Thanks very much Kevin Carr. Kevin made a trip north to Michigan yesterday to attempt the Chili Dog Challenge at the Rockford Corner Bar and try to learn the identies of the eaters who have recently attempted the record.

Kevin learned of four other IFOCE members other than Tim Janus who have recently attempted the challenge. All four eaters reached the 20 chili dog mark (at which point the meal is free) with two breaking the 30 dog level, but at least one eater vomited. I have omitted the identies of those eaters from Kevin’s report. I will list their identities tomorrow at 10 pm eastern unless they email ojrifkin@yahoo.com and request that his (they are all male) result not be posted.

In his report, Kevin mentioned that he is on standby for a Nathan’s qualifier spot. Spaces must be extremely tight if a ranked eater who competed in last year’s US Open is not guaranteed a spot.

Kevin emailed me this report:

REPORT FROM THE ROCKFORD CORNER BAR

After hearing the news of Tim “Eater X” Janus’s recent victory at the Rockford Corner Bar, I was naturally curious about the challenge. It was only a 5 hour drive from my home, so I thought I’d run up there and take the challenge myself. I’m on stand-by for a Nathan’s qualifier, and I’ve never eaten hot dogs in a contest, so I wanted to test my mettle so to speak.

Also, there have been conflicting reports in the press and the eating community about what’s been going on up there. Call it the writer in me, but I wanted to go to the source to get the full story.

I went last night (Wednesday, March 22) and arrived at the Corner Bar around 6:30 p.m. They seated me at a table by myself, and I placed my order. I had them bring the dogs out in batches of five. Here’s a quick description of what they are:

The coneys were your basic 6-inch hot dog in a regular white bun. The chili sauce was a finely ground, very flavorful and spiced (but not hot) concoction. It wasn’t chili that you would eat in a bowl necessarily, but very appropriate on a hot dog. Think of Skyline chili without the Skyline signature flavor.

The first couple waves of dogs went down pretty easily. I got through fifteen easily within the first 45 minutes. Because it wasn’t a short contest, I was pacing myself and chewing thoroughly. I wasn’t going for speed, but I gained some confidence for future hot dog events. I drank lemonade, diet Pepsi and Sprite throughout my limit, although I leaned mostly on lemonade. (A special note of kudos to the Corner Bar for offering both Coke and Pepsi products.)

With 15 down, I earned a spot on the wall of fame, and I was only five dogs away from a free lunch. So, I took a short break and then went onto my 4th batch of five. This is when it started to get ugly. I was filled up from the first 15, and it was slow going. I knew I had four hours to complete it, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.

After some time, the spices in the hot dog and the chili get to you. It’s not even a conscious reaction. At one point, I had half a bite in my mouth and had to actually swallow it to get rid of “the urge.” Even if you don’t taste it, your body reacts to such high levels of salt, garlic and other spices.

Over the next three hours, I choked down dog by dog to reach 20. I even took a nap in the middle to see if I could digest better. (After all, whose going to throw a chubby Irishman like myself out of a bar when he passes out?) I managed to eat my last bite within the last 10 minutes of the challenge. They congratulated me at the bar and got me set up for the Wall of Fame. A few minutes later, I suffered a small reversal.

Yes, I admit it. I had a reversal of fortune – the first in almost 2 years after the disastrous 84 Lumber contest where I caused a reversal chain reaction with me and Cookie Jarvis. Mary, the manager of the bar was very nice to me and even laughed when I told her that I waited until everyone left before the reversal.

In the end, I made the 20 – the four-minute mile for competitive eaters. I made the cut between the men and the boys – but only slightly. And in the end, I earned even more respect for the illustrious Eater X. My hats off to you, Tim. I don’t know how you did it.

While I was getting ready to go, I chatted with the folks at the bar to see if I could get the answers to some conflicting reports. Here is a breakdown of the professional eaters that I know of who have recently done the challenge.

• Tim Janus ate 43 1/2 dogs to set the new record earlier this month.
• [Results from the four IFOCE members who have recently attempted the challenge will be posted here tomorrow unless that eater emails me that he would not like his result publicized
• [As reported in the Rockford Squire] On March 9, Arnie Chapman, Mark Lyle and David O’Karma visited the bar for the challenge. Both Chapman and Lyle at 21 dogs. O’Karma ate 19 1/2.

Congrats to all the eaters that do the challenge – professional or not. Whether you eat 15-20 or in the upper 30s, it’s a tough challenge. The chili sauce is the kicker. It really makes a difference.

According to the management of the Corner Bar, while others have taken the challenge recently, those are the only professional eaters they know of who have done so recently.

I do want to add that the folks at the Corner Bar are great people. They’re very gracious and friendly, and the food looked pretty darn good. (Unfortunately, I had no desire to eat anything else during the contest, and I’ll be passing on the dogs at my family’s Memorial Day picnic.)

If you’re ever near Grand Rapids, take a trip up to Rockford and visit the Corner Bar. See if you can eat the 20 for a free lunch, but 12 will get you on the Wall of Fame. There’s no longer a $500 bounty for beating the record, so you’ll have to settle for bragging rights and a T-shirt if you make it.

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