Stephanie Wu has updated her website with a report on setting the new Challenge Dog record of 8:39 at Roy's Chicago Doggery in Petaluma, California, breaking the previous mark by almost 4 minutes. A video of the attempt is available on Stephanie's new youtube page.

September 7, 2010 at 6:31 pm by ojrifkin · More posts about:Hot Dog Eating Challenges, Santa Rosa, Stephanie Wu, Women | Permalink * Comments (33)

33 Comments »

  1. NReda said

    September 7, 2010 @ 7:26 pm

    Great performance!

  2. stephanie_wu said (Registered August 17, 2010)

    September 7, 2010 @ 9:06 pm

    Thanks Naader! This was probably my most fun challenge ever, due to all the people cheering me on. And the owners were so gracious and accommodating. However, the victory may be short lived as I do suspect though that there will be others who will beat that time in the near future. Most top-ranked MLE eaters probably would eat the entire thing in 2 minutes or less! Make sure to call a day in advance if anyone wants to try the challenge, and remember they are closed Sundays.

  3. Anonymous said

    September 8, 2010 @ 9:54 am

    Good for Stephanie I find her sites entertaining and fun but I have to nit pick and really challenge the claims of “world record” for some of these attempts. I don’t think we can go say that completing a restaurant challenge really gives anyone the right to claim world record status.

  4. Matt "Mega Toad" Stonie said (Registered June 22, 2010)

    September 8, 2010 @ 10:53 am

    ^^^^
    agree with everything Mr. Anonymous just said

  5. Anonymous said

    September 8, 2010 @ 12:21 pm

    i totaly agree to . in order for a record to be set you have to eat against yourself like tim did in suschi . that is a real record .

  6. stephanie_wu said (Registered August 17, 2010)

    September 8, 2010 @ 12:50 pm

    Ok, I didn’t realize this. I thought world record meant world’s fastest time on that particular challenge. So, for example, world record fastest time for John Doe’s Fatburger Challenge, or whatever. What would be a better name to call this? Just “fastest time in John Doe’s Fatburger Challenge”?

  7. stephanie_wu said (Registered August 17, 2010)

    September 8, 2010 @ 12:56 pm

    Also, not that anybody cares but me, but I’ve been told by a senior citizen that having a black background is hard to read, so I guess I will change that over the next few days to white. And maybe having two 640 x 480 pics side-by-side is bad for people with smaller monitors (15″ or below), since those monitors can fit only one pic per row; and thus, the captions on top get all messed up. So I might just change to one pic per row, though I hate how this looks then on larger monitors. If anyone has more nitpicks, just let me know. Feedback like this is good, since I may not have any idea otherwise there is a problem!

  8. You go girl said

    September 8, 2010 @ 1:15 pm

    Stephanie, don’t let the critics get to you. If you want to call it a world record, go for it. It’s your site. You go out of your way not to bad mouth anyone, respect current eaters and their records, and you clearly do your research to make to make sure a completed challenge is something no one else has ever done So keep on having fun with it. I for one enjoy your reports and your enthusiasm. But, since you asked for advice, don’t be afraid to stand up and defend yourself.

  9. Anonymous said

    September 8, 2010 @ 2:41 pm

    Good job Stephanie. Will you be joining the ifoce? Maybe you could climb the rankings and be the next b. Widow.

  10. Anonymous said

    September 8, 2010 @ 2:44 pm

    Fastest challenge time.

  11. stephanie_wu said (Registered August 17, 2010)

    September 8, 2010 @ 3:35 pm

    Thanks You go girl. I appreciate the support!. Oh, I’ll defend myself 😉 but at the same time, if three people think saying “world record” is not accurate, then that might be an indication that a lot of people feel that way and perhaps it isn’t accurate or may even be a sign of arrogance, which is I don’t want since it’s not true.

    As far as joining IFOCE/MLE is concerned, I don’t know if I ever will be that good…LOL! Like for hot dogs, I might be able to do 10, or maybe 15 at most with more experience??? I don’t know since I’ve never tried. I’m definitely not a professional; and am happy right now to be the best amateur I can be. This is more of an avocation to me that a profession. I’ve never tried head-to-head contests, and really don’t even know where to turn to for advice (that’s one reason I wanted to start a message board, but that seems not to be very active). Like, for dunking hot dog buns, are you supposed to chew after that, or just swallow without chewing? I know, it’s a stupid question. I’ve tried on my own a few times, and it seems the water makes the buns easier to swallow, but you still have to chew a little. I worry too much about choking to death. And does dunking the dog in water actually help, given the extra time that takes?

    And does the added benefit of dunking make up for the extra space that water takes up in your stomach? I know the pros do it, but this might be a concern to me since, despite my size/girth, my stomach capacity is not too good. For now, I’m more like an Adam Richman, who claims he’s no competitive eater, and just is a regular person with a big appetite. 🙂

    I’ve also never trained or drunk gallons of water. My mom keeps warning me people have died from drinking too much too quickly haha! I used to work out (cardio (EFX/treadmill and weights) though, and I am in the process of re-activating my gym membership, so maybe that will help.

  12. KevinRoss said

    September 8, 2010 @ 4:14 pm

    It is a good thing you worry about choking. . .that is a real risk in speed eating. Don’t push yourself beyond what you’re sure you can do and stay safe! The fear people have about water is water intoxication (or hyponatremia). Essentially this is the electrolytes in the body being depleted. But the only time I’ve heard of anybody dying from this is marathon runners or weird circumstances (like hold your wee for a wii, where person wasn’t allowed to pee, thus the water didn’t leave their body). But once again, only do things at a level you’re comfortable with and that you feel is safe. Training is generally not a thing that is endorsed because it can potentially have serious consequences. Anyway, have fun doing your challenges!!

  13. stephanie_wu said (Registered August 17, 2010)

    September 9, 2010 @ 1:35 am

    Hi Kevin, it’s nice to hear solid advice from a pro eater! Yeah, I have to agree: competitive eating may get serious sometimes, but it’s not worth dying for. As for the water, I’m just going to do it very gradually, increasing it only as much as I feel comfortable with. Thankfully, my body always tells me when it’s had enough, before any reversals.

  14. The Queen of Cuisine said

    September 9, 2010 @ 4:11 pm

    Yea, you cant claim world records for unsanctioned events. Just because its the fastest time/first girl at some particular restaurant doesnt make it a world record since its not official, its just not right. If that were the case anyone could claim a world record for anything

  15. Let me get my pop corn said

    September 9, 2010 @ 5:25 pm

    CHICK FIGHT!

    FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!

  16. NReda said

    September 9, 2010 @ 8:45 pm

    It’s controversial, but Bay Shabu Sake Sushi in San Francisco claims that the fastest eater of their 4 lb sushi roll is their world champion. There’s a big picture declaring this on their front door.

    Obviously, its dicey – every organization can have their own records. IFOCE maintains its own records for its own sanctioned contests, but they often keep multiple records for the same type of food (if different brands are used, for example). AICE keeps completely separate records for its own contests. And the Guinness World Records people are in a completely separate category.

    I suppose there’s nothing stopping individual restaurants from establishing records for their own challenges, but it would be harder to claim those as universal records. Joey Chestnut might be the record-holder at eating Iguanas’ Burritozilla, but that doesn’t make him the world champion at eating burritos.

  17. Anonymous said

    September 9, 2010 @ 9:36 pm

    IF YOU ASK ME, “THE QUEEN OF CUISINE’S” COMMENT SOUNDED LIKE A CHALLENGE TOWARD THIS WU GIRL,WOULD BE INTERESTING

  18. NReda said

    September 9, 2010 @ 9:44 pm

    Competitive eating is so young and disjointed (as an organized activity) that these kinds of issues are almost unavoidable. After thinking about it a bit, I realize it’s a tough prospect for any organization or restaurant to claim that it is the keeper of official eating records.

    Every organization uses different rules… different time constraints…. and relatively few people are given the chance to compete on the big stage.

    And on the subject of restaurants, a dominant professional eater like Ben Monson, Joey Chestnut, or Pat Bertoletti could easily shatter the records in place…. it seems that professionals and amateurs require different metrics of ability. At this point, the IFOCE and other organizations only serve professionals.

    The only real chance for a non-professional to achieve recognition is in a restaurant challenge, or in a small local contest…. and I guess this is the only reason it makes sense for these smaller venues to ban professionals.

  19. Anonymous said

    September 11, 2010 @ 5:53 am

    Wow Stephanie. You’re on target to become the greatest female eater of all time! Keep up the power!

  20. Anonymous said

    September 11, 2010 @ 9:16 am

    Not only best female eater, she’s ready to rival Joey!

  21. The Queen of Cuisine said

    September 11, 2010 @ 9:46 am

    Its not a challenge I was just saying that if that were the case anyone can claim a record. I could easily say that I have the world record for being the skinniest person to defeat a challenge at ever single place Ive been to thusfar but that just wouldn’t be right. There’s nothing saying that is an official world record

  22. stephanie_wu said (Registered August 17, 2010)

    September 11, 2010 @ 11:37 am

    Not sure that I am ready to challenge Joey,but thanks anonymous’s! 🙂

    Regarding world records, I think everyone has made good points. To me, it comes down to a question of semantics, whether “world record” means (a) “best performance ever recorded ever at a certain event”, or whether in fact it requires (b) certification by an (independent) national or regional governing organization, such as Guinness, a restaurant association, or possibly the specific competitive eating league/body in question, etc. Right now, competitive eating has no governing body. There are a few leagues (MLE, All Pro Eating, etc.), but no body which sets standards, chooses international teams, etc. Think of NBA basketball (a professional for-profit league) vs. the independent USA Basketball, which is the non-profit governing body for basketball in the US..

    In my case, I chose to regard of my performances as the best in the world at a particular event held at a specific restaurant, e.g., fastest time in the Giganto Hot Dog Contest at Joe Jones’ Hot Dog Stand (made-up example), which is true in that I have beaten all other challengers in that category who have ever participated in that specific challenge over the years, with the restaurant keeping their own official records and judging the contest. There may not have been official certification or a “governing body” like Guinness involved, nor was I claiming that, but I think most restaurants cared enough to be accurate and fair in their judgments. In addition, it was understood that each contest has its own quirks and idiosyncrasies to make it unique among all the others; and when I claimed a certain time at a certain food at a certain restaurant, I was in no way claiming the fastest time overall in the food category in the world, which I think MLE seems to inappropriately do. I am only claiming fastest time at that certain contest at a certain restaurant. Furthermore, others from around the country or world have the opportunity to attempt those same challenges I do and break the record. In fact, as NReda said, many top competitive eaters could easily break most of them if they were to attempt all the various local challenges, which is fine, as I am not a pro eater nor do I want to be one. In fact, that is one reason I have my website: to help publicize these challenges and give information about them so that other competitive eaters might do them and have fun.

    I could easily say that I have the world record for being the skinniest person to defeat a challenge at ever single place Ive been to thusfar but that just wouldn’t be right.

    You could say that, but that would not be the type of quantitative value being recorded for most restaurant challenges. In most restaurant challenges, it is usually fastest time or most eaten; and, in my cases where a world record best time was claimed, time was being judged and recorded by the individual restaurants in question. As such, it would not be unreasonable to claim a world record for that specific event using my definition (a) above. The restaurant told me I had the fastest time ever for that specific event and I believed them. However, using definition (b) above, since there was no national or regional governing body or league involved, then world record status would not be true; and this can lead to controversy. Again, it comes down to an issue of semantics.

    Even with leagues involved (MLE, All Pro Eating), each one claims their won world records, so there is still controversy as to if those are even world records. This problem probably won’t be solved until competitive eating gets a true governing body, the individual leagues commit to better standards and more fairness (have better qualified and accountable judges and let more people in to their contests, etc.), or a body like Guinness steps in to help. Heck, MLE doesn’t even explain how they compute their eater rankings, or who gets invited to their contests. They also reserve the right to reject anyone they please for any reason, at the whims of those in charge. This doesn’t sound very “official” or fair to me. So are we to believe their world records are really world records? Why is it ok for MLE to have world records but not the individual restaurants which have eating challenges or people who win them? I am not sure. I’ve been debating with this with myself recently and may in fact remove “world record” from my website, but I am wondering if there are sufficient grounds to do so. Do the best times have to be certified to be a world record, and can individual entities such as the restaurant or a league (self-)certify? I am leaning right now towards not including “world record” in any of my times.

  23. Anonymous said

    September 11, 2010 @ 11:56 am

    Right. Sonya might give her a run for her money. Please!

  24. Wrecking Ball said (Registered May 6, 2010)

    September 11, 2010 @ 12:02 pm

    That is the longest comment I have ever read…

  25. Anonymous said

    September 11, 2010 @ 1:44 pm

    Steph I think you need other outlets in life.

  26. anonymous said

    September 11, 2010 @ 6:05 pm

    Leave her alone she is a very nice young lady but i cannot disagree with 1:44 pm

  27. Crazy Legs Mom said (Registered February 16, 2006)

    September 11, 2010 @ 6:14 pm

    There have been many long comments on eatfeats but Stephanie, unless I am corrected, you hold the record for the longest. Others, please do not rain on her enthusiasm. It is refreshing to have new voices here. Anyone who says so and so needs other outlets (and anonymously yet….) perhaps should simply stop reading. As for keeping up or surpassing Sonya, most know what I would say. Nothing is ever impossible, but no female has come close yet. Fine role model though.

  28. Anonymous said

    September 11, 2010 @ 7:50 pm

    You can’t go wrong Steph, w/TBW.

  29. stephanie_wu said (Registered August 17, 2010)

    September 12, 2010 @ 1:22 am

    Thanks for all the supportive comments! I agree: I tend to be a perfectionist and obsessive too. 🙂 And maybe I got a little defensive this morning with that long post. Working out again should help! And I’ll lose weight!

    I also feel that it would be better not to say “world record” on my webpage or videos, after having thought about this for a while and reading the comments here. This will lead to too much controversy, and there is no certification by a governing body. And most of those records will sooner or later be broken anyway. Maybe informally you can call it a world record, but to be technically correct, a world record requires certification, and I am not sure if restaurant certification counts!

    So I agree with Jessica and the anonymous posters, who have all made good points, and I appreciate that input. I am on the road, so give me some time to make changes on my site.

    As for challenging Sonya, there is no way I can be that good. What, she can eat 30-40 HDB in 10 minutes??? I might be able to eventually get to 15 or maybe even 20 if I practice, but anything above that is way out of my league. Nor do I ever feel I will put in the time to train to become that good. I have no desire to be drinking gallons of water in 30 seconds anytime soon. And Sonya doesn’t even train, I don’t thinkl. She has natural talent. I, on the other hand, am big, and like to eat. That will only get you so far. 🙂

    You can’t go wrong Steph, w/TBW.

    Thanks! What is TBW? “the best wishes”??

  30. Anonymous said

    September 12, 2010 @ 1:42 am

    Bless you Steph, and may you have many years of enjoyment from competitive eating. No need to try to copy Sonya or Juliet. Be your own person. You are wonderful!

  31. Anonymous said

    September 12, 2010 @ 1:43 am

    TBW is “The Black Widow”

  32. KevinRoss said

    September 12, 2010 @ 11:26 am

    Although your comment was very long, it is nice to see an essay that is intelligently written and structured on an internet blog. Unfortunately, people tend not to read long posts. I blame television and the twitter for reducing most people’s attention span to. . .hey look a blue car! (kevin runs away giggling)

  33. stephanie_wu said (Registered August 17, 2010)

    September 12, 2010 @ 12:10 pm

    TBW is “The Black Widow”

    Oh…I should have guessed that. Yeah, no doubt she is by far the best female eater out there. It seems the very top eater tend to be slim.

    Although your comment was very long, it is nice to see an essay that is intelligently written and structured on an internet blog. Unfortunately, people tend not to read long posts. I blame television and the twitter for reducing most people’s attention span to. . .hey look a blue car! (kevin runs away giggling)

    LOL Kevin! I always appreciate your posts too as they are informative, intelligent, and well written. Moreover, you know the advice is coming from a top-ranked MLE eater.

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