NJ Arts has an article about the new documentary, “No One Died: The Wing Bowl Story” which includes an interview with contest co-founder Angelo Cataldi. He discusses the medical personnel (or lack thereof) at the event:

Which was a good thing because, until 2007, the only medical personnel at Wing Bowl was Dr. St. George Hunt, a local veterinarian. “He couldn’t Heimlich anyone,” says Cataldi. “Basically, he neutered cats. I ended up with two of them.”

He laughs. “It was a joke.”

Yes, a big ha-ha, until Ice Cream Man showed up. “A guy came in for an eating stunt. He wanted to eat two gallons of ice cream, and we thought that was cool,” says Cataldi. “So, the guy ate the first gallon of ice cream fine. He was feeling good.”

But a few spoonfuls into the second gallon, his lips started turning blue. “By now, the guy is shivering and he’s moving slower. We ended up calling 911. He was in some physical jeopardy at one point. And that was the day we were told all eating stunts had to be approved by the legal department and that there had to be doctors on duty at the event — things we should have been doing all along.”

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“No One Died: The Wing Bowl Story” will debut at the Philadelphia Film Festival on October 22. Another screening will take place on October 26. Directory Pat Taggart and producer Frank Petka will hold a Q & A session following the screening. The synposis:

A hilariously captivating retelling of Philadelphia’s infamous Wing Bowl, spiced with colorful commentary from iconic eaters, organizers, and celebrities, as they recount the event’s wild journey from humble beginnings to an unbelievable spectacle. Featuring legendary tales of eaters like the notorious Wing Bowl villain “Damaging Doug” with his larger-than-life aura, and the shocking moment when Matt “Sloth” Dutton delivered the most artistic vomit in event history, all amid the chaos unleashed by the rowdy, alcohol-fueled audience. Reigning champion “El Wingador” reflects on his moments of glory and the journey to reclaim his title after it was unexpectedly nabbed by the small-but-mighty outsider Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas. No One Died: The Wing Bowl Story is a thrilling look at an electrifying era of trash talk, out-of-control crowds, and mouth-watering wings that took hold of the City of Brotherly Love, birthing a cultural phenomenon that will never be forgotten—from the first bite to the final wing.

It will be interesting to see if Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas was interviewed for the film. As far as I know, she has been radio silent for the past six years.

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The Philadelphia Inquirer and NBC Philadelphia have articles about an upcoming documentary about the Wing Bowl titled “No One Died: The Wing Bowl Story”. The assertion “No One Died” may not be 100% accurate. Fino “Chili Dawg” Cachola passed away soon after qualifying for the Wing Bowl in December 2004. An excerpt from “Horsemen of the Esophagus” by Jason Fagone chronicles the final weeks of Cachola’s life. A previous Wing Bowl documentary that followed six competitors in the 2005 Wing Bowl, “Swallow Your Pride”, has disappeared from the internet after being available on youtube. A few clips can be viewed on the film’s channel.

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Takeru Kobayashi is one of four subjects in the new Netflix documentary, “Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut”. His segment focuses on his inability to feel hunger after a 20 year competitive eating career. He decides to retire from eating contests to improve his gastrointestinal health: (youtube trailer) (transcript)

After analyzing Kobayashi’s poop and also performing other tests, including scanning his brain’s responses to images of different foods, doctors informed him that his microbiome was actually in good shape, but his brain scans were abnormal. This revelation means that getting to the bottom of Kobayashi’s lack of hunger will be more complex, and in order to focus on restoring his health, he’s decided to quit competitive eating. He has “mixed feelings” about it, but after years of ignoring his body’s signals, he’s eager to see if he can repair his gut-brain connection.

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The documentary “Superhot:The Spicy World of Pepper People” can now be viewed on Hulu. The 10 episode series has the following description:

A deep dive into a subculture fueled by spice: from the elite growers who strive to create new superhots to the chili eaters who chase the endorphin rush of consuming them; one chili head sets out on a quest to answer the spiciest of questions.

Official trailer

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FreeKittensMovieGuide.com has a positive review of the new competitive eating documentary “Scarf Face”:

The unexpected deaths of a few eaters notwithstanding, Scarf Face is a highly amusing documentary that cleverly subverts the self-importance displayed by its subjects. But even if one shares the opinion that gorging on dangerous amounts of food somehow qualifies as a sport, the film is a fascinating look at what makes these people tick.

The review includes a list of extras for the DVD that will go on sale June 7:

INTERVIEW THE WALT HICKEY – Hickey is a writer who often covers competitive eating events, and humorously questions the claim that Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest has really been going on for 100 years.

INTERVIEW WITH ED “COOKIE” JARVIS – A former MLE competitive eater who’s lost a ton of weight and has no love for the MLE.

OUTTAKES WITH ACTOR DAVE SWEENEY – Outside of his appearance in this film, I don’t know who he is either.

COMPETITIVE EATER DEATH SEGMENT – One which was featured in the film, one which wasn’t…a radio station water drinking contest which resulted in a woman’s death.

EXTENDED GYOZA-EATING SCENE

AUDIO COMMENTARY – By directors Joseph Ruzer & Sean Salter

TRAILER

The only competitive eating article from Walt Hickey I could find was a preview of the 2016 Nathan’s finals for 538.

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