2006 Nathan’s finals teleblog – Kobayashi sets record, Joey 52
2:05 Kobayashi has broken his record every even-numbered year and failed to break it in odd-numbered years since he first set the record in 2001. (I guess this is somewhat analagous to Star Trek movies where the even numbered movies are more worth watching than the odd numbered ones)
1:42 The Whaler’s website received a mention in the broadcast in addition to appearing on Tim’s Whalers sign. It is surprising that eaterx.blogspot.com was publicized in this manner when it does not appear on the IFOCE website. The past three weeks have been good to competitors associated with the Hartford Whalers.
1:20 Gothamist also had a live blog
1:09 The production values for 2006 were higher than the 2005 contest when the running totals were only sporadically displayed. If the ChewCam must be retained, the running totals should be displayed while the ChewCam is shown.
12:58 Koby’s mark is revised to 53.75, still a record. A graphic for “Major League Eating” ? is displayed. Joey and Koby are briefly interviewed. Sonya ties her record with 37 if that is her result. I wonder what happened to Chip. He fell off a lot at the end.
12:53 Kobayashi sets the record with 54! Joey has 52 Sonya 37 Tim breaks 30 with 33, Pat is 5th (or tied for 4th)
12:52 WIll Koby break the record?
12:51 2 minutes – Kobys lead is now 2
12:50 Kobyashi moves ahead with about 3 minutes left Sonya has moved into 3rd
12:49 ESPN: Don’t switch away from the action for the chewcams!!
12:48 4 minutes left tied at 40
12:46 halfway Joey 35, Koby 33,
12:44 4 minutes Joey 28, Koby 26
12:43 At the quarter mark, Chestnut has a 2 dog lead. Thomas is #5
12:42 Chestnut has moved ahead around the 11 minute mark Sonya is not in the top 5
12:41 and we’re off
12:40 The hot dogs are displayed and it is said the hot dogs are allowed to cool off because it makes it easier to eat
12:31 All competitors starting with Erik Denmark will be introduced on television. Tim carries a Hartford Whalers sign with his website onto the stage. “Kamil” from the Czech republic is unfortunately not a Slavic tennis-babe type 😉 Chip is introduced after Sonya. I know Chip ate one more HDB in qualifying, but I feel this is a bit disrespectful taking all of Sonya’s accomplishments into account. Kobayashi weighs 170 lb and has orange hair.
12:30 A graphic of streaks incorrectly says Lance Armstrong’s streak is 6.
12:25 Some clips of Kobayashi from previous contests are aired. Kobayashi does not look as muscular as he did in 2005, but his shirt has sleeves so it is difficult to tell.
12:22 A list of hot dog eating techinques is displayed.
12:21 Pat Bertoletti is interviewed. He says it will take a miracle for him to reach 50 HDB.
12:20 Brief interviews with the “rookies” / members of “Axis of Eaters” Chip Simpson and Pat Bertoletti are aired.
12:19 A video press release on the redevelopment / yuppification of Coney Island is aired.
12:17 Kobayashi’s factoids incorrectly says he has only lost to a bear. He has lost to Nobuyuki Shirota in a long distance contest on Japanese television.
12:13 Sonya is interviewed and says she will focus on fast swallowing. She trains by drinking a lot of liquids. She says the heat does not bother her, but will affect the heavier competitors.
12:10 A profile of Joey Chestnut is aired. Joey is filmed at his construction company and at work sites
12:09 The bus arrives and Joey Chestnut is interviewed. He says he will push through the wall of pain.
12:06 Some observations:
Is the IFOCE webmaster on summer vacation? No updates at all since June 28
Will Sonya break the single session female hot dog eating record? Which I believe is 43 chili dogs (in 4 hours) by Balinda Gould at the Rockford Corner Bar in December.
Prediction for table lineup:
center Kobyashi
1 from center Sonya & Joey
2 from center Pat & Chip
3 from center Rich & Badlands
12:01 Welcome to the Nathan’s teleblog. It looks like there is a threat of rain and some spectators have umbrellas. The nutritional information of 50+ hot dogs is listed and the crowd size is announced at 15,000.
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the boy king said
July 4, 2006 @ 12:49 pm
you are a savior.
the boy king said
July 4, 2006 @ 12:49 pm
i couldn’t be in front of the television right now.
the boy king said
July 4, 2006 @ 12:51 pm
the suspense is killing me
the boy king said
July 4, 2006 @ 12:56 pm
koby is the greatest ever!!!
great job joey chestnut.
sonya, always there.
Tim, the most surprising finish.
pat.. i hope he sticks with it.
where’s chip?
Kevin Carr said (Registered April 21, 2006)
July 4, 2006 @ 1:26 pm
Koby wins again, but with less than 2 dogs ahead of Joey. GREAT JOB, JOEY!
My prediction (first offered in my interview with Ryan Nerz on May 5 – hear it near the end of the segment at: http://www.7mpictures.com/inside/profilesingluttony.htm) is that Koby will retire from Nathan’s now. He was so close to losing this year, and he got a real scare.
It was the first year that Koby wasn’t arrogent during the contest. He looked exhausted at the end. Never have seen him like that before.
Koby is going to want to go out on top, and he’ll do so. I bet he’ll be an announcer GOH at the 2007 Nathans, but I doubt he’ll go against Joey again for the Mustard Belt.
beautifulbrian said
July 4, 2006 @ 2:04 pm
Kobe bulking up has very little to do with eating. Its an insecurity of being thin . You can dispute this with me all you want im telling you the facts because i went through the same thing growing up . People told me for years i was too skinny and big is in . Big is not in. It turns to disgusting fat when you hit 37 or 39 and worse at 40. unless you work out every day of your life since 14 or 15 like the Shredder . I worked with weights before these kids were born . Free weights , or whatever limited stuff we had back then . My old pics are proof of the pudding and what you saw on my site was just the beginning stages of my development. Of course i expect the cowards with alias names to bash me to bits because calling me a Kobe hater or much worse than that. Muscle to fat theory doesnt apply to everyone but its very hard to dispute that the bodybuilding is 60 percent vanity and 40 whatever.
Mr Negativity said
July 4, 2006 @ 2:10 pm
boy king get a grip huh. sonya is the greatest, kobe is the greatest , tim is the greatest. chestnut is the greatest oh god i dont know what to do. my role models. my role models i love them. . .. You make me sick
annie oakley said
July 4, 2006 @ 2:13 pm
That was the greatest display of tenacity, endurance and sportsmanship I have ever seen. Chestnut may not have won the competition but he won the heart of America on this 4th of July. Kobayashi, you are an amazing competitor and you are a gentleman and a good sport. Proud to be an Amreican today.
SuperPaul said (Registered January 26, 2006)
July 4, 2006 @ 2:42 pm
How can a man who doesn’t speak english be an announcer??
Mr Wright said
July 4, 2006 @ 3:00 pm
Quote of the month by RIch Shea at the nathans finals. “Seaver Miller a rising newcomer on the scene made his debut in crabcakes on May 29th. Oh wait sorry it was June 1st i apologize” . First off does anyone know who Seaver Miller is? Does anyone care or will the world come to and end if his debut was May 29th or June 1st? Was there a need for an apology.?
Samuel Epstein said
July 4, 2006 @ 3:16 pm
According to BB bits & pieces , Jarvis ceremony was scratched from ESPN, Subich request to wear BB hat was denied, Lermans request to bring Jim Mullens teeth ceremony was denied and Kobe kept his promise to bring Jarvis on stage but IFOCE heads were enraged and cut it to 2 seconds. What a bunch of selfish bastards
L-Con said
July 4, 2006 @ 3:19 pm
If nobody noticed we have 3 events on espn this year and a new name. Kobe is here to stay and will be in more US contest. I’ve heard the rumors and MLE is going to try to make eating legit.
Pat From Moonachie said (Registered December 10, 2005)
July 4, 2006 @ 6:23 pm
This year was “Rocky” for Joey, by going the distance and next year will be “Rocky II”….He’ll win!
..and I better do 30+…OR ELSE!
..Oh yeah, and Sonya The Black Widow” Thomas is the greatest female competitive eater of all time!
THE TRUTH HURTS said
July 4, 2006 @ 7:37 pm
Did anyone notice when George Shea announced some of the eaters at the end screaming at the top of his lungs , it sounded like a little kid throwing a major tantrum because he didnt get his toy. What a nut
Luther said
July 5, 2006 @ 4:18 am
Pat to say the Sonya is the greatest female competitive eater of all time is an attempt to console her because she absolutelt sucked and your words are like saying she won a beauty contest and she was the only one in it. Females simply cant compete in a man’s sport and she should give it up.Besides it is ckear that she is not wanted on the circuit anyway.When will she realize that?
Joey great american dope chestnut gave the sheas what they deserved also in a loss. Chestnut is the greatest loser that the sport has ever seen.
Rhonda Evans said
July 5, 2006 @ 7:42 am
Well the Sheas Golden Boy promotion of Joey backfired. They were just absolutely certain that he was going to eat 60 – 70 dogs. (Go back to my June 14th post on my prediction — no way in hell Koby will come to all the way here to get his ass kicked in front of a national audience — won’t happen!) Now, because of the way they promoted Joey, his outstanding showing is reduced to him being perceived as just another American loser. Do they have any common sense at all?
Also, the order that Sonya was introduced in, before Chip, is despicable. The Sheas just knew that Chip would beat her, because of his qualifying total, which was probably a miscount anyway. Don’t get me wrong, however, I’m led to believe that Chip is a top notch person AND eater.
But Sonya’s status means nothing to the Sheas. They both have a chew you up and spit you out mentality — a what can you do for me to put money in my pocket mentality.
It is hoped that Sonya will be at Peggy O’Neill’s next year where at least she’ll be appreciated, and can actually win something. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sonya drop to # 5 in the World Rankings behind Koby, Joey, Pat and Chip, just because she’s the wrong sex and well over 30. Her accomplishments and ability mean nothing if it doesn’t color the IFOCE’s pockets green. I’m sick of the whole damned thing.
And another thing, I don’t know if the eaters knew this, because they were just happy to be there, and have every right to be. They earned that right. But from a viewer’s perspective, the entire event focused on three eaters ONLY, which were Koby, Joey and talented newcomer Seaver Miller, but only because he was wearing that damned ridiculous head cam.
In the future, why don’t they have the top two eaters only in the Nathans Finals and be done with it. This is another example of pathetic coverage of a sport that has much potential, but which is being stifled by a couple of ignoramuses!
Menchetti was probably right all along. He just was too blunt in saying it, much like me now. I am just a slower learner than he is.
I sure as hell hope Sonya and others are reading this. There’s strength in numbers!
CE Fan said
July 5, 2006 @ 12:07 pm
Here’s your George Shea quote of the day. After the contest concluded and Koby and Chestnut were being paraded on stage in front of the media cameras, Shea slipped out of “spastic carnival barker mode” back into “slippery PR guy mode” and announced to the media — with his mic still live — “We all know this isn’t about athletics, it’s a promotion…and you (the media) are our constituents.”
I mean, we kinda know that already, but dude…you don’t have to remind us that this is all a big ploy to make money for the sponsors. It’s also kind of a kick in the teeth to the eaters who DO take this seriously.
The Phenom said
July 5, 2006 @ 1:25 pm
Rhonda Evans,
I just wanted to let you know that the way that they decided who would be introduced was based on numbers in qualifiers ONLY. The only person that they did not follow that procedure for was Erik the Red and that was because he was a last minute qualifier. I agree that if you go by history and current status of an eater that I should have been introduced behind Sonya. I am more dissapointed in my total than anyone else trust me. I also do not believe that I will be ranked in front of her simply because she is a female and she is over 30. In fact many people come to these events because of Sonya. She is a great asset to our sport and I am very proud to be close to her when the bell rings at the end of the contest.
The pool boy said
July 5, 2006 @ 1:26 pm
Hot dog eating is a man’s sport? How homo erotic. Interesting, but not quite right.
SON OF THE TRUTH said
July 5, 2006 @ 1:36 pm
Funny you mentioned that CE. Without divulging my real identity i remember Rich Shea calling me asking for my participation in a contest way back in 2001 before they had a website or PC’s to communicate. I told him i would like to compete but i havent really practiced lately. His response was ” You guys shouldnt take this so seriously its all fun” . I wonder does he still feel that way now or is competitive eating serious shit? I wish they would make up their mind if its a damn show or serious shit, because to this day im still confused . To quote the promoter in rocky 1 to rocky balboa ” Don’t worry about Apollo Creed i am sure you will put on a good show”
Ira Levine said
July 5, 2006 @ 1:40 pm
Hey Phenom the smartest move they made was not putting you next to Allen Goldstein .You could have offered your father a chair instead of you taking one. Remember age before beauty
Rhonda Evans said
July 5, 2006 @ 2:01 pm
Phenom your words reinforce my belief that you are a real asset to the sport. Based on the qualifying total you did deserve much recognition. By the way, you did a phenomenal job yesterday!
Rhonda Evans said
July 5, 2006 @ 2:05 pm
Pool Boy I agree with you that CE IS NOT a man’s sport.
Rhonda Evans said
July 5, 2006 @ 2:09 pm
Son of The Truth you make a good point that I wasn’t aware of. I think that first and foremost it is a sport to be taken seriously. But if one’s strong point isn’t eating then he or she can make up for it through showmanship. The former is cardinal and the latter is appreciated. By the way, Pat “From Moonachie” has much of both. He was very entertaining yesterday!
JonnyCake said
July 5, 2006 @ 2:22 pm
I don’t think Goldstein has kids. The only relationship between the Shredder and Chip is they are both body builders and they look like they go to the same barber.
So lets put this father / son bit to rest.
Gentleman Joe said (Registered December 8, 2005)
July 5, 2006 @ 2:24 pm
ce fan: I didn’t know about the Shea comment afterwards. THAT sould be publicized..
Rhonda- The Shea’s didn’t lose w/ Chestnut… It just makes every contest the 2 of them are in that much bigger. Watch next years Coney dog event end up on the mother station, ABC instead of ESPN.
Rhonda Evans said
July 5, 2006 @ 2:41 pm
GJoe you might be right about that, but if Koby shows up he’ll win again. If he doesn’t show it will mean he doesn’t want to risk losing. Then Joey will be king for a couple of years — at least in Hot Dogs, but it isn’t fair for a contest for one specific food to have so much clout — especially when it pays nothing (to the eaters).
Mega Munch said
July 5, 2006 @ 3:13 pm
I heard Shea’s “It’s just a promotion” line too. Very good point SON OF THE TRUTH and Rhonda. So many people take competitive eating VERY seriously (i.e. the eaters and fans) yet it seems some — like the Sheas — also take it seriously, but for very different reasons.
Pat From Moonachie said (Registered December 10, 2005)
July 5, 2006 @ 4:30 pm
Luther, are you even a competitive eating fan??….it sure doesn’t sound like it. I wasn’t consoling Sonya, I was putting things in perspective, only 3 guys (Kobayashi, Joey and Chip) have EVER done more hot dogs than her, your completely delusional saying she can’t compete with men!..and if Joey’s a loser, what does that make you??
Pat From Moonachie said (Registered December 10, 2005)
July 5, 2006 @ 5:53 pm
Make that 4 guys, I omitted Nobuyuki “The Giant/Gutzilla” Shirota who did 38 in 04′
NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH said
July 5, 2006 @ 6:35 pm
Some harsh words from the man from moonachie
Eater X said
July 6, 2006 @ 1:19 am
Invitations to join the Axis of Eaters have not yet left my desk.
Pat From Moonachie said (Registered December 10, 2005)
July 6, 2006 @ 5:16 am
That whole “Axis” thing work out well for Mussolini, now didn’t it??
..and shouldn’t that be the “X-is of Eaters”?
Mr Wright said
July 6, 2006 @ 6:40 am
I assume that in order to become a member of the axis you need to meet a certain criteria as an eater or be ranked in the top 10 or 15 . Unless it involves protecting a fellow member from physical violence or getting mocked or abused by the aice or anyone else , then its nonsense and sheer stupidity. More along the lines of an attention getter or publicity stunt
Luther said
July 6, 2006 @ 2:29 pm
I do not understyand you bunch of pussies! There is no way in hell that a little girl is supposed to beat a grown man in eating. Sonya should be ranked about 30 because the only way she can win an eating contest is because you men totally lose focus and just give the contest away to her. That’s why both Kate Stelnick, Lori Weiss, and the Gal would fuckin mop up the floor with your little princess Sonya Thomas. I don’t know what she did to the Sheas to convince them to rank her, but she is just a champion on paper and nuthin else. when will u morons get that thru your heads! Shit, any average man could beat her.
the boy king said
July 6, 2006 @ 6:12 pm
you are the stupidest person i have ever seen blog, Luther.
Rich LeFevre said
July 6, 2006 @ 8:25 pm
I’m still having fun with it. Perhaps that’s why I’m getting my ass kicked so often now. I try to do my best but without making great sacrifices. To me, it is a fun activity and not a life changing venture. I wish all the hard working eaters the best as they deserve all the accolades they are getting.
Mega Munch said
July 7, 2006 @ 7:43 am
Kate Stelnick and Lori Weiss beating Sonya? I don’t think so. Yeah, they ate some big burgers in a two hour period at a backwoods restaurant in Pennsyltucky (I’m a Pennsyltucky man myself), but they’ve never proven themselves in a shorter, speed-eating contest.
I’d love for them to do it though. The IFOCE needs more (young, attractive) women eaters. Hopefully they’re actively scouting and recruiting some behind the scenes.
Rhonda Evans said
July 7, 2006 @ 9:07 am
Who is this Luther? Luther I agree with TBK. You have got to be the most stupid person on this or possibly any blog. I do believe that Kate and Lori are terrific eaters and would wipe the floor up with any woman on the street — and most men! But there is NO WAY rhat they should even be mentioned in the same sentence as Ms Thomas,
I also agree with MM. I believe there are many yet undiscovered female eaters with lots of CE talent. It would really be nice if more females competed, because regardless of what the Sheas might lead yo to believe, men have a definite advantage in CE, as with all sports, over women. Sonya would probably never admit that fact, because of her pride or whatever. But it’s the truth.
Sonya is simply so dominant that it’s not worth the Sheas time and effort to recruit new female eaters, and Sonya doesn’t get the recognition she deserves. Neither Sorenstam, Wei, Patrick, or any female sports figure you can name can even compete with men, let alone dominate them the way Sonya does.
Thank God that Lori and Kate or even the Gal don’t compete against Sonya. They don’t deserve to be humiliated.
The Sicilian said (Registered February 23, 2006)
July 7, 2006 @ 11:04 am
Luther,
You pathetic trash talker, bring your sorry-ass to the table with Sonya, i bet she can beat you in any food that she can tolerate. Some people on this site are so pathetic….as the great saying goes, “Bring it to the table.”
Obnoxiously wise said
July 20, 2006 @ 9:04 pm
Luther
I agree with you on the subject that Joey Chestnut is a loser and the biggest shame America has ever had. But I absolutely cannot and I repeat CANNOT agree with you on the subject Sonya Thomas sucks. You are absolutely high on your own piss.