Expected fried okra / pulled pork / Knoxville Krystal entrants
The OK Gazette reports that Patrick Bertoletti, Tim Janus and Larry McNeil are expected at the goldenpalace.net Fried Okra Eating Championship at the Oklahoma State Fair.
The Reader reports that Joey Chestnut, Chip Simpson and defending champion Rich LeFevre are expected at the World Pulled Pork-Eating Contest at Harrah’s Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
zerobxu will also compete in the pulled pork contest. zerobxu competed in the kolache eating contest and has a blog entry and gallery about that contest.
KrystalSquareOff lists Pat Bertoletti, Juris Shibayama, Arturo Rios, Larry McNeil as expected competitors in the Knoxville qualifier.
Updated 9/15 4:28 pm (Thanks Brian Cooley) The U of Tenn student paper has an article about the Knoxville qualifier. Pat Bertoletti says he hopes to break 60.
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Jason Satterwhite said
September 14, 2006 @ 11:35 pm
Here are my predictions
Okra
1.Pat Bertoletti
2.Tim Janus
3.Larry McNeil
Pulled Pork
1.Joey Chestnut
2.Chip Simpson
3.Rich LeFevre
Krystals
Championship spot – Pat Bertoletti
----- said
September 15, 2006 @ 12:20 pm
Sonya Thomas will also be at fried okra according to a top 5 ranked eater that I talked to so you may want to change those predictions.
Rhonda Evans said
September 15, 2006 @ 12:52 pm
I taket hose “expected” entrants with a grain of salt. The media often gets it wrong, at least partly. Sometimes they print the list of entrants well before the IFOCE finalizes the field. That’s probably what happened with the Gyoza and Sonya, as the pre-contest article only mentioned Joey.
Sonya could possibly show up at either the Ocra or Pulled Pork event, since she has had earlier success with pulled pork, and is probably extremely good in Okra.
Regarding the Pulled Pork, I really admire Rich, he runs from No One, and for good reason. He’s capable of beating anyone ranked above him in several foods. (I’d love to see Rich and Sonya as a tag team in a 90-minute event!) Joey will probably win, but he will not run away with it. Chip is steadily improving.
Pat B is an amazing eater, but I don’t think Krystals are his forte’. He’ll win the qualifier all right. But don’t expect him to match Joey’s or Humble Bob’s total of 52. But I do think he can eat 46 – 48!
Jason Satterwhite said
September 15, 2006 @ 2:26 pm
If Sonya does do okra, I expect her to place 2nd behind Pat but ahead of Eater X. Tim is doing cannoli today so that may affect his results tomorrow. If Pat, Tim, and Sonya all show up to okra, Larry should just save his money on that plane ticket. I dont expect Pat to break any Krystals records but he definately has the capacity to do more than 50. I am anxious to see these results. As with the pulled pork, Chestnut will win if he goes, it would be an awesome matchup if we had Sonya, Chip, and Rich going for 2nd.
Rhonda Evans said
September 15, 2006 @ 2:35 pm
If _____ is right, I’m thinking that Sonya can eat at least 10 lbs of fried okra, possibly 10.5 or 11. I think Eater X might me able to finish ahead of Pat for second. Best of luck to her and ALL of her competitors.
Rhonda Evans said
September 15, 2006 @ 3:17 pm
I don’t think Pat can eat 11 pounds of okra in 10 minutes.
Jason, Pat is a great eater, and he’s improving steadily …so is Sonya (AND Tim). But Pat’s stomach capacity is a good ways behind Sonya’s. The okra will go down quickly, and the poundage will accumulate likewise. Then, whoever has the greatest stomach capacity will win. Sonya will see an ever decreasing size image of Pat in her rear view mirror, you might say, after about the 6 or 7 minute mark when capacity starts taking its toll.
That’s what makes Sonya so incredible. Look at Pat’s size and look at Sonya. Pat SHOULD wipe the floor up with her. Most men should. But they don’t.
If somehow Pat OR Tim beat Sonya at this contest, then I wil have even more respect for them (and I have quite a lot now).
If by some chance Sonya happens to show up for Joey’s event, it would not be Sonya, Chip and Rich battling for second, it would be Joey, Sonya, Chip, and Rich all battling for first.
Joey is still the greatest eater in America. But he has plateaued, as all eaters do from time-to-time. Sonya, Chip, Pat, and Eater X are ascending higher. And Joey beat Sonya recently by only 2 gyoza. Sonya just ran out of time. Then Sonya eats 62 Krystals.
Soon you will need to flip a coin to determine the winner when Joey, Sonya, Pat, Chip, and Eater X get together. Joey’s contests will not be “give-me’s” anymore. But that makes for excitement!
(Note: I must hand it to /joey in hot dogs, however. No American is even close to him in that food.)
Bubba said (Registered January 8, 2006)
September 16, 2006 @ 12:18 am
Joey dogged it in krystals, He tipped his hand in hotdogs this year and isn’t going to make that mistake in Krystal burgers.
Believe that.
The Sicilian said (Registered February 23, 2006)
September 16, 2006 @ 12:19 am
Rhonda, while you have several good points, i have to defend my native Chicagoan, Pat. Pat tied Sonya in grilled Cheese in June, respectively beat her in Brats in July, these are big contests. (not including the defeat of Joey and Sonya in Jan 06) Pat has gotten so much better. His capacity is at 16lbs, if not more. For the tamales he burst at about 16-17lbs, 8-9lbs tamales and 8lbs of fluids, his GI stystem has stretched that much, so imagine if he really wants to push now. And yeah, there are exceptions, NAthans Sonya 37, Pat 34+, Brats Pat 39 sonya 34. Different dynamics in these foods, all foods. So i do believe he can pound down 11lbs of okra in 10 minutes. Look at the key lime pie, almost 11lbs in 8 minutes.
And once again different foods eaters do better than others that they normally don’t beat. There are the classic handful of eaters that will always come close with each other, but Pat is the master at speed eating, in the first few minutes of any contest of that he likes, he will beat anybody, kobayashi like. With time, if he goes head to head with Sonya more in contests, he can take over the #3 spot in the world.
Forza Italiano
joey's gallon link said
September 16, 2006 @ 12:37 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuHGyacGW18
Luther said
September 16, 2006 @ 11:05 am
Bubba I don’t blame Joey for not tipping his hand. But I am surprised that he didn’t do his best in the qualifiers. He can do about 75, based on what he told the media earlier. So the finals are only Koby versus Joey, right? Sonya’s 62 will not happen again, right?
Rhonda Evans said
September 18, 2006 @ 2:29 pm
For Jason: Pat did AWESOME in Krystals. I predicted 46 – 48, and I’m wrong sometimes, but not on this one.
Fir The Sicilian: You have some good points too. And Pat is a GREAT eater, he proved it in both Krystals (48) and Okra (9 1/2 lbs Like I told Jason. Rhonda’s wrong sometimes, but not often. Sonya has stepped up her game like the champion she is. Otherwise, Pat, Chip, and Tim would have overtaken her.
As far as the Brats, I have TOTALLY overlooked Sonya’s “subpar” 34-Brat performance, relatively speaking. Hell, when I get things of that shape near MY mouth, I freeze up too — and I’m a loose woman compared to Sonya. So given a woman of her virtue I’d say she was magnificent!