Kevin Ross won the penultimate Battle of the Bone qualifier in Gilbert, AZ on Wednesday with a total of 3.7 pounds of wing meat in 11 minutes. In the comments, Kevin announces that he has decided to become an independent and leave the IFOCE. There will be one more qualifier in Germann, AZ on August 10.

August 5, 2011 at 8:45 am by ojrifkin · More posts about:Contest Results, Kevin Ross, Phoenix, Unafilliated Contests | Permalink * Comments (16)

16 Comments »

  1. Nathan in Cali said

    August 5, 2011 @ 10:56 am

    Another one leaves the Federation…

    Best of luck Kevin!

  2. nunonabun2 said (Registered November 10, 2009)

    August 5, 2011 @ 11:07 am

    Great job Kevin. Take them down in the finals.

  3. KevinRoss said

    August 5, 2011 @ 11:34 am

    Just to add to this a bit, in case anyone is interested. . .my decision has been a long time coming. I really have enjoyed my time with IFOCE and all the traveling and new friends I’ve made over the years. But obviously it is a losing proposition financially for someone like me, who almost never places in the money. Competitive eating has never been about the money for me, it has been about the fun and experience. But the fun has started to subside for awhile. The last straw was IFOCE being a large factor in making it so I couldn’t participate in the show Bones, citing worry that non-Nathans hot dog could be eaten on the show. I found it quite silly because nobody watching Bones, who didn’t already know me, would have any idea who I am. So it wouldn’t hurt IFOCE in any way. It did rub me the wrong way. I’m not going to sit here on an anti IFOCE rant. They have provided me with a lot of really cool experiences and do put on the best contests. But the Bones thing just drove the point home that I could have more fun going on my own.

    Even though I’ve never considered trying to win money a big factor, it will be nice in the future to at least have a chance to win. There is so many excellent independent eaters, especially on the west coast, that I still will have my work cut out for me. . .but at least I’ll have a realistic shot in some contests, which is exciting.

    So anyway, I’m sad on one hand I won’t be able to compete with IFOCE anymore. But I’m also psyched for what the future might hold!

  4. Bad math said

    August 5, 2011 @ 11:46 am

    Nathan, “another one leaves the federation?” Better check your calculator, more and better eaters have joined MLE this year than have left. MLE loses one Adrian and gains a Matt and Stephanie. All great people, but if I were MLE I’d take that trade in terms of eating talent.

  5. Oh no! said

    August 5, 2011 @ 11:48 am

    How can MLE possibly recover from this tragic loss of talent?

  6. sad loss said

    August 5, 2011 @ 12:06 pm

    Not having kevin ross on the roster any longer is a huge loss for the sport and MLE. I honestly dont know how MLE will recover from this one. On another note what was Kevin thinking asking MLE permission to compete in a non sanctioned contest? Unless it is $$$ coming their way the answer will always be NO

  7. anonymous said

    August 5, 2011 @ 12:07 pm

    Oh goody that means everyone moves up in the rankings.

  8. Anonymous said

    August 5, 2011 @ 12:18 pm

    How many alias names can one Seiken have?……a lot. Good Luck Kevin, you are a stand-up guy.

  9. deano said (Registered August 5, 2011)

    August 5, 2011 @ 12:35 pm

    So I am in this competition with Kevin. My qualifier was the first time i have ever done anything like this so obviously I am not a threat to beat him. I did 81 wings, he did 118. But I would like to give it my best shot. ANyone have any advice on training for this? Any advice on how to swallow the food faster? I know I wont win, but would like to put in a good solid effort and see if i can hit 100 wings.

    Kevin any advice for a friendly competitor?

  10. Anonymous said

    August 5, 2011 @ 12:44 pm

    I am sorry, Kevin who?

  11. Steakbellie said (Registered August 11, 2006)

    August 5, 2011 @ 12:59 pm

    All these years and we still never met in person! Best of luck bud, I’m sure I will see you just as much or more on Eatfeats.

  12. Cutter said (Registered November 9, 2010)

    August 5, 2011 @ 4:03 pm

    This is a mixture of surprising news. 1) Kevin Ross eats a chicken wing 2) Kevin Ross wins a major wing contest 3) Kevin Ross has ambitions to get onto the big screen. There are plenty of independent things to do out there. Good luck. Who would have thunk?

  13. darthtomater said

    August 5, 2011 @ 6:29 pm

    Kevin come to the not so dark side

  14. New21 said

    August 5, 2011 @ 7:04 pm

    Stephanie Torres is now at #21.

  15. Larell Marie Mele said

    August 5, 2011 @ 7:42 pm

    Best of luck, Kevin!!

  16. Ron Koch said

    August 5, 2011 @ 8:37 pm

    Best wishes Kevin, It was a pleasure competing with you.””””””’

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