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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Here are the all time head to head results for Joey Chestnut vs. Takeru Kobayashi. They have faced 15 times from 2005 to 2010; Kobayashi finished ahead in 8 of the matchups. (This excludes the 2005 US Open of Competitive Eating, a 32 entrant tournament won by Kobayashi in which he did not face Chestnut.)
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TVLine announces that there will be two undercard competitions for “Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef” that will be streamed on Netflix from Las Vegas on September 2: Matt Stonie and Leah Shutkever will face off against opponents who have yet to be named. This will be Matt Stonie’s first public eating competition since a Draft Kings event in April 2021 and Leah Shutkever’s first public competition since the Highway 55 burger eating contest in June 2018. The broadcast co-hosts will be actor/comedian Rob Riggle and WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Garcia. Cari Champion and Chris Rose will be the announcers for the competitions.

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The Major League Eating Top 50 has been updated. Joey Chestnut remains #1 despite his estrangement from the organization. Nathan’s winner Pat Bertoletti jumps to #2. The new top 10

1. Joey Chestnut (previously #1)
2. Pat Bertoletti (#9)
3. Geoff Esper (#2)
4. James Webb (#5)
5. Miki Sudo (#3)
6. Nick Wehry (#4)
7. Gideon Oji (#6)
8. Derek Hendrickson (#8)
9. Michelle Lesco (#10)
10. Darrien Thomas (#12)

Entering

• 13 Sean Yeager
• 16 Max Stanford (fixed)
• 38 Radim Dvoracek
• 45 Joey Przybylowicz
• 47 Cherish Brown
• 48 Julie Goldberg

leaving

• 16 Darron Breeden
• 28 Juan Rodriguez
• 30 Sarah Rodriguez
• 46 Brian Dudzinski
• 48 Kathryn Tesch
• 50 Doug Ecks

Notable omissions: Takuya Yamomoto, William Lyon, Max Stanford, Yasir Salem, Kylan Lee, Tandra Childress

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