Booker, Jarvis, Lerman & More removed from Wall of Fame
Gersh Kuntzman has a column about the updating of the “Wall of Fame” at the Coney Island Nathan’s. A summary of the changes:
- In: Joey Chestnut, Pat Bertoletti, Tim Janus, Juliet Lee, Tim Brown, Crazy Legs Conti
- Out: Eric “Badlands” Booker, Cookie Jarvis, Don Lerman, Charles Hardy, Kevin Lipsitz, Ed Krachie, “Kid” Cary DeGrosa, songwriter Amos Wengler.
- Staying: Takeru Kobayashi, Sonya Thomas
- Neither in nor out: “Notorious” Bob Shoudt (current #2 IFOCE ranking)
George Shea is quoted:
“The question is this: Do you listen to Lady Gaga or The Who?” Shea asked. “The bottom line is that it’s a ‘Wall of Fame.’ None of the people you mentioned, plus Don ‘Moses’ Lerman, ‘Krazy’ Kevin Lipsitz or Ed ‘Cookie’ Jarvis, have fame anymore. The guys on that wall now have eclipsed all of them.”
Badlands Booker ate 38.5 hot dogs in a Nathan’s qualifier last month. Three of the new entrants (Juliet Lee, Tim Brown, Crazy Legs Conti) have never eaten that much.
A picture of the old Wall of Fame
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anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 2:34 am
Whhhhat are you serious. Holy shit Lerman is going to have a fit beyond belief and thas four the wreckord !
Anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 4:42 am
Janus and Conti should be front and center with smaller images of else surrounding them.
Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)
June 2, 2010 @ 7:18 am
Then it’s not really a Wall of “Fame,” as much as it is a current Wall of “Who’s Who at Nathan’s … except for the life of me I can’t understand the omission of Eric “Badlands” Booker, who continues to make it to the finals each year.
I absolutely do agree that Juliet deserves a spot on the “Who’s Who” Wall. She’s like Sonya TBW, just to a lesser degree. She tops all but the very best male eaters.
I hope that when the IFOCE finally launches their Hall of Fame, once inductees make it in they won’t be dropped. That would make no sense.
Anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 8:29 am
is it me or wasn’t Booker just on the early show promoting nathan’s? how can they justify taking him off?
anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 9:10 am
anony 4:42am your’e a freakin riot LMFAOOOOOO !!
anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 9:13 am
If they are going to include some of the new names they might as well throw in adam the bomb leffler and stinky miernicki. I’ll even go as far as including Jill Stoler with a smaller image of Jo Rose Gavonne beside her
anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 9:28 am
after reading that Crazy Legs Conti image was added on , its quite clear and obvious this is all a bunch of bullshit
anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 9:52 am
This story should be front page news on all the major news tabloids in NYC. Wait till CNN and larry king catch wind to this. Wouldnt surprise me if he hasnt already placed phone calls to Lerman, Hardy, Jarvis and Kevin to appear on the show.
anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 10:04 am
If this doesnt call for all fans of the sport to picket in front of Nathans demanding that those images be reinserted then i give up
anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 10:10 am
I am too distraught for words at this moment. I could not sleep last night
Mega Munch said
June 2, 2010 @ 10:21 am
I understand WHY they’re updating the wall, but I think George Shea’s quote is a little insensitive toward some of the legends and history of competitive eating. Here I go AGAIN, comparing CE to a real sport, but can you imagine baseball commissioner Bud Selig saying, “Willie Mays, Mike Schmidt and Wade Boggs? C’mon, they’re not legends anymore. It’s all about the new blood. Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriquez and Joe Mauer… now THOSE are legends.”
And yes, I do listen to The Who. Who was the halftime act at last year’s Super Bowl? Was it Lady Gaga? Nope, it was THE WHO.
ED "COOKIE" JARVIS said
June 2, 2010 @ 10:23 am
HAY OUT THERE IN THE EATING WORLD HAD FUN JUDGING THE CLAMS .THEN I GET A DISTURBING CALL TO FIND OUT WITH NO NOTIFACATION IV BEEN LIFTED OF THE NATHANS BUILDING.VERY SAD WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO CALL THE FOUNDERS OF THE HALL OF FAME .THERES JUST THE RESPECT THAT A PHONE CALL SHOULD MAD BUY NATHANS OR GEORGE SHEA TO SAY LOOK ITS TIME FOR A CHANGE.THE EATERS THAT HAVE REPLACED THE OLD ALL DESERVE THE SPOTLIGHT AS WELL.BUT ITS MORE ABOUT RESPECT FOR THE HARD WORK AN TIME THAT WAS PUT INTO MAKING NATHANS THE BIGGEST THING ON EARTH.WE AN A SPEAK FOR THE GUYS THAT WERE ON THIS ORIGANAL WALL SHOULD HAVE A PLACE INSIDE THE BUILDING LIKE THE HARD ROCK WERE PEOPLE CAN COME SEE HISTORY FOR ARE GRANDKIDS AN THERES TO COME .AFTER WORKING HARD TO WIN 31 TITLES THIS MY BIGGEST AN MY MOST DISAPOINTING DAY AS A PRO.IF YOU GO TO YANKEE STADIUM THE HAVE A SPOT FOR ALL THE GREATS NOT JUST THE PRESENT MLB PLAYS .I AM PERSONALLY CALLING IN CHARLES SHUMER,PETER KING ALSO THE MAYOR BLOOMBERG OF THIS GREAT CITY THIS INJUSTICE.HOPE ALL THE FANS ARE GREAT 90 LBS TO GO FOR ED COOKIE JARVIS ON THIS WEIGHT LOSE THEN MABE SEE ME STEP BACK INTO THE RING..LOVE ALL TO THE MLE FAMES.
ouch! said
June 2, 2010 @ 10:53 am
What a kick in the face for Badlands, CLC eats 16.5 hdb’s in San Jose and he gets on the Wall, Booker is still active putting up 38.5 hdb’s last month. It’s clear CLC is BFF’s with the Shea’s and if he gets put on the wall you gotta keep Booker!
Let’s just hope CLC can improve on that 16.5 number at his next qualifier. Or are they just gonna give him a free pass?
Anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 11:00 am
Relax. The city made them take it down because they used lead paint on the original.
Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)
June 2, 2010 @ 11:19 am
You’re on a weight reduction roll Cookie! Keep up the super effort!
The “wall,” like most other things in life, is centered on politics and money. It takes guts and lots of personal courage to do the right thing—-make the tough choice—-in the dollar-driven, what-have-you-done for-me-lately world of today.
“The Wall” is a most appropriate metaphor, and would make a great title for a book, addressing the politics and inner-workings of the “sport” of competitive eating.
I hope such a thing transpires one of these days. It needs to be written and read.
aNOmomymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 11:23 am
Juliet in the Hall of Fame – ridiculous. Must be time to put Pete Rose in the baseball Hall of Fame – know what I’m sayin? Badlands is a top five face of CE – this is a shame
Anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 11:29 am
I looked close and could not see any hotdogs inside the gloves. Photo must be from a different day.
Anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 11:29 am
Birget Felden is missing too. Horror!
NReda said
June 2, 2010 @ 12:10 pm
It’s interesting and a little sad to see the names that were taken out…. but then again we probably won’t hear the exact reasoning and justification for the changes. It’s odd to see names taken OUT of a HALL OF FAME…. how can someone lose legendary status?
It’s more like a “Who’s Who” wall of current Nathan’s stars, like Rhonda says…. but you shouldn’t call it a Hall of Fame as it is currently titled.
anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 12:16 pm
The great Ed Krachie is flying into NY the first week of July. How on earth are they going to explain this to him?
Don '' Moses''Lerman said
June 2, 2010 @ 12:28 pm
I wasn’t going to post here , but I just couldn’t;resist after the outpouring of support for the original Wall of Fame members. I entered every Nathans qualifier in2001 wining 7 out of 10 plus the Coney Island promo with 5 hdb’s in 50 seconds, I was contacted 3 days ago to promote”. Be a judge at the 4th of July contest ”on my site which I complied only to be removed from the wall in3 days what .chutzpah. You know how many times I gave up appearances at hot dog nite at ball parks because They were not using Nathans hot dogs, plenty . this is the legacy of the people who got the Chestnuts and Kobayashies here to a class contest not a local one that I helped changed, how sad
salute the old timers said
June 2, 2010 @ 1:06 pm
Remove old timers from the hall Of Fame. Very Sad.
At least The Hangman is still listed in 5 Wrestling Hall Of Fames eventhough he will never make any eating hall of fame.
I say Salute the Old Timers. Like the pioneers of the Old West, they blazed a trail that many now follow.
What would happen if we forgot all about George Washington or Christopher Columbus?
North Pole said (Registered April 28, 2008)
June 2, 2010 @ 1:14 pm
Wasn’t the contest time changed because of tradition that they found from something real old? So bring back the old rules and get rid of the old eaters. Booker is kicking butt eating, winning 25K on a video that lots of people voted for, promoting eating all the time, but not good enough to stay on the wall? Come on, someone messed this one up pretty bad.
Maybe they wanted to guarantee that Conti will be there on the 4th, in the poster and not at the table. Who am I kidding, they will have him eating there. The rules are for other folks, the un-famous eaters.
Anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 1:54 pm
go to http://www.ifoce.com for in depth reports on the last 5 ifoce contests . full results . their sponsors must love going to that site after they pay all of that $$$$$ to see that nothing was updated . poutinarie was on the 22nd without an update .
ojrifkin said (Registered July 27, 2005)
June 2, 2010 @ 1:59 pm
Smoke’s Poutinerie website has full poutine results
http://smokespoutinerie.com/championship/
Anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 2:59 pm
It’s a shame but Nathan’s does what ever they want. They changed the contest from 12 to 10 minutes to try to save money, they stopped giving out the well deserved 60lbs of hotdogs, they even limit how many paper cups you can use. So who says they can’t change pictures on a wall.
Steakbellie said (Registered August 11, 2006)
June 2, 2010 @ 3:57 pm
This is sad but I doubt it has anything to do with the IFOCE. My guess is that the old one got worn and the Nathans folks decided to update it a bit but have no regard or memory of the history of the contest. Most likely the Marketing Director hired his nephew to put together the whole thing in Photoshop for some Intern credits and a case of HDB’s that will never show up.
I’m sorry for you guys, I know it would have been a crushing blow for me.
Anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 4:32 pm
George you are right, but but but , you forget about the guys that started this..Does MLB, NHL, and the NBA forget about the greats that made the sport like it is today. True fans of IFOCE will never forget the pioneers of the sport and how great they were and still are”
Anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 4:36 pm
To IFOCE, Start a senior league for forty + and keep the ledgends alive..
nunonabun2 said (Registered November 10, 2009)
June 2, 2010 @ 4:59 pm
I thought the 50+ league was the WLOCE.
Badlands Booker said (Registered October 9, 2008)
June 2, 2010 @ 6:07 pm
Even though I’m not happy being removed from the Nathan’s wall of fame, I still say Congrats to the ones that made the wall and Surf & Stillwell Will still be dropping July 4th. I’m too upset to comment further.
anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 6:32 pm
Badlands its about time you came out of your nice guy shell and basically said im not going to take it anymore. Beautifulbrian was dead wrong in bits and pieces predicting your response would be “Its all good” . With the latest turn of events , no its not all good my friend. Its far from good . IT STINKS PERIOD!
Brand audit? said
June 2, 2010 @ 6:36 pm
It’s possible that Nathan’s is in the midst of doing a brand audit and that some of the brand assets needed to be refreshed. Updating an old board is understandable. But a wall of fame is about history, and that can’t be rewritten. If this is a case of not wanting to have overweight personalities featured on their main stage, then they should have considered changing the name of the board or removing the name altogether… I don’t think that it is a coincidence that all the “Outs” are overweight or that the “Ins” are mostly fit. Weight is the only common trait uniting the people of each group.
I feel bad for Eric and Bob. Sorry guys.
Don '' Moses''Lerman said
June 2, 2010 @ 6:42 pm
I wouldn’t want to be in a senor league , its a win of lesser caliber,not the same as a win among all eaters. I started entering Nathans at 52 years old , and Competitive eating At 51 , I just won 2 contests this year and not in any senor league, I’ll pass on that idea.
Anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 6:54 pm
Juliett Lee, Crazie Legs ON THE WALL AND TAKING DOWN SOME OF THE BEST, Juliett Lee claim to fame is she has more food on the ground than in her stomache, but shes ptretty.. Crazie Legs, yes because he is a personality and a legend…NEVER DISRESPECT THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THE FEDERATION
Anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 8:18 pm
I’m surprised they didn’t take off Koby and Sonya. I really am.
anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 8:50 pm
Badlands its your call but if i were you i would really thing about changing the title of the CD from Surf and Stillwell to Sandbag and Sellout in Coney Island
anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 8:52 pm
Oh so now Rhonda Evans is George Shea?
A-Bomb said (Registered May 7, 2009)
June 2, 2010 @ 9:48 pm
The sign is not a “Hall of Fame”. No where does it say “Hall of Fame”. It’s a marketing tool “Wall of Fame” promoting the contest coming up.
It makes sense to drop the old people and add the new. Some dude passing by the sign won’t get as worked up seeing Kevin Lipsitz as he would seeing Juliet. He’d maybe want to watch and see the hottie.
Doesn’t the IFOCE play Teenage Wasteland at the end of contests?
anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 10:19 pm
George is a big fan of the Who . He has played that song for many years before a contest. Rich is more of a rap and reggae fan
Truth Seeker said
June 2, 2010 @ 10:32 pm
An inside source told me “Rhonda Evans is Tim Janus”.
Anonymous said
June 2, 2010 @ 11:04 pm
F*&k Evans and Janus. On to more important things. Booker you have been sold out. Please don’t act a fool. Take up for your rights!
anonymous said
June 3, 2010 @ 12:09 am
You fail to see the logic. Shea have invested money in Badlands. They promote his music they get him media spots he performs on stage. For him to blow it all by making big issue over some stupid image on a wall that nobody really cares about could damage his future prospects with MLE. It is understanable if they just dropped his image and left the rest but others got screwed also. Let the retired eaters that have broken ties with the Sheas do something about it. There is nobody out there promoting Badlands as much as MLE so leave the poor guy alone.
Anonymous said
June 3, 2010 @ 2:08 am
Why would Janus be Rhonda. She hates dunking. He loves it. Plus she talks shit about him sometimes. It’s a stupid theory.
Mega Munch said
June 3, 2010 @ 9:13 am
Badlands has a right to be upset. The fact that he was taken off the wall is only half the matter. The other half — and perhaps the half that stings the most — is George Shea’s ignorant quote. I’d expect more from a public relations professional and wordsmith like George.
Don '' Moses''Lerman said
June 3, 2010 @ 9:28 am
There was plenty of room on the wall for the old eaters , just remove the non eaters from this wall , they have no place on it , this wall should be for eaters only
historian said
June 3, 2010 @ 11:03 am
Do they remove legendary baseball players like Mantle Ruth and Ted Williams from Coopperstown to make room for modern day entries? Answer that one? George Shea analogy is totally ridiculous
anonymous said
June 3, 2010 @ 11:04 am
I didnt see Helen Haggerty on the wall of fame Whats up with that?
Anonymous said
June 3, 2010 @ 11:23 am
Again, guys…Not a “Hall of Fame,” but a “Wall of Fame.” Huge difference.
Mega Munch said
June 3, 2010 @ 12:49 pm
The Hall of Fame argument (i.e. what they hell are they waiting for?) is a whole other issue!
semantics said
June 3, 2010 @ 12:53 pm
“Wall of Fame”, “Hall of Fame”. Both are a similar sign of recognition. Basketball Jersey numbers are hung from the rafters as that “Hall of Fame”. Football players and their numbers displayed near the stands inside and outside the stadiums.
Wall of Fame or Hall of Fame. It is like some say tom-a-to and some say tom-A-to. To those whose names are on the list, it is still the same and a slap in the face how the removal was dealt with.
Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)
June 3, 2010 @ 1:03 pm
And what’s up with the World’s # 2 eater not being there? It isn’t too much of a stretch of one’s imagination to anticipate discontent when there’s inconsistency in logic as to who’s image should adorn a spot on the wall.
So, okay, if the wall is to reflect a current snapshot of top Nathan’s eaters, then it’s understandable to pull all inactive legends … but don’t call it a “Wall” of Fame (more on that later). But when an active legend (Badlands) and the current world # 2-ranked eater are missing, then that logic goes out the door!
When you put the word Wall in front of the words “of Fame,” many people expect to see a graphic depiction commensurate with a “Hall of Fame.”
Look at the first Wall of Fame. The common thread that linked all the eaters wasn’t time, but impact—-contributions to the Nathan’s Famous Finals through the years.
When you can’t explain the (or use inconsistent) reasoning behind who makes the wall and who doesn’t, it hurts, it insults, it demeans, and it cheapens competitive eating.
It’s like saying you don’t care, because if the powers that be did care they would have thought this through and provided a logical explanation to those taken off the wall, as well as to those overlooked (Bob).
realist said
June 3, 2010 @ 1:43 pm
This is just the Sheas way of saying that Booker is not as good of an eater as you all think. They know he can’t really eat 38 hot dogs now or ever but since he’s good for media and promotion purposes they can’t actually say anything bad about him. They will still use and promote him just not as a top eater.
Bob probably doesn’t kiss the right ass and got screwed.
anonymous said
June 3, 2010 @ 2:38 pm
If Beautiful brian image was by some fluke miracle added to the wall i can hear the words of the late Ronald Reagan. “Mr Shea tear that wall down”
Mega Munch said
June 3, 2010 @ 3:39 pm
Thing is, from what I know of B.O.B., I don’t really think he gives a crap that he was overlooked on the wall. He really is humble and a #2 world ranking and $83,000 in career winnings are more than enough for the greatest eater Pennsylvania ever produced.
gastroboy said
June 3, 2010 @ 4:42 pm
I might be wrong, but i think phisical condition came into play. Not that i fall into the lie that “most eaters in the top ten are in great traditional athletic form” but they might have choosen those that look healthier to the masses in the top ten, along with other criterias already mentioned here (it’s a multifactorial cause in the end). That would be the reason for Bob and Bandlands not being there, yet the first is one of the best eater out there right now and the other, while not as strong as in the past keeps getting good numbers at every contest he enters and moreover he does a lot to sell competitive eating and major league eating itself.
It’s marketing in the end.
Anonymous said
June 3, 2010 @ 6:42 pm
That is so funny 2:38!
Kevin "Krazy Kevin" Lipsitz said
June 6, 2010 @ 9:50 am
The recent changing of the Wall of Fame billboard is of course a huge disappointment to all those who were on it and now are not, of course. I have met almost all of the new eaters who are now on it and they are deserving of a spot on this Wall of Fame. They like the original eaters on the billboard, have put in their time and also deserve a spot. What is most disappointing to me, more than the old one being taken down and changed, is that we had no advance notice. What I would have done with that advance notice, is taken my daughter, who is now 2 and old enough to appreciate seeing Daddy up on the wall, to see it, before it was taken down. In the grand scheme of things, that is what bothers me most, personally. From others perspective, especially someone like Badlands who is still active and has been removed, even though he can still eat more than those who have replaced him, that would be very upsetting to me if I were Badlands and considering which contest I was going to next. It is a slap in the face and not nice. I have read all the comments posted here and many are perceptive of what the real reasons probably are. I am also aware of the discussion as to whether this is a Hall of Fame or Wall of Fame and I don’t know the real answer. All I know is that when the Brooklyn Borough President inducted us in a special ceremony, it did not feel like it was going to be something that would be taken down in just 3.5 years from that date. It honestly felt like it was being held out to be a Hall of Fame and some of the eaters now being put up were left off at the time as they were not around at the beginning. I respect Nathan’s and they provided some very nice memories for me. It just would have been nice if some other compromise could have respected the older eaters taken down. Some ideas that come to mind are increasing the size of the billboard to accomodate the old and new or a twin billboard… there is plenty of brick wall space left on the side of the building. Or a “walk of fame” with stars, like the one in Hollywood. I know that would be a considerable expense, but it could be weighed against the extra business it would bring to Nathan’s in Coney Island if it were successfully marketed as a tourist destination or tourist stop. Or perhaps an inside could help pay for it. In the end I understand the real purpose of the Nathan’s contest, it is all about marketing. I always knew that and was happy to be a part of the hype and excitement. I just think this whole situation could have been handled better, even if they were taking it down, as they did, without replacing anything somewhere else. From a PR standpoint, it was not handled nicely. I am not angry, I am not upset, I am not obsessing over it. Just upset that my daughter, Rachel, will never get to see it as I got no advance notice. Sure she did get to see it a few times when she was much younger, but now at 2, she can talk and is very perceptive about the world around her and could appreciate it. That is what is most upsetting about this whole situation.
anonymous said
June 6, 2010 @ 10:05 am
You had to expect a rebuttal from Krazy Kev comprable to war and peace.One liners are not his thing. Thanks for the input Kev
anonymous said
June 6, 2010 @ 10:10 am
After reading Kevin testimonial one cannot hold back the tears. This is just too much for me to handle at this point. My emotions have been dealt a dire blow. For christ sake wayne norbitz restore the wall. restore the sanity. Stop discriminatiing against the chubby
Anonymous said
June 6, 2010 @ 10:37 am
It never ceases to amaze me how full of themselves so many eaters are, and how completely delusional they are about the status they believe competitive eating affords them. Guys, do you realize that what we do does not matter to anyone but ourselves and maybe a few thousand people in this world?
anonymous said
June 6, 2010 @ 11:03 am
anony 10:37 why dont you explain that to Don Moses Lerman. He thinks just the opposite. Nathans owes him everything . He pioneered the sport. Thats 4 the wrecrod
anonymous said
June 6, 2010 @ 11:08 am
If amos wengler was given a spot on the wall then provisions should have been made for butifulbrian. His legendary hits off the number one selling CD stick to blogging was enough of a reason for his image to appear. Not to mention his resurrection of Elvis Presley who for the most part has been dead and buried in people mind for the last 33yrs
Anonymous said
June 6, 2010 @ 1:05 pm
DML invented CE as we know it today.
anonymous said
May 12, 2017 @ 3:11 pm
“In: Joey Chestnut, Pat Bertoletti, Tim Janus, Juliet Lee, Tim Brown, Crazy Legs Conti”
Hey George, time to repaint the “Wall of Fame” again?
anonymous said
May 12, 2017 @ 5:04 pm
Don Lerman said:
“I entered every Nathans qualifier in2001 wining 7 out of 10 ”
They let you do that? Did they let all the second place winners go to the finals?
ojrifkin said (Registered July 27, 2005)
May 12, 2017 @ 5:58 pm
They are apparently letting Liz McClurg do qualifiers after she won in Nashville.
anonymous said
May 12, 2017 @ 6:07 pm
Hmmmm….I think that is because she did not get the minimum 10 HDB for a free trip to the finals?? Is that still a requirement? I am not sure.