Newsday reports that Island Park Fire Department volunteer Michael Fischer passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest while attending yesterday’s clam eating contest at Peter’s Clam Bar in Island Park, NY. The article does not mention if he participated in the eating competition. This is not the first eating contest fatality associated with a New York first responder. In April 2017, Caitlin Nelson, daughter of a Port Authority policeman who perished in the 9/11 attacks, choked to death during a pancake eating contest at Sacred Heart University. update News12 reports that the incident happened while Fischer was helping set up for the contest.

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In the latest episode of Barstool Sports Pardon my Take podcast, Joey Chestnut announces that his MLE contract will expire at the end of this year and he is open to the possibility of a matchup with Takeru Kobayashi in 2023. (video clip)

The end of this year is going to be a weird year for me because my contract with Major League Eating and Nathan’s is going to be over. So it’ll be my first year in a long, long time that I can actually eat against Kobayashi. So me and him could find a way to compete because he’ll never compete with Major League Eating again because they have just a childish contract dispute, but there’s a chance that I might be able to eat against him.

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It is interesting that even after declining a MLE contract extension, Joey Chestnut still calls Takeru Kobayshi’s schism with the organization a “childish contract dispute”.

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The MLE top 50 has been updated for the first time in about a year. The new top 12:

1. Joey Chestnut
2. Geoff Esper
3. Miki Sudo
4. Nick Wehry
5. Matt Stonie
6. Darron Breeden
7. Gideon Oji
8. Max Suzuki
9. Michelle Lesco
10. James Webb
11. Pat Bertoletti
12. Ricardo Corbucci

James Webb, Pat Bertoletti and Ricardo Corbucci are the only new entrants, replacing Juan Neave, Gordon Hazzard and Rich LeFevre. I think Australian James Webb is the first non-American or Japanese to make the top 10. Katina DeJarnett and Ryan “Max Carnage” Rodacker are surprising omissions.

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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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