Link Buffet: August 8, 2008
- Krystal qualifier registration opens at noon eastern (limit 3 qualifiers per person)
- Floria Lee an expected entrant at the Goya National Black Bean Eating Championship
- Video of interview with organizer of Saturday’s Baton Rouge, LA rib eating contest (purse $400). The ribeatingcontest.com URL mentioned in the interview does not work
- Arizona State women’s basketball team members compete in Battle of the Bone qualifier
- Blog entry about 3.5 lb Homewrecker hot dog challenge in West Virginia
- Signup info for the Taste of Hamburg-er eating contest on megamunch. Prize money will be based on the number of “professionals” competing.
- Malaysian article (in English) about the Singapore showdown
Link Buffet: August 6, 2008
- 2008 IFOCE La Costena Chicago jalapeno eating contest September 14, registration opens Thursday (from Crawfish comment)
- Washington, DC pizza eating contest Friday
- UEPa involvement in Taste of Hamburg eating contest
- Jill Stoler on her appearance on the History Channel last night – future showings of Evolve: Guts
- Video of Gal Sone in Spain
Houston kolache & Maine burrito contests return
(From crawfish comment) The Houston Kolache Factory World Kolache Eating Championship has been added to the IFOCE calendar for Friday, September 12 (same as the NYC cannoli contest) and its purse will be $10,000. Registration opens today at 1 pm eastern.
The Costa Vida World Burrito Eating Championship has also been added to the calendar and it will take place September 20 in South Portland, Maine. Registration opens August 6 at noon eastern.
2008 Saratoga Nathan’s contest a non-qualifier
Registration for the Nathan’s hot dog contest that will be held at the Saratoga horse racing track on August 18 is now open on IFOCE.com, which states that the contest will not be a qualifier for the 2009 finals, but the winner will receive a year’s supply of hot dogs.
In other IFOCE contest news, registration for the Los Angeles Nisei Week gyoza eating contest will open in about an hour. Sonya Thomas says she will not enter due to high travel costs (from comment)
Peggy O’Neill’s cheeseburger contest tomorrow
A cheeseburger eating contest will be held at Peggy O’Neill’s in Coney Island on August 2. Footage from the contest will appear in a TV program. The contest length has not been determined and the first prize is $200.
The Goya National Black Bean Eating Championship has also been added to the schedule for August 16. The contest will take place at the Central Islip Islandia Festival and the total purse is $1750.
August / September 2008 IFOCE calendar
A listing of IFOCE contests in the next two months (from information on events’ websites) follows:
Only the CT ribs, BBQ sandwiches and gyoza contests appear on the official IFOCE calendar. The gyoza contest was added today and registration opens on August 4. (from Crawfish comment)
Link Buffet: August 1, 2008
- Myspace page for Billy “the Fridge”, winner of Saturday’s donut contest in Seattle
- Forest City, PA pierogi eating contest Saturday
- A more positive review of the MLE video game
- Long blog entry about the Singapore contest
- Bodybuilder / competitive eater Isabelle Turell wins a bodybuilding contest and gets engaged
WLOCE announces SC hot dog contest
WLOCE.com announces that registration is now open for a hot dog eating contest that will take place at the Great Southeast Balloon Fest on Sunday, August 30. The calendar for the festival’s website says that the competition will occur on Saturday, August 30 and Hooters will sponsor a wing eating contest the following Sunday. The purse for the hot dog contest is $850 $875. Dale Boone and Jason Skrzypek are expected entrants.
The balloon festival will take place in Anderson, South Carolina which is near Clemson University. Crazy Legs Conti wore a Clemson pin in this year’s Nathan’s finals.
Link Buffet: July 31, 2008
- Blog entry with a lot of pictures from the Singapore showdown
- IGN pans MLE video game
- Elgin, Iowa corn contest August 2, $100 first prize
- Cincinnati jalapeno cheese coney contest Wednesday, registration closes at midnight
- Skinnyboy reports that Anthony Bourdain’s appearance at the Big Texan will be televised on the Travel Channel on August 4
- Medina, Ohio hot dog contest Saturday
- List of all Queens dumpling winners
- Syracuse offensive lineman Ryan Durand challenges Big East clambake lobster record
Nugget rib eating contest August 27
The website for the Nugget Rib Cook-Off has a page about its rib eating contest which lists the date of this year’s contest as August 27. The cook-off will be held at Victorian Square in Sparks, Nevada (Reno area).
The contest is billed as the World Rib Eating Championship and will take place five days after the IFOCE holds another World Rib Eating Championship at the Ash Creek Saloon in Connecticut.
Saratoga Nathan’s hot dog contest August 18
The events calendar for the New York Racing Association reports that a Nathan’s hot dog eating contest will take place at the Saratoga Race Course on August 18. The first prize will be a year’s supply of Nathan’s hot dogs. It is not stated if the contest will be a qualifier for the 2009 finals. Registration will take place at the race course before the contest.
Link Buffet: July 28, 2008
- Val Bromann has a blog entry and gallery from the contest in which Pat Bertoletti, Tim Brown and Patrick Vandam competed against Jimmy John’s sandwich makers (Chicagoist report / preview)
- Dickey’s BBQ finals to be held in Dallas in January 2009. San Antonio and Lynchburg, VA qualifiers have been scheduled for September.
- Furious Pete profile (article scan) in the Toronto Sun (condolences to Pete on the recent loss of his grandparents)
- Columnist responds to Juris Shibayama’s letter
- Sonya Thomas lists her favorite bands (Thanks for the compliment Sonya)
- Don Lerman to judge upcoming cannoli eating contest (Also confirmation that Kevin Lipsitz received the Lifetime Achievement Award)
- Record set at Ballard, WA lutefisk eating contest
- Female division winner has best overall mark at Strasburg, OH Corn Festival
- West Virginia Hot Dog Festival report
- Article about Chris Kenney, 11th place finisher at Bartolini’s meatballs
- Statistics on the Dubuque Conuty Fair’s eating contests
- Preview of Sunday’s dumpling eating contests in Queens, NY
- Blog entry about Seattle doughnut eating contest / Saturday Knights concert
- Vineland, NJ pizza contest August 9, $50 gift certificate first prize
- Report about eating contest held at Nobuyuki “the Giant” Shirota’s restaurant
- Biryani eating contest for Indian familes
- Charlotte Dawson, a judge on Australia’s Next Top Model wins a celebrity meat pie eating contest
2008 Buffalo Wing Festival info
The website for the Buffalo Wing Festival has been set up with information about the eating contests that will take place. The wing eating contest will take place on August 30. The Buffalo Buffet Bowl contest will also return, but its date is not listed.
3update The buffet bowl date is August 31 and the time is 4pm (from US Male & Wild Bill)
Tulsa BBQ purse $10K
The IFOCE contests page now lists the purse for Saturday’s pork barbecue sandwich eating contest at the Cherokee Casino in Tulsa at $10,000. The page also announces that registration is now closed, but slots appear to be available through Star 103 FM.
Link Buffet: July 22, 2008

- Video of the end of the Apple Ugly eating contest (the trophy was a mounted toilet seat)
- Ian Hickman beats Elizabeth Canady in overtime at Bowie burger contest
- Detailed review of MLE game by Platform Nation
- Skinnyboy eats 8/9 of Big Texan 72 ounce steak
- Gallery of 2008 Philadelphia Nathan’s qualifier
- Picture of Samantha Brown at Italian sausage contest
- MissBusyLady describes her start in competitive eating fandom
- Juris Shibayama sends a letter to the editor about last week’s column (from Crawfish comment)
- Boston hot wing eating contest Thursday
- Donut eating contest in Pittsburgh Friday
- Full results for the Singapore qualifiers on MLE.asia
- Vietnamese sub eating contest in Ho Chi Minh City
Chicago sandwich makers vs. MLE eaters July 26
InChiCity’s calendar has the following entry for July 26:
Taste of Lincoln
You’ve probably seen the Major League Eaters gobbling down hot dogs and chicken wings on TV and wondered who in the world would ever challenge them. Well, Jimmy John’s, purveyor of all things freaky fast, is doing it. But, this is not just an eating competition. Jimmy John’s is betting that one team of their sandwich makers can make sandwiches faster than three World-Class Major League Eaters can eat them. Starting at 3:00pm on July 26th at Taste of Lincoln Avenue you can experience the Freaky Fast Sandwich Making and Eating Contest! Who will be freaky faster?
Pat Bertoletti said he would be one of the MLE team members on the Steve Dahl show.
2008 Lewisville tamale contest Sept 27
Pegasus News reports that the IFOCE tamale contest will return to the Lewisville, Texas Western Day festival on September 27, the same weekend as the Krystal Square Off finals. The first prize will be $1,500.
Link Buffet: July 18, 2008
- Hall Hunt article in U of Florida student paper. Hall had a bad knee while he ran a marathon last Saturday. An article about Erin Andrews appears in the same issue.
- Crazy Legs Conti and Tim Janus appear in music video by Low Water (myspace)
- Wing Tut previews the contests he will MC this weekend. Samatha Brown of the Travel Channel might compete in the Italian sausage contest.
- MissBusyLady contemplates a Burritozilla attempt
- News items after May 8 removed from IFOCE home page
- Article about Randy Harrison, participant in the US Open of Competitive Eating
- WLOCE registration is open (from Crawfish comment)
- MTV’s video game blog has footage of the first two minutes of the MLE game
- Blog entry about Pauliesaurus challenge. The current prize is $250.
Link Buffet: July 17, 2008
- The Boston Herald has a preview of the Italian sausage contest
- Reporter competes in Singapore qualifier
- Seattle doughnut eating contest during concert July 26
- Will Millender’s CE mixtape list
- Picture from the Chinook Winds ribs contest
- Video of beef patty contest
Gyoza contest returns to LA Nisei Week
The Rafu Shimbon reports that a gyoza eating contest will be held on August 23 at the Nisei Week Festival in the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles. In 2006, the festival held an IFOCE gyoza contest. This year’s contest will probably also be an IFOCE event because the article says that national food eaters will participate.
Link Buffet: July 13, 2008
- Registration for the Ash Creek (CT, August 17) rib contest and the Myrtle Beach BBQ contest (August 30) opens tomorrow
- Transcript of Joey Chestnut on CNN July 4
- Furious Pete attempts to break Cookie Jarvis’ 76 ounce steak record at J & R Steakhouse (result)
- Jill Stoler’s report on the 120 ounce steak attempts
- Video of amateur contest at Delaplane Strawberry Festival
- 17 Year old eats age in hot dogs
- Video of radio interview of Joey Chestnut and the LeFevres
- Kobayashi has a blog entry about dining at Gray’s Papaya hot dog stand with Stephen Dubner
Link Buffet: July 10, 2008
- Preview of the Chinook Winds rib contest. Rich LeFevre and Erik Denmark are listed as expected entrants.
- Steakbellie on the Camden qualifier
- Megamunch finalizes plans for the UEPa meeting. The 120 ounce steak is free if finished.
- Quotes and podcast of George Shea at the Nathan’s finals.
- According to CNN, Heinz’ sales are up 16.5% and profits are up 30.9% over the past two years. Nelson Peltz got Heinz to co-sponsor Nathan’s.
- 11 “Pushing Daisies” themed pie eating contests at the Orange County Fair from July 11 to August 2
Queens dumpling registration open
Registration for the 5th Chef One Dumpling Eating Contest is now open (registration form). The competition will take place at the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in Flushing Meadows, Queens on August 3. The event will have men’s and women’s divisions and both divisions will award $1800 in prize money. Joe Menchetti and Floria Lee are expected to return to defend their titles.
Columnist opts for mock Joey Chestnut interview instead of real one
The Daily News Online has a preview of Sunday’s rib eating contest at Chinook Winds Casino in Oregon. The columnist, Rick S. Alvord, turned down an offer from the casino:
The fine folks at the casino told me to call them if I had a craving to interview Chestnut. Yeah, well, my career hasn’t deteriorated to that point yet, but thanks anyway.
For some reason, I think I already know what he’d say …
A mock Joey Chestnut interview follows. (Perhaps the real Joey Chestnut could have informed the author that the Wing Bowl does not take place at night)
Major League Eaters in Milwaukee July 12
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s food blog has an entry about a contest scheduled for Saturday:
A three-person team from local Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich outlets will be attempting to make sandwiches faster than a team of three world-class, competitive Major League Eaters can eat them. It’s called the Freaky Fast Sandwich Making and Eating Contest.
update (from Crawfish) Contest information is now available on IFOCE.com. The three MLE eaters competing are Tim Janus, Tim Brown and Mike Fitzgerald.