California eating challenges and contests category

Upcoming eating contests
eating challenges
(All California eating challenges and contests in database)

Joey Chestnut has been named the Honorary Chairman at the Holiday Bowl in San Diego on December. He will also serve as "Chief Egg Nog Official" and oversee dousing the winning coach in egg nog. It is not clear if he will perform an eating exhibition or contest at the event.
The Patches and Pins Expo will hold a taco eating contest in Santa Ana, CA on Friday, December 13 awarding $200 to the winner.
The 909 open market will hold a pie eating contest tomorrow in Pomona, CA awarding a smart TV.
Scott Eats ate 25 donuts in 5 minutes to win the first prize of $1,000 at the Donut Fun Run in Alameda, CA on October 19.
Joey Chestnut will attend the Ocean Beach, CA Oktoberfest tomorrow. He will be the toastmaster for an event sponsored by Jagermeister that will attempt to set a Guinness record for the most people toasting simultaneously.
The Donut Fun Run will hold a donut eating contest in Alameda, CA on October 19 awarding $1,000 to the winner.
Black Oak Casino Resort in Tuolumne, CA will hold a hot dog eating contest on October 5 awarding $250/$150/$100.
Raina Huang will do a ramen eating contest at DTLA Ramen in Los Angeles on September 11.
Stan "Bandana Eats" Van Gorden won Saturday's Cilantro Lime burrito eating contest at Topanga Social in Los Angeles and claim the first prize of $500. Raina Huang also competed.
The Cilantro Lime Burrito Eating Contest at Topanga Social in Los Angeles will award $1,000 to the winner on August 17. Raina Huang is expected to compete.
The 909 Night Market will hold a hot dog eating contest in Pomona, CA on July 28 awarding $100 and a flat screen TV
The California State Fair in Sacramento has dropped its corn dog eating contest which paid out $6100.

2024 Alameda County Fair Nathan’s qualifier

update June 18 Results with full names are on the MLE contest page. Dan Downey has a contest video

Full results have been posted without full names:

1st 27.75 Derek Hendrickson
2nd 24.5 Steve “The Rabbit” Hammond
3rd 22 Erik “The Red” Denmark first contest since 2022
3rd 22 Yasir Salem first Nathan’s contest since 2017
5th 16 Naader “Freak8r” Reda
6th 9.5 Nick Esarco
DQ ? Andrew Imhoff
1st 12 Tandra Childress competitive eating debut
2nd 10 Jocelyn Walker
3rd 7 Crystal Ocampo
4th 6 Elizabeth Salgado

Comments (4)

Raina Huang ate 33 tacos in 5 minutes to win Sunday's taco eating contest at All Season Brewing in Los Angeles.
Raina Huang uploaded a video of her attempt to eat 40 tacos in 20 minutes at last night's 66ers minor league baseball game in San Bernadino, CA.
Raina Huang will compete in a taco eating contest at the 66ers minor league baseball game in San Bernadino, CA on May 3. Hopefully this will turn out better than the last eating contest at a taco festival at a California minor league game which resulted in the death of Dana Hutchings in Fresno.
Raina Huang won the first prize of $1,000 in yesterday's Jay Bird's Chicken Eating Competition at Topanga Social in Los Angeles. (video)

2024 Nathan’s qualifier circuit announced

Six Nathan’s qualifiers were posted today. Registration opens April 12.

  • May 11 Comstock, MI West Michigan Whitecaps game
  • May 17 Times Square, NYC
  • June 6 Cleveland, OH Parma Rib N Rock
  • June 8 Bristol, CT
  • June 15 Pleasanton, CA Alameda County Fair
  • June 22 Washington, DC Giant National Capital BBQ Battle

The last Central or Mountain time zone qualifier was at the Iowa State Fair in August 2019.

Comments (10)

Topanga Social will hold Jay Bird's chicken tender eating contest in Los Angeles on April 13. The winner will receive $1,000. Raina Huang is expected to compete.
Alexander de Vera won the first prize of $500 in Saturday's lumpia eating contest at the Island Pacific in Granada Hills, CA (results announcement starts at 1:00). Raina Huang also did an exhibition. The contest was closed to previous winners and professional eaters.
Raina Huang won the first prize of $1,000 in today's pizza eating contest at Topanga Social in Los Angeles.
Island Pacific will hold a lumpia eating contest at its Granada Hills, CA location on March 16 awarding $500 to the winner and $250 to the runner up. Professional eaters and former competitors are not eligible.
Patches and Pins Expo will hold an apple pie eating contest in Pomona, CA on March 9 awarding a 60 inch TV to the winner.

James Webb wins Wonderful Pistachios, Joey Chestnut 5th

update Feb 28
Santa Monica Closeup and Ed Woo have videos
Santa Monica Daily Press has an article

Results from James Webb’s video (announcement starts at 33:35): 8 minute contest
1 James Webb 338 pistachios
2T Nick Wehry 221
2T Darrien Thomas 221
4 Steve Hammond 191
5T Joey Chestnut 167
5T Bartley Weaver 167
7 Joey Bosa 152
8 Gideon Oji 147

I think this is the first time Joey Chestnut’s contest total has ever been doubled. Even in his first Nathan’s finals in 2005, he still ate about 2/3 of what Takeru Kobayashi did (32 hot dogs vs. 49)

Joey Bosa finished ahead of MLE’s #6 eater, Gideon Oji.

In a post contest interview on stage, Darrien Thomas said he not only abstained from training, he had never eaten a pistachio before the competition. That handicap did not prevent him from finishing second.

TMZ has an interview with Los Angeles Chargers defender Joey Bosa about competing in today’s Wonderful Pistachios Get Crackin’ Eating Championship at the Santa Monica Pier. Bosa is not the first NFL defensive lineman to compete in a Major League Eating contest, In 2003 William Perry competed in the Nathan’s hot dog finals and ate 4 hot dogs before quitting midway through the competition. In 2005, Perry also particpated in the Trip Rewards World Birthday Cake Eating Championship and finished last.

Comments (52)

Linda Cohn has uploaded an excerpt from Friday night's ESPN Sportcenter of her interview with Joey Chestnut and Los Angeles Chargers defender Joey Bosa about competing in Monday's pistachio eating contest in Santa Monica. Bosa says that his new head coach Jim Harbaugh hoped he would win the contest.
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