RecordSetter announces Takeru Kobayashi's total in today's turkey record attempt was 8.52 pounds in 10 minutes. update The official amount was 7.5 pounds (gallery) update Nov 24 Huffington Post has a video update Nov 24 #2 Huffington Post report |

November 23, 2011 at 6:41 pm by ojrifkin · More posts about:Kobayashi (小林尊), New York City, Records | Permalink * Comments (28)

28 Comments »

  1. Anonymous said

    November 23, 2011 @ 7:08 pm

    Was it from a whole turkey or was it precut turkey meat? How much did the whole turkey weigh? What were the rules while eating? Were there any deductions? Is there a video? Who sanctioned it? Good job?

  2. Anonymous said

    November 24, 2011 @ 8:36 am

    Already the record’s suspect. What kind of legitimate organization has to keep changing the official amount?

  3. Hmm said (Registered November 12, 2009)

    November 24, 2011 @ 9:15 am

    Articles say that the contest was initiated by Kobayashi, and the details are not as important as the fact that this is apples and oranges. But some press will say that he beat Sonya’s record because that is what press does. It wasn’t a contest but a timed demonstration. Koby is floundering. One article says he intends to travel across the US to meet fans and make people aware of hunger in the US. Vague and with no plan, the Kobi story continues to be a non-story in competitive eating.

  4. Anonymous said

    November 24, 2011 @ 9:22 am

    The only time he tried to challenge one of Sonya’s records in an official setting was when he attempted to break her fruitcake record that she set in only her first year of eating with the ifoce, meaning that she is probably much better now. Yet, Koby came up well short. Yet, we are suppose to take his after the fact performances in hot dogs earlier this year and turkey at face value? I think not.

  5. Anonymous said

    November 24, 2011 @ 9:25 am

    Koby’s cross country escapade is more for him than the fans. It’s like asking, Hey you remember me don’t you? Koby may end up crawling back to major league eating, and if he does, he should not be given any special recognition.

  6. Anonymous said

    November 24, 2011 @ 2:22 pm

    I like Sonya’s response to the question concerning Kobi’s attempt, which she answered without getting emotional.

    Huffington Post: What do you think about Takeru Kobayashi’s attempt to break the turkey eating world record at his own private (non Major League Eating-endorsed) event? Is he chicken (no pun intended)?

    Sonya: “For me, I don’t want to compete by myself. I like to compete with others. You can prove yourself. When you’re eating by yourself I don’t know… But anyway, he’s a good eater. For me there is no motivation for me on your own. It’s sport. You have to compete with others.”

    I couldn’t agree more.

  7. what??? said

    November 24, 2011 @ 7:41 pm

    Where you get your info from i don’t know. Over his dead body will he ever crawl back to major league eating.

  8. Anonymous said

    November 24, 2011 @ 9:27 pm

    Kobayashi doesn’t want MLE and MLE definitely no longer wants Kobayashi. They are doing just fine without him. He burned that bridge.

  9. anonymous said

    November 24, 2011 @ 10:29 pm

    Normally when you cross the line with that organization you rarely get a second chance. In his case he was offered a second chance after the arrest with a handsome cash bonus if he agreed to sign the contract. He refused and the rest is history

  10. Fourth Stooge said

    November 25, 2011 @ 5:54 am

    MLE is doing just fine. Koby is too. Just look at all his accomplishments in the last two years. Oh Boy!

  11. Hmm said (Registered November 12, 2009)

    November 25, 2011 @ 8:08 am

    The great mystery of Kobayashi is how he manages to not have a day job nor has he ever. However he has done that for all his years since graduating from college is cause for speculation, but we will never know that. Nor is the truth of 10:29 verifiable. It seems quite possible but doesn’t matter anymore. He IS doing just fine in so many ways. He always said he would retire when competitive eating began to negatively affect his health. You have to wonder about the health of many of the top eaters in the long term. Kobayashi is learning English, modeling, hanging out with people into fashion and celebrities of various sorts and creating opportunities for himself. If he were in MLE, it seems the only thing he might have more of is money. Even that is suspect because public contest winnings do not reflect what top eaters earn overall. In sum, MLE doesn’t need him at all. They are justifiably irritated with him. Meanwhile, he retains his icon status and gets more publicity from not being in MLE. Just my opinion, spinning my thoughts as most of us do on here.

  12. Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)

    November 25, 2011 @ 8:27 am

    I will say this a10:29, if there is ever a single person who deserves multiple chances with MLE, it has got to be the person who put competitive eating on the map, so to speak. Having said that it’s not wise for either side to burn bridges.

    Of the two sides, Koby has the most to lose, and I think his losses, in terms of opportunity cost, continue to mount. For had he remained in MLE, worst case, he could have entered many and MLE events and would have likely won at least half of them and probably more.

    Additionally, Koby, given his clout, would likely command much higher appearance fees than he gets as an independent, who, given the lack of high-level competition, is basically playing in his own sand box. An MLE-affiliated Koby would be better for MLE too, because Koby’s status as the world’s most recognized competitive eater would be at least somewhat resurrected, which, in turn, would mean more dollars for MLE too (at least I think).

    However, Koby is free, and how do you put a price on that? Koby has seemingly valued it higher than anything else CE-related. Only he can accurately judge what’s best for him, I suppose.

  13. Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)

    November 25, 2011 @ 8:46 am

    Oh, and one more thing, I see Koby’s participation in WB (what is it now, 20?) as a bit of a gamble. I think that in a fair (weighed) contest he would have to have a jawthritis-level dilemma for anyone to top him. However, who’s to say that some judge perceives a couple of plates worth of his wings to be “improperly” cleaned?

    To further compound the issue, Koby has little experience eating wings in competition and no experience with wings in WB. I feel that he is going to go there ever-so-optimistic, expecting to easily trounce two dozen competitors, all while being the center of attention for an entire morning, surrounded by scantilly-clad beauties to boot—-CE heaven!

    I hope that a lower low that can often transpire after a lofty high doesn’t transpire for his sake, but having peripheral experience of the subjective judging during many previous WBs tells me Koby may well sacrifice his elite status, in order to launch the clout of one or more local eaters who don’t deserve to be at the same table with him.

    I hope for both our sakes that this doesn’t happen, and that Koby drives away in a new car. But to say that I don’t have a warm fuzzy about it is an understatement.

  14. anonymous said

    November 25, 2011 @ 10:54 am

    Hmm you speak of the overall long term health of the competitive eaters? They will never tell you what kind of meds doctors have prescribed nor the results of annual checkups. I doubt they leave the doctors office with a clean bill of health.

  15. Fourth Stooge said

    November 25, 2011 @ 11:29 am

    They do not gorge every day or even every week. I doubt their health is any worse than mainstream Americans.

  16. Hmm said (Registered November 12, 2009)

    November 26, 2011 @ 11:01 am

    Rhonda writes informatively and with great flair. Kobayashi is doing what is right for him, MLE likewise. I still do not think that MLE has any interest in him anymore nor he in them. But you never know. It seems as if he has upped the ante in antagonizing by claiming a world record and that he defeated Sonya soundly. Seems misguided to me. Wingbowl is a big gamble. I do not think he really understands the spectacle and history. If he gets defeated, by whatever means, it would be a huge loss of face. It isn’t just about the money. Wouldn’t “they” just love to say that so and so beat the most recognized competitive eater ever? There would be no downside for the organizers if that happened. They will get the publicity either way. The fans in general probably do not care who wins.

    I believe that Fourth Stooge is correct, but that wouldn’t be saying much. The health of mainstream America is generally horrifying. I was referring to the “top” eaters, and even then, I would pick and choose. We would never get a Joey health report or a Pat or anyone that high up. Sonya reports good numbers from medical check-ups. She, like some other eaters, must have a very unusual metabolism. Those ranked below around ten, unless they already have a health problem, (obesity is primary), probably are unaffected negatively by competitive eating.

  17. anonymous said

    November 26, 2011 @ 11:45 am

    How do you know they are unaffected negatively by competitive eating? Who are you to pass judgement on anyone in the sport? Probably unaffected ? Check out the nitrates , fat and sodium grams in just one hot dog and then get back to me. The fact that they only do this once in a while does not dispute the notion that they are doing serious harm to their bodies. Someone eat 40 hot dogs in only one or two qualifiers per year which means their health report is clean as a whistle? . Doubt it That one harmless qualifier can cause long term health issues further down the road.

  18. Fourth Stooge said

    November 26, 2011 @ 2:41 pm

    Anonymous please provide your name and contact info so the docs of each competitive eater who eats over 40 dogs can consult with you so they can remain on the cutting edge of their profession.

  19. Anonymous said

    November 26, 2011 @ 3:46 pm

    One thing is for sure, the 11:45 comment came from somebody who resents the ability of eaters who have qualified for Coney Island. He definitely has not. That being said, he should be happy for not being able to eat more than a few nasty hot dogs at a time.

  20. anonymous said

    November 26, 2011 @ 3:54 pm

    Better idea check the credentials of these less than reliable auto insurance doctors that are giving them annual physicals and passing with.flying colors

  21. anonymous said

    November 28, 2011 @ 9:19 am

    2:22 Nov 24. why do you like Sonya response? It sounds very cold to me. Notice how her attitude towards Kobayashi has changed since he left IFOCE. When he was with IFOCE she praised him like a god on her website . She is not obligated to say nice things about him anymore so she says I don’t want to compete by myself i like compete with others, Big change in attitude

  22. Stallion Italian said (Registered August 27, 2010)

    November 28, 2011 @ 10:29 am

    I do not think that there is any change in attitude from Sonya. Her response was excellent. She still praised him, basically said that that kind of eating challenge was not for her, she likes to compete against others in their presence. So many comments seem to be written to cause dissension when it doesn’t exist. No one can deny both Kobayashi and Sonya’s tremendous talents, I am sure that they both respect each other’s talent and as people. Sonya’s interviewing skills have increased enormously. Not being an English native speaker was a disadvantage for her to fully express herself in the past. No longer true. Kobayashi has a very very long way to go before he can the same in English.

  23. Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)

    November 28, 2011 @ 10:47 am

    A 9:19, what do you expect? She’s a highly-ranked MLE eater. Koby’s an outsider now, and Sonya is MLE-loyal, as is expected of her. She surely is not disrespectful of him. Read through her FAQ responses on her Web site.

    What do you expecrt her to say, that Koby’s the best eater is the world? Sonya has her act together.

    Of course you wouldn’t know, because you haven’t walked a mile in the shoes of higher-ranked eaters.

  24. Shoeless Kobi said

    November 28, 2011 @ 12:01 pm

    Besides winning a car, I don’t see a lot of up sides of Kobi being at the WB. We all know it’s fixed, so if Angelo writes the script that Kobi wins this year he’ll make it close and that makes Kobi look weak in beating an average eater like Squibb or El Wingo by a few wings. If Angelo just wants to make Kobi lose outright to Squibb, well that of course looks bad. In addition, drunks, racists, and Porn stars isn’t exactly the type of crowd Kobi may want to be affiliated with. Most of the national media, have this event down pretty much as debacle and fixed and his participation could be considered demeaning to the mainstream ESPN types. Racist wise, as a Japanese Asian person, the hate to him could be palpable against the hometown, all American kid Squibb. Particularly, if he beats him soundly. In any event, if Angelo lets Kobi win this year, he’ll eventually make Kobi lose next year or the following year for the Squbb “stunning comeback” scenario. All in all, from a fellow person who likes to follow ce I think his participation will be a good barometer of desperate Kobi is and if he really is doing well in his “Free Kobi” world. Besides, a car in New York is just a pain in the ass (I know he’ll just turn it in for the cash I’m just kidding).

  25. anonymous said

    November 28, 2011 @ 12:34 pm

    Shoeless Kobi thats the difference between Sonya and Kobi. Kobi would not allow himself to be pelted with harmful objects thrown from the stands. He would not allow uncivilized animals to call him names and mock his japanese heritage. On the other hand when Sonya got pelted and called every name unethical to the bible , she didnt mind one bit as long as they showed her the cash. If by chance Kobi is subjected to this type of barbaric behavior i doubt very much that he would set foot in that arena again

  26. Shoeless Kobi said

    November 28, 2011 @ 2:10 pm

    Rhonda, good points. But I don’t know if I trust Kobi’s “handler” when it comes to sound decisionmaking. Most of his handler’s post MLE actions have seemed somewhat questionable and does appear desperate enough to go for the cash regardless of the big picture, overall long term image of the man. Showing up to Nathan’s and storming the stage? The “let me play too” roof top hot dog contest. Eating Pie in front of a half full parking of Pie employees in the rain? And, now “I can eat Turkey just like a girl” event. Regarding putting up with barbaric crowd behavior, yeah Sonya does have a pretty tough spine below that meek exterior particularly when the money’s good. With Kobi, I don’t know if the racism would stop him from taking a check. It’ll probably rest on an appearance fee if he goes or not. I have, however, thought about how you can stop Angelo from rigging it against Kobi. Offer a reporter, a reputable one, maybe a wire guy, to be part of your entourage and let him watch the eating and questionable judging as an exclusive. Once they start throwing out Kobi’s plates, let Angelo know that all of this cheating will get reported nationally on the wires. That should put an end to any shennigans quick. Just some advice for Kobi if he decides to go.

  27. Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)

    November 28, 2011 @ 2:43 pm

    SK, I agree about Koby’s post-MLE decisions, and I put his decision not to eat for MLE in that category as well.

    I think Koby will get worse treatment than Sonya. They pelted Sonya because they know she could do damage, and she is only a 100-lbs female. They’ll look at Koby as an even larger threat/enemy and it won’t be pretty (my guess anyway).

    Philadelphia fans, especially when they’re intoxicated, have got to be among the worst of any major city in the states.

  28. anonymous said

    December 1, 2011 @ 6:19 pm

    SK 2:10 comment and Rhonda 2:33 tell it like it is

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