Shreveport Times grits preview

The Shreveport Times has a preview of Saturday’s grits eating contest at Harrah’s Louisiana Downs which lists some expected entrants:

At the upcoming contest at Louisiana Downs, the early favorite is top-ranked Joey Chestnut, who upset Takeru Kobayashi at the 2007 Fourth of July hot dog eating contest by downing 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes. Challenging Chestnut will be third-ranked Pat Bertoletti, a mohawked chef from Chicago who once ate 16 pounds of strawberry shortcake in eight minutes and recently upset Chestnut in a pork rib contest. Challenging Bertoletti will be Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas, the 100-pound woman who once ate 552 oysters in 10 minutes; fourth-ranked tiramisu champ Tim “Eater X” Janus; SPAM-eating champ Rich “The Locust” LeFevre; and seventh-ranked “Humble” Bob Shoudt, a pie specialist from Royersford, Pa.

Comments (31)

31 Comments »

  1. SyKoBOZO said (Registered September 17, 2007)

    September 26, 2007 @ 7:47 pm

    I believe they forgot the Freakshow from Houston on that list,ok so i have to drive 5 hours to Louisiana,pay for a hotel room,and then get my ass kicked again eating grits (kolaches first time),hahaha the price of a rookie eater,and the next day i have to drive another 3 hours to probaly get whatever is left of my ass kicked in Dallas,eating corndogs,is that dedication or stupidity???….oh well it will be fun im sure,and they say “to get better,you need to get your ass kicked a couple of times”….GRITS!,GRITS!,GRITS!

  2. SyKoBOZO said (Registered September 17, 2007)

    September 26, 2007 @ 8:03 pm

    hey since im a rookie,can i have a 10 bowl headstart???? hahahaha i wish,that would be funny,i would probaly still lose,hahaha

  3. Rhonda Evans said

    September 27, 2007 @ 8:28 am

    Does anyone know how many minutes the contest will last? Why is this rarely announced on the IFOCE Web site? It is hoped that it will be a time-based contest and not simply how quickly you can eat a certain amount of food. That’s Bullshit!

  4. Rhonda Evans said

    September 27, 2007 @ 9:20 am

    In my book Pat Bertoletti is the favorite. Sonya is a wild card and could surprise and finish ahead of Joey or Pat in this kind of event.

  5. Eric Duclos said

    September 27, 2007 @ 9:59 am

    I heard 10 minutes. I think they will be much slower than people think. Grits are only fast if they are piping hot. There is no way they will be fresh. Contests rarely have fresh food since they have to prepare so much.
    Set amount of food is bullshit. Any Joe Shmo can win a set amount of food contest.

  6. Eric Duclos said

    September 27, 2007 @ 10:05 am

    Who else is going to grits besides the headliners? Steakbellie, Philly guy, sicilian, kevin ross, wing kong???

  7. Anonymous said

    September 27, 2007 @ 10:30 am

    You are dreaming, Rhonda.

  8. WyattEarp said

    September 27, 2007 @ 12:04 pm

    Rhonda you may be right…I mean, there’s a first time for everything.

    No way Thomas is going to pull an upset, but Pat always makes for a competition that could go either way.

  9. Steakbellie said (Registered August 11, 2006)

    September 27, 2007 @ 12:21 pm

    Eric,
    I will not be at grits. I predict that three records will be set.
    1. Grits Record – duh
    2. Most Food by Weight Eaten by a Single Person at an IFOCE Event (and possibly even more than Koby’s 20lbs of cow brains)
    3. Most Food by Weight Eaten by the Table as a Whole.

    Conceivably it could be ANY of the top 8 that wins….thats freaking crazy.

    ALSO, there are now too many Eric(k)’s in the IFOCE. We’re gonna have to have a showdown of sorts.

  10. Eric Duclos said

    September 27, 2007 @ 1:13 pm

    I think it is possible those records may be broken depending on the preparation of the grits. If they are thicker…forget it. There is no way someone will be the strawberry shortcake poundage (15.25lbs), much less the cow brain record (17.7lbs).
    If the grits are thiner…all bets are off.

  11. Gentleman Joe said

    September 27, 2007 @ 1:16 pm

    Maybe someone from the ifoce can make sure there is plenty of food this time. Otherwise, you won’t see 20lbs of anything.

    BTW Kobe did not do 20lbs. 1st tray weighed 10lbs, 2nd tray was 5lbs, & he didn’t finish the 2nd tray. He did more like 12 lbs of brains.

  12. KevinRoss said

    September 27, 2007 @ 1:28 pm

    I really wanted to do grits because I have a feeling it will be an amazing contest like y’all are saying, but it didn’t work out with my schedule (not to mention my budget). I can’t wait to see how people do. I hope it’s a full length contest so people can put up some amazing numbers!

  13. Rhonda Evans said

    September 27, 2007 @ 2:31 pm

    I’ve already admitted that Sonya’s chance of winning are slim to none. However, Bertoletti and Chestnut both will have be forced to eat in the 14-15 lbs neighborhood to finish ahead of her, unless the grits are ultra thick — I guarandamntee you. Those two had also better worry about Mr. Janus and Mr. LeFevre, because they, like Sonya, have yet to be in an MLE contest in which their stomach capacities were tested.

    Also, what you two, Mr. Earp, and Mr. Anony, fail to realize is that THE GREAT Sonya Thomas is, as “Badlands” Booker once put it, “a superhero with a fork and a spoon!” (In this contest you’ll see why he said that.)

    In the grits event, Sonya will be a speedster from the outset, and will be pushing the top one or two eaters all the way through to the finish, assuming they’re still eating near the end as she will be.

    You two are also forgetting that men are SUPPOSED to beat a little tiny female, but all but the very, very best eaters do not. Sonya Thomas is the greatest eater, pound-for-pound on this planet, bar none!

    Kiss her grits!

  14. Steakbellie said (Registered August 11, 2006)

    September 27, 2007 @ 3:50 pm

    Rhonda,
    I dont believe her chances are slim to none. I think Joey & Pat are favorites, but that Chip, Bob, Sonya, Tim & Rich are really in this game. It’s pure capacity without chewing, and I expect to be wowed yet again by these great Eaters.

    Twelve Minutes…please make this Twelve Minutes!!!!!!

    I’d also like to point out the line before “a superhero with a fork and a spoon” is “Train like X-MEN in the Danger Room”. Not that it adds to your point at all, but it’s my favorite Booker Couplet of all his albums.

    “Kiss My Grits”
    I can see that on the t-shirts”

  15. Anonymous said

    September 27, 2007 @ 3:52 pm

    Men aren’t supposed to beat women any more than women are supposed to beat men. EATERS are supposed to beat EATERS. There is no evidence to suggest that a man is any more predisposed to be able to eat more than a woman is. This isn’t a track meet or a football game or tennis, in which men clearly have a physical advantage.

  16. Gentleman Joe said

    September 27, 2007 @ 3:52 pm

    I mostly dispute the claim the Sonya is the greatset lb for lb eater in the world.

    When Kobe burst on the scene he was listed as somewhere between 112lbs & 118lbs.

    He also did 50 compared to the 18 Sonya could do at the time.

    He’s up to the 60’s while Sonya has touched 40?

    At 62?, to 40, if she weighs 100lbs, Kobe could weigh 150+ & still be the current lb for lb champ.

    While his weight has gone up…& down over the yrs, if you factor all but his highest weight,(170) he is the lb for lb champ.

    No disrespect to Sonya whatsoever in calling her #2 to Kobe’s #1

    With all that said, lb for lb in anything but boxing is B.S.

  17. Anonymous said

    September 27, 2007 @ 3:52 pm

    Men aren’t supposed to beat women any more than women are supposed to beat men. EATERS are supposed to beat EATERS. There is no evidence to suggest that a man is any more predisposed to be able to eat more than a woman is. This isn’t a track meet or a football game or tennis, in which men clearly have a physical advantage. The stomach isn’t a muscle like the ones you flex in any of those sports.

  18. Anonymous said

    September 27, 2007 @ 4:00 pm

    I’ll be there! This is the first eating contest around here that I can remember!

  19. Rhonda Evans said

    September 27, 2007 @ 4:04 pm

    Thanks for chiming in Steak. It’s always nice to read comments from you and Mega. Yep, while Joey and Pat are rightfully favorites, you can’t totally rule out an upset.

    I really, really hope the people who plan how much food to have on hand make a liberal estimate, and then double it. Those eaters are that good!

  20. Mr Reality said

    September 27, 2007 @ 5:39 pm

    Rhonda rarely announced by the IFOCE? Do they ever announce anything that is not in their best interests? They put out a DVD called Major League eaters and kept it under lock and key. . For good reason. They dont want to compensate the people that participated in it.

  21. Farooq said

    September 27, 2007 @ 6:08 pm

    Menchetti. Yeah that figures. I agree with Rhonda on that. I’m tired of Sonya getting picked on at every turn. That’s bullshit to you Joe because you can’t compete with anyone that has real talent. I guess Koby could eat 1000 oysters in 10 minutes or 20 pounds of cheesecake in nine. Look at Koby’s weight now. It has been hovering around 150 and Sonya weighs 100. But let’s focus on you. I wish you would show up to contests with any of the IFOCE top half dozen eaters they would blow your sorry thing away.

    Damn!

  22. Farooq said

    September 27, 2007 @ 6:12 pm

    Anonymous I think Rhonda has another point. Big people need bigger stomachs to nourish more blood in bigger bodies. Men have stronger muscles and stonger bodies and body parts. There’s no need to hide behind the fallacy of there being no scientific study. It’s cpmmon sense in any sport. Women like Sonya, Juliet, and Carlene could kick your ass. Your comments are based on nothing more than that dreaded fact..

  23. anonymous said

    September 27, 2007 @ 7:35 pm

    Faroq why dont you cut the facade and admit you have some kind of personal connection with sonya thomas. I think you are someone we all know and cant stand

  24. Philly Guy said

    September 27, 2007 @ 8:01 pm

    I’m doing something else that weekend.

  25. anonymous said

    September 27, 2007 @ 10:50 pm

    Glad to hear you have a social life Philly guy. We were beggining to worry about you. I hope you have a date that weekend?

  26. Farooq said

    September 28, 2007 @ 12:29 am

    anonymous OK i’m her manager. Who in the f— are you! At least I admit it. You have less balls than Sonya and if you ask around your contemporaries will agree.

  27. Rhonda Evans said

    September 28, 2007 @ 7:43 am

    I don’t know who this “Farooq” is, but I do appreciate you sticking up for Sonya, Farooq. Sonya has very few fans on this site, unlike in the general population, where she has more fans than any other competitive eater (except perhaps Kobayashi). Many, many cowards visit this site just to give her and many other popular eaters a hard time —- out oof sheer jealousy.

    I’m actually glad Sonya, Tim, Legs, and Koby don’t post here. The anonym(p)ussies don’t deserve them!

  28. Rhonda Evans said

    September 28, 2007 @ 7:47 am

    Isn’t it amazing how distance and anonymity breed boldness, especially in cowards? I wonder who would say what to whom, face to face, in real time. (I think I’d like a ticket to attend.)

  29. Anonymous said

    September 28, 2007 @ 12:31 pm

    Women are at no disadvantage whatsoever when it comes to eating. It is complete nonsense to say otherwise. Rhonda, exactly what way do you see where women are handicapped against men when it comes to eating? Can you give one bit of evidence to support that ridiculous claim?

  30. Rhonda Evans said

    September 28, 2007 @ 3:23 pm

    1. Women have weaker muscles (than men). This includes jaw and stomach muscles. The jaw gets tired more quickly in women than men.
    2. Oftentimes women have a slightly narrower esophagus, which can restrict swallowing speed more than it does in men.
    3. Women’s stomachs often do not accommodate expansion as readily as in men. Men need this attribute to accommodate more food ro make it available to larger bodies, and as Farooq stated, to feed a larger blood supply.
    4. Women (especially smaller ones like Sonya) often have smaller mouths than men. Now if you think this doesn’t matter, you either aren’t thinking or don’t want to admit it.The more food that can be crammed into one’s big mouth, the better — especially in short-timed contests and at the end of an event. Sonya has not that luxury.

    (Could you imagine Sonya going for a 2-dog stuff at the end of a Nathan’s event? Even with an empty mouth, she can’t get more than one dog and bun in there. Many eaters can cram at least two dogs in their mouths. I’ve seen it!)

    Now, Anonymous, from 12:31, if you want more evidence, you do the research yourself. In the meantime, be damn glad that Sonya, Juliet, Gal Sone, Carlene, and Rubber Gut have more estrogen than testosterone. Otherwise, you’d have a greater reason to sing the blues.

    On a side note, it really shows your ignorance that you have to ask that question. CE is a sport, right? I don’t see any other sport where men and women routinely compete against one another. But where there are exceptions, the men absolutely dominate. How many men has Danika Patrick (auto racing) or Michelle Wei (golf) finished ahead of, for example?

    Men are SUPPOSED to beat women in all sports. When they don’t it’s news. That’s why the AP and many, many networks pick up on Sonya. Even when she doesn’t win an event, she always, without fail, finishes ahead of more men than finish ahead of her. And oftentimes Sonya is in the top three or four, even when the very best eaters (men) in the world compete.

    Just hope that Sonya doesn’t improve further.

  31. Anonymous said

    September 29, 2007 @ 3:18 pm

    I was at the grits eating contest, and I had a great time! Patrick Bertoletti won by eating 21 pounds in 10 minutes,Tim Janus came in 2nd, Joey Chestnut was 3rd, Sonya Thomas 4th, and Hall Hunt in 5th place.

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