New IFOCE rankings out: Pat #3, Sonya #4, Bob #5
(From Castro Intestinal) New IFOCE rankings were released today. The top 10 are:
1. Takeru Kobayashi
2. Joey Chestnut
3. Patrick Bertoletti
4. Sonya Thomas
5. Bob Shoudt
6. ChipBurger Simpson
7. Timothy Janus
8. Richard LeFevre
9. Arturo Rios, Jr.
10. Seaver Miller
Bob said (Registered February 25, 2006)
November 8, 2006 @ 8:48 pm
Wow, times have changed since I started. I never thought I would see a Top 10 without:
Cookie
Badlands
GodFather
Moses
Carlene
Where have all of my heroes gone?
I know people will debate the Rankings, but personally it is a honor just to be considered even near these people.
Congrats to the first timers Arturo and Seaver. You two may be new, but you can already do serious damage at the table.
Pat From Moonachie said (Registered December 10, 2005)
November 8, 2006 @ 9:43 pm
“24”…you can call me Jack Bauer…tick..tick..tick.. 😉
Rhonda Evans said
November 9, 2006 @ 8:21 am
Pat Bertoletti certainly deserves the move up in rankings. And I perceive it to be very close between Pat, Sonya, Bob, Chip, Tim, and Rich, in the 3 – 8 spots. I see four tiers of eaters, talent-wise, in the top 20.
1st Tier of talent: Kobayashi: A class by himself. (#1)
2d Tier: Joey: best of all US eaters. (#2)
3rd Tier: Pat, Sonya, Bob, Chip, and Tim (#s 3-8)
4th tier: Rios, Miller, Conti, Boone, Mih, Denmark, Donahue, Hunt, and LaRue (#s 9 -17)
It’s very, very difficult and subjective to have a hard and fast rank order system, but the IFOCE did a pretty good job with the top 10, assuming that the ranks represent a current snapshot of talent. Unfortunately for Sonya, her best foods — many of them — don’t get much weight, and Pat is clearly better than Sonya in Krystals, which is now America’s Top event, besides Nathan’s, where Sonya can only do 37 dogs.
It was such a shame to lose the concept of the US Open of Competitive eating, which represented a smorgasbord of foods, whereby one could get a truer snapshot and representation of a person’s talent.
Pat Philbin got shafted in the rankings — 24? What a damned joke! For a single food, hot dogs is one of the best markers of one’s eating talent, and I believe Pat ate in the mid 20s. Pat should be nearly 10 positions higher than he is pegged at — at least at # 16. I have NO doubt that Pat can eat 40+ Krystals (being that the IFOCE apparently gave that event the most weight).
Rhonda Evans said
November 9, 2006 @ 8:30 am
Bob, you and Pat B are two of my very favorite eaters in the world (even if X is the most handsome).
You two convey humility and respect. (Traits our self-imposed #1-ranked “American hero” has forgotten.) (I’m in the Don Lerman camp on that.)
I root for both of you to do well in every contest. Hats off to you two!
Locust said
November 9, 2006 @ 1:41 pm
Congratulations on your well deserved #3 ranking, Pat. You are one of my favorite eaters as well and definitely one of my favorite people. I think the top ten was right on the money and it’s exactly the way I would have put it. Seaver and Arturo are welcome additions to the top ten and they have certainly earned their placements.
Pat Bertoletti said
November 9, 2006 @ 1:52 pm
Thanks rich and rhonda, you and sonya continue to impress me with your eating abilities. I am still in awe of your jalapeno record. I agree that rios and seaver definitely deserve there spots. I can’t believe the numbers they are putting up as rookies, 30 is what I won my qualifier with last year. 44 and 40 in the finals are great numbers. The new talent level will continue to increase and should push us all to be better. It seems more and more eaters are willing to sacrifice time and money to the sport.
Rhonda Evans said
November 9, 2006 @ 2:44 pm
Pat, as a Sonya fan, it really hurts me to my heart to see her fall in the rankings. But the consolation is that it’s not because she is falling, talent wise. She’s still improving. But you, Pat, (along with Tim, Bob, and Chip — and Rich is STILL a MAD LOCUST!) are improving at a greater rate.
I could have never imagined this happening even 1 year ago. I used to think Cookie and Booker (save Koby) were as good as eaters get. Boy was I in for an awakening!
Liz said
November 9, 2006 @ 2:50 pm
It’s amazing to me how fast things turn around in this sport. When we started reporting a year ago at meatballs, it was an entirely different field of people at entirely different levels. So, (close your ears, Whaler), big congratulations to all you who shone through in this really competitive year.
Liz said
November 9, 2006 @ 3:14 pm
I’m looking forward to seeing Juliet in more competitions, but how is she ranked? She only won one amateur competition. She’s ranked above people who actually competed in pro competitions this year.
ojrifkin said (Registered July 27, 2005)
November 9, 2006 @ 8:55 pm
This is intended to be an all ages website (steakbellie’s son commented today) so please keep that in mind when posting a comment. Thank you.
DALE BOONE said
November 10, 2006 @ 10:52 am
UPDATE
on US OPEN
after talking to my fellow crew in TV land
it is reported the REAL and MAIN reason
for the pull out of the US open IS as follow
The show name BIG LOSERS Is about over weigh
ppl weighing every week .
By hard training . And lots of sweating . Which can and will cause body PAINS . Thus making a BIG PUSH for you got it PAIN PRODUCTS
And can any one guess who the BIG SPONSOR
IS ????????
Can any one guess ?????
Thats right BAYER
SEE they used that so call group To get out of
having one SHOW on less eating
And one SHOW ON MORE EATING
It s funny how ppl in TV land work
To get out of something sticky
What do you think ???
Agent Thirty-Nine said
November 10, 2006 @ 3:41 pm
A Mole in TV Land Eh?
Hold my hat, Skipper! I’m gonna get to the bottom of this….who ever heard of “Eating Less”???!!!!
NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH said
November 11, 2006 @ 1:43 am
I dont know which is worse trying to understand boone’s jibberish or kobe’s attempted english translation on his website both make the eyes quite sore.