updateMiki Sudo recorded a video about the contest. She says (around 3:00) that the field will not be selected solely on MLE ranking but that geographic location and media availability will also be considered.

A press release (screen capture) announces that the July 4, 2020 Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest will be held without fans at an undisclosed Coney Island location. Five men and five women will compete; defending champions Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo are the only listed competitors. ESPN will televise the contest at noon Eastern with Mike Golic, Jr. replacing Adam Amin as commentator. The women’s division will be broadcast on ESPN or ESPN2 for the first time with a starting time of 12:20 pm. The Wall Street Journal has a paywalled article.

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Backstage.com has posted a casting call for a “Woman vs. Food” (age 26-45) network television show. The role has the following description:

We are looking for a food-loving comedian to host a major network show, specifically someone who has a passion for food and can eat LARGE quantities of it! We want a lady who can keep up with the boys when it comes to consuming large quantities of food. The whole burger, plus seconds. An adventurous eater not afraid to try new and exciting foods. Cannot have food allergies. Bonus if this person has a background in food, whether that be in the industry (server/bartender/ hostess/cook) or simply, someone who knows their way around a kitchen!”

**** Please ONLY apply if you can really eat a ton!! Think: Man vs Food level of eating all day and then doing a food challenge ***

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CheatSheet.com has a post about actor Ed Helms’ memories of filming the “Beach Games” episode for the sitcom The Office. He shares this story about the hot dog eating competition:

“What I remember is eating tons of hot dogs and spitting them into a bucket,” Helms recalled. “For me, the act of spitting chewed food out of my mouth activates my gag reflex. It was so upsetting.”

The Office star described the nauseating visual that came along with putting the scene together. “The worst part is the prop folks are walking around with a big plastic bucket and like four people are spitting into it. You have to spit out, but you’re looking at other people [doing the same thing]. It’s just disgusting.”

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Crow’s Theatre in Leslieville, ON will show “CHEW: A Gastronomical Musical Odyssey into the Strange World of Competitive Eating” on June 3. The documentary will be screened online and tickets will include a home-delivered meal. The film has the following description:

As one competitor puts it: “It’s like a standing-still parade. We just happen to be eating food.” Over the course of several years, Montreal playwright Sarah Segal-Lazar interviewed dozens of competitive eaters in Canada and the States to figure out what drives them to stretch their stomachs beyond comprehension. Inspired by London Road and A Chorus Line, co-creators Segal-Lazar, Anika Johnson and Andrew Kushnir have discovered the ideal container for the excesses of the sport: a musical. Chew takes documentary theatre to new places, and competitive eating to new limits. Whether it’s tucking away tamales in Texas or pulverising pretzels in Providence, the reasons we do unreasonable things can be most surprising of all.

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