOCE! Nathan wants the best eaters at the table, not your best cheater!

  112. nunonabun2 said (Registered November 10, 2009)

    June 30, 2010 @ 6:43 pm

    I would disagree with you future boy. CL has bascially no shot at winning Nathans but he is entertaining. People want to see him. Marketing wise he is a gem, Flare, Well Spoke, Comical, Witty….hell I might just be in love with the guy, I sure hope not though.

  113. Anonymous said

    June 30, 2010 @ 7:26 pm

    There are plenty of flamboyant eaters out there who can take his place. Legs should move on to color commenting. This is a real competiton with a lot on the line.

    But if they just want him at the table to be a token clown – then give him a free pass. Don’t make him compete. It only costs a real eater a spot at the table.

    I am certain that Nathan’s is focusing on this year’s competiton and will be making changes next year. I am certain that by now someone has sent this info on to the executives who sign the Shea’s check.

  114. I'm from the future said

    June 30, 2010 @ 11:38 pm

    Nunonabun2,

    So by your own admision, CLC has no chance to win right? Then why would Nathan’s want somebody who’s been there year after year with no progression and now is proven to completely disgrace the competition and their product? Cuz he wears goofy hats and has dred locks? Is he well spoken? Sure but when he speaks in interviews he’s as interesting as a wet towel.

    It’s time for him to move on, look at his last 5 events, he hasn’t beat anybody ranked ahead of him but has lost to plenty of eaters ranked behind him and some local guys to boot! CLC was somewhat of a contender maybe 4-6 years ago, but the bar has been risen and he’s staying idle. He’s a legit 16-18HDB eater as proven in San Jose. If he truly was a nice guy then he wouldn’t blantly try to rob people at the table. Plain and simple.

  115. I'm from the future said

    June 30, 2010 @ 11:42 pm

    one more thing. It appears the people in Escondido didn’t care much to see his sloppy eating and cheating.

  116. Anonymous said

    July 1, 2010 @ 1:36 am

    I don’t think Future speaks for anybody but himself. Otherwise, many people are ………..way ……….. out of touch.

  117. Sicko cell said

    July 1, 2010 @ 4:57 am

    Crazy legs is a cheat. To bad for him. His lust for coney has opposed his poor soul into becoming a false,fake wanna be! He will never again be a true eater towards the sport he claims to love so much. His actions show anything but love. Disrespect toward all who stand in his way. What a sad day it is my friends…….

  118. anonymous said

    July 1, 2010 @ 7:23 am

    Im from the future i am so glad that someone such as yourself has come along and put the CLC thing into perspective . No he is not flamboyant or charismatic by any stretch of the imagination. If you listen real carefully at times many of his lines are George Shea originals. It just so happens that he is well educated and might come off as though he has some experience in the broadcasting booth but look at the people that admire or praise him. Competitive eaters??? Rhonda Evans? That says alot now doesn’t it. In their eyes he is the next Bob Costas which is so far fetched . His interviews are bland with no real substance. He is far from a marketing gem. He is a marketing gem within the realm of Sheacommunications for once they cut off his air supply i doubt any marketing firm let alone a major network such as ESPN would even consider him in the broadcasting booth.

  119. Tom said

    July 1, 2010 @ 8:24 am

    CLC can compete as long as he wants .

  120. Mega Munch said

    July 1, 2010 @ 9:05 am

    Crazy Legs Conti is an icon of competitive eating and we’re damn lucky to have him. I mean that.

  121. Anonymous said

    July 1, 2010 @ 10:22 am

    BB said it best. If the officials allow this to happen and none of the other eaters protest and demand a check of plates, cups, gloves, etc, then it’s the fault of the league and not the eater. Guys like Wingkong, the Shredder and Reeves would have been all over CLC like white on rice. Some one like Ed Jarvis needs to judge. CLC would have gotten away with nothing if he was there.

  122. Hot dog eater said

    July 1, 2010 @ 11:13 am

    CLC is better suited doing what he does best . Watch the contest from the sidelines and cheer on the eaters like he did in 2001 and the years before. That is his forte. Leave it that way

  123. Silly America - Blog - Ultimate Guide to the July 4th Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest - roadside attractions, public art, travel, road trips said

    July 1, 2010 @ 12:12 pm

    […] his entrance in this year’s contest has been marred with a lot of controversy. Videos and photos of the contest that he qualified in have surfaced that point to him possibly cheat… by leaving more than your average about of debris, and possibly spitting hot dogs into his cup. One […]

  124. good find said

    July 1, 2010 @ 12:41 pm

    http://www.sillyamerica.com/blog/2010/07/ultimate-guide-to-the-july-4th-coney-island-hot-dog-eating-contest/

  125. Bellylicious said

    July 1, 2010 @ 12:53 pm

    I recall in the past ESPN commenting on Dale Boone as a controversial figure; I wonder if they will do the same with Conti.

  126. Anonymous said

    July 1, 2010 @ 1:24 pm

    Let’s see if we can get it up to 200!

  127. Anonymous said

    July 1, 2010 @ 2:01 pm

    We can always send news tips to the ESPN Radio shows for them to watch Conti:
    http://espn.go.com/espnradio/news/story?id=1051296

  128. DWagner said

    July 1, 2010 @ 9:06 pm

    Actually, I didn’t know anything about the Deadspin feature until I read about it here. I didn’t contact them. Must have been someone else. I can’t believe the quote that they reviewed the footage and deducted another dog off the total, still granting him the win. You’d think getting caught spitting out anything, much less several hotdogs worth, would be grounds for disqualification, rather than knocking a dog or two off the total. The guy cheated, blatantly. Doesn’t that count for anything?

    Anyway, just so you know, I never knew “Deadspin” existed, much less contacted them (or anyone) about the story. Someone is taking the ball and running with it, apparently. Which I suppose I’m fine with.

  129. DWagner said

    July 1, 2010 @ 9:09 pm

    By the way, did you see the picture Beautiful Brian posted on his site, the one next to the pic of the can of soup? The one with the hot dog pieces floating in all of Conti’s cups of “tea”? Dang. That pic alone should be proof enough to DQ him from the Coney event at least…

  130. ojrifkin said (Registered July 27, 2005)

    July 1, 2010 @ 9:32 pm

    I have corrected the error. “Sam” actually emailed Deadspin. I saw your name at the bottom of the posted email and assumed the email was from you.

  131. Anonymous said

    July 1, 2010 @ 9:52 pm

    Deducted 1hot dog. Shea forgot to mention that he was deducted one hot dog. props to Sam for sending this in. now we just need to hear from nathan’s and how they are gonna justify it.

    with a million eyes on him, wonder what kind of real numbers he will have this sunday.

  132. well well well said

    July 1, 2010 @ 10:06 pm

    Did we expect anything else from Rich Shea? All the footage and pictures, Debris or not Conti shoulda been DQ’d for his actions. I’m telling you, with Koby gone and now Nathan’s being made aware that MLE plays favorites, Rich Shea’s greed is gonna land him no more Nathan’s as a sponsor and pretty soon most of the eaters will follow in Koby’s foot steps and not sign the IFOCE’s contract.

    “The officials at this particular qualifier reviewed Crazy Legs Conti’s eating area and determined a deduction should be made for detritus. After the deduction, Conti’s total was still enough to win the event. The ruling stands and Conti will compete in Coney Island on July 4th.”

    That’s just sickening, The MC took all but 2 seconds to look at Conti’s plate and determine him a winner. Of course he’s the winner, he (The MC) was told ahead of time that “unless somebody elses total was greater then Conti’s he WILL BE the winner.” CLC must have incriminating pics of Rich all hugged up with a stripper or something for him to get such treatment.

  133. A-Bomb said (Registered May 7, 2009)

    July 1, 2010 @ 10:54 pm

    Rich Shea has spoken, so I guess that’s that.

  134. A-Bomb said (Registered May 7, 2009)

    July 1, 2010 @ 10:55 pm

    Will the cheater break 20 on 7/4?

  135. lazylegsmonty said (Registered July 2, 2010)

    July 2, 2010 @ 10:47 am

    I’m pulling 69 or so in my magic class, where I practice. Been speaking to Penn & Teller about one of their illusions where they make the Mirage disappear in Vegas. It’s a very fast technique and is almost undetectable. I’ve also been playing with a new technique of using hydrochloric acid in low-density polyethylene cups and am hoping to get gloves in from China today made of the same material. These two cups will serve as my “break” cups, when I don’t feel like eating. When I place the hot dogs in those cups, it eliminates the need to eat them at all, as they’ll be completely broken down leaving no physical evidence. With this new technique, I am realizing numbers 10 or even 12 times my consumption. By eating seven (not easy in 10 mins) I can pull a 70 in competition. Only time will tell.

  136. The Press said

    July 2, 2010 @ 11:15 am

    Lazylegs,

    Once you win your first mustard belt, will you then have the same contract demands Kobe has?

  137. lazylegsmonty said (Registered July 2, 2010)

    July 2, 2010 @ 11:44 am

    First, I’d like to take a moment to thank my biggest fans, the press.

    In answer to your question, my contractual demands will be scripted for me as I move forward in my career. I am a unique entity. More so than even Kobayashi. There are no other magicians or illusionists currently ranked as high as I am. If you watch my movie, or read my books, or sit next to me or my handlers on the plane as I travel to my pre-determined qualifiers, you might be able to grab a little more insight.

    I’m hoping there will be a qualifier for next years big show at a horse race this year, preferably on Tuesday or Wednesday next week. This will allow me to eat without the distraction of other eaters, who will not be able to physically return to New York by that time. Many will still be airborne flying in the opposite direction. These are the events in which I thrive, because I am able to make my magic come alive for the masses.

    I digress. In speaking with my attorneys, the only points I will be demanding in my contract renewal will be hollow hot dogs, as the solid hot dogs are very difficult for me to consume and smaller bun like holders made of cotton candy, as I feel this helps me break down the food more easily in my mouth, and lets me focus on the more important issue at hand – where to hide as many hot dogs as I can.

    Anyway. Thanks for taking the time to speak with me about my future as Koby’s replacement. I have to run. Competing against some elephants today in who can hide the most bread.

  138. anonymous said

    July 2, 2010 @ 11:52 am

    lazylegsmonty or el toro ,good job

  139. The Press said

    July 2, 2010 @ 12:25 pm

    Lazylegs, Lazylegs, Lazylegs!

    Seeing as how Elephants have nothing to lose monetary wise, I’m guessing you will only be using this new method you speak of against your fellow human competitors? Is that a safe assumption or is every person, place or thing not safe?

  140. lazylegsmonty said (Registered July 2, 2010)

    July 2, 2010 @ 2:47 pm

    I did not employ these techniques for the circus show, as I am keeping my tricks up my sleeve for Sunday, as well as clearing capacity for 7 hot dogs.

    Some jokes and riddles:

    Riddle me this, riddle me that, how many hot dogs can I hide in my hat?

    Alakazzam, alakazoo, how many hot dogs are under my shoe?

    BP called me in for support, as they witnessed my use of containment technique in jamming hot dogs to the bottom of my dark murky water. Ba Dum Dum, chhhh

    Is that a hot dog in your glove, or are you just happy too see me?

    What, me? Nobody told me its not still a 12 minute contest?

  141. DWagner said

    July 2, 2010 @ 3:18 pm

    Someone else must have picked up the story somewhere. Since midnight last night the youtube video went from 500 views to almost 5,000… wish I knew how to track who was embedding it… I can’t imagine that’s all coming from deadspin. But maybe it is, who knows…

  142. Teenage Wasteland said

    July 2, 2010 @ 3:19 pm

    Dick Shea should define “detritus”. So if they found five untouched hot dogs that I stashed in a cup under the table, all they’d do was say “tsk, tsk” and deduct 5 from my total? If someone gets caught blatantly cheating they should be DQ’d and given a three contest suspension!!

  143. ojrifkin said (Registered July 27, 2005)

    July 2, 2010 @ 3:39 pm

    The Deadspin post has received over 20,000 page views (the number next to the flame). If 1/4 of the viewers started the embedded video, that would account for the increase.

  144. The Press said

    July 2, 2010 @ 3:48 pm

    LazyLegs,

    What would be some good advice for newbie to the sport who’s dreams are one day make it to Coney? And has your glove ever had any reversal of misfortune?

  145. lazylegsmonty said (Registered July 2, 2010)

    July 3, 2010 @ 9:01 am

    Thats a great question. Here’s what you need to do:

    Go eat oysters one night against a bunch of drunk cajuns. Remember, be eccentric so you can get noticed by a scout. The sport is about image, not eating.

    Cut your finger, let the blood drip into small receptavle. Dip fountain pen in blood and sign lifelong contract to obey all directives while remaining eccentric and whacky.

    Write a book

    Make a movie

    Befriend the press

    Take all movie, book, media, interview offers. Remember to never ever ever ever sound like the sport is fun. For example; “So Lazy Legs, does anyone ever challenge you in bars or restaurants?” Your directive at this point is to first show bravado “Yes, almost every day, wuite a few times a day” (because we all know you get challenged privately at least once an hour) After establishing your alph male persona and bravado, switch directions and regurgitate rules in a robot fashion “But, I never accept these offers. The International Federation of Competitive Eating neither endorses nor encourages its members to train or eat competitively in situations where there are no medical personell present. Do not try this at home. I am a natural wonder thats stomach stretches at will whenever I need it to”

    Now, concurrently, make sure you have purchased David Copperfields, Penn & Teller, David Blain, etc. videos, books, and any other magic instuctional materials you can find. These will come in handy when you hit your 4 mionute wall at the table.

    Buy these http://www.burneymedical.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=BMS&Product_Code=GLD&Category_Code=

    I will continue these instructions later in a second post…

  146. anonymous said

    July 3, 2010 @ 9:46 am

    Wanna bet lazy legs is indeed CLC. This is his way of mocking all the comments that have tried to destoy his image. Instead of lashing back with hate he used an alternative method of poking fun at the situation or shall we say make light of the situation. Trust me he worked long and hard on this after he got back from San Diego realizing the only way to repair his image is to take part in something as idiotic as this. Cannot fool certain people Crazy Legs or maybe your mother put you up to this / Motherly advice or maybe mother herself had a hand in this correct?

  147. Best renedy said

    July 3, 2010 @ 9:57 am

    The type of publiciy being garnished from the situation such as 20,000 youtube hits basically plays into Conti’s hands. He loves this . The best soltution is to just stop replying to this thread while the eaters boycott any future Nathans contest he competes in. I realize that many of you cannot afford to do so money wise, but the only way to sufficate his ego is to leave the table so he can compete against himself

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