In today’s edition of the Chicago Tribune, Tim “Gravy” Brown offers some hot dog eating contest tips

Brain training. Competitive eaters override brain signals that tell them they’re full, and if you want to eat faster, you need to do the same before you slow down. “You have to trick yourself,” says Brown, who also packs an iPod with books on tape or punk rock to distract himself. “You just want to concentrate.” His brain and gut rewired, Brown finds, “I never get full. I don’t get hungry. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love to eat.”

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• As of 10:30 am eastern, Wing Bowl 17 tickets appear available on ComcastTix.com Here is the direct link to the ticket buying page
• Pat Bertoletti ranks his favorite Chicago pizzas
• “Kid” Cary DeGrosa has a new column about OJ which embeds a video from September 2007 (from “Beautiful” Brian email)
• (from Wasted Food) Rich Shea podcast (starts at about the 50 minute mark) Shea continues to assert that competitive eating is the world’s fastest growing sport, but admits he has no factual basis for that statement.
• Encounter (in English) with Hatsuyo “the Witch” Sugawara at a restaurant
• Cameron McKirdy (now known as “Consumption”) has updated his website http://www.deathbyconsumption.com/
• Adam Richman of Man vs. Food to do a live online video chat on Wednesday at 11 pm eastern
• Mario’s Flying Pizza in Galveston, TX to celebrate reopening after Hurricane Ike with eating contests Wednesday

update As of 1:30pm eastern, upper level Wing Bowl tickets appear to be available

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• Dave Shoffner resumes blogging, but not on megamunch
• Encounter with Sonya Thomas at the Washington Capitals game December 4
• St. George Hunt, described by Angelo Cataldi as the Wing Bowl’s biggest fan, passes away
• Bacci Pizza in Chicago starts a 30 inch pizza eating challenge
• Bonita Springs, FL wing eating contest Saturday

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update Results have been posted:

1. Furious Pete Czerwinski- 22 sandwiches
2. Tom “Goose” Gilbert- 14.5
3. Bob “Killer” Kuhns- 12.75
4. Mark Lyle-The Human Vacuum-10

Please place results from the Wakefield World Chicken Salad Sandwich Eating Championship held today at the National Association of Convenience Stores Show in the comments of this thread.

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AICE News reports that Elliot “The Bone Collector” Rader has been temporarily suspended from the World Wakefield Chicken Salad Sandwich Eating Championship for falsely claiming on his website that he won the Ben Pao 2008 Egg Roll Eating contest.

The bonecollector.info has been updated with the correct name of the egg roll contest winner, Steve “Doc” Dohko, but it still claims that Rader won the 2007 Chicago Wingfest contest. A video of Pat Bruss being announced as the winner of that contest can be viewed on video.google.com

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The Chicago Sun Times has an article about Pat Bertoletti and his first place finish in the recent jalapeno contest in Chicago.

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The La Contena “Feel the Heat” jalapeno eating contest in Chicago yesterday was listed at #7 in the Sportscenter top 10 plays of the weekend.

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SonyaTheBlackWidow.com has the top 5 from today’s La Costena jalapeno eating contest:

1. Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti: 127
2. Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas: 117
3. Erik “The Red” Denmark: 105
4. Rich “The Locust” LeFevre:104
5. Hall “Hoover” Hunt:: I think 85 +

A press release confirms Pat’s victory

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Please place results from yesterday’s Wakefield National Sandwich Eating Championship held at the Foodservice at Retail Expo in Schaumburg, Illinois in the comments of this post.

update results from a GJoe comment:

1) Bob “Killer” Kuhn’s Made it to the “dinner table”.
2) Ian “The Invader” Hickman One sub shy of the dinner table.
3) “Gentleman” Joe Menchetti 1.25 subs shy of dinner table.
4 )Miss Elizabeth Canady 1.3 subs shy of the dinner table.

PioneerLocal.com has an article about the contest

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• 2008 IFOCE La Costena Chicago jalapeno eating contest September 14, registration opens Thursday (from Crawfish comment)
• Washington, DC pizza eating contest Friday
• UEPa involvement in Taste of Hamburg eating contest
• Jill Stoler on her appearance on the History Channel last night – future showings of Evolve: Guts
• Video of Gal Sone in Spain

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• Val Bromann has a blog entry and gallery from the contest in which Pat Bertoletti, Tim Brown and Patrick Vandam competed against Jimmy John’s sandwich makers (Chicagoist report / preview)
• Dickey’s BBQ finals to be held in Dallas in January 2009. San Antonio and Lynchburg, VA qualifiers have been scheduled for September.
• Furious Pete profile (article scan) in the Toronto Sun (condolences to Pete on the recent loss of his grandparents)
• Columnist responds to Juris Shibayama’s letter
• Sonya Thomas lists her favorite bands (Thanks for the compliment Sonya)
• Don Lerman to judge upcoming cannoli eating contest (Also confirmation that Kevin Lipsitz received the Lifetime Achievement Award)
• Record set at Ballard, WA lutefisk eating contest
• Female division winner has best overall mark at Strasburg, OH Corn Festival
• West Virginia Hot Dog Festival report
• Article about Chris Kenney, 11th place finisher at Bartolini’s meatballs
• Statistics on the Dubuque Conuty Fair’s eating contests
• Preview of Sunday’s dumpling eating contests in Queens, NY
• Blog entry about Seattle doughnut eating contest / Saturday Knights concert
• Vineland, NJ pizza contest August 9, $50 gift certificate first prize
• Report about eating contest held at Nobuyuki “the Giant” Shirota’s restaurant
• Biryani eating contest for Indian familes
• Charlotte Dawson, a judge on Australia’s Next Top Model wins a celebrity meat pie eating contest

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InChiCity’s calendar has the following entry for July 26:

Taste of Lincoln

You’ve probably seen the Major League Eaters gobbling down hot dogs and chicken wings on TV and wondered who in the world would ever challenge them. Well, Jimmy John’s, purveyor of all things freaky fast, is doing it. But, this is not just an eating competition. Jimmy John’s is betting that one team of their sandwich makers can make sandwiches faster than three World-Class Major League Eaters can eat them. Starting at 3:00pm on July 26th at Taste of Lincoln Avenue you can experience the Freaky Fast Sandwich Making and Eating Contest! Who will be freaky faster?

Pat Bertoletti said he would be one of the MLE team members on the Steve Dahl show.

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Results from this evening’s meatball eating contest sponsored by Bartolini’s from a bodybuilding.com forum thread

1) “Furious” Pete Czerwinski 43 meatballs, $3000 prize
2) Tom “Goose” Gilbert 38 meatballs, $1000
3) Joe Menchetti 35 meatballs, $500

update

The Southtown Star has a report on the contest

update #2

Full results have been posted on Bartolini’s website

A video of a meatball contest on the local CBS morning news show is available (from Furious Pete comment)

Furious Pete also won the Reuben sandwich eating contest (and Ian Hickman won the Italian sausage contest)

update #3 The Battle Creek Enquirer has a contest report about the Reuben contest

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• Log of Pat Bertoletti on yesterday’s Steve Dahl show. Bertoletti will be competing against sandwich makers at the Taste of Lincoln Avenue on July 26 or 27.
• Video recorded by Gersh Kuntzman alleging cheating by Kobayashi after regulation time ended at the Nathan’s finals
• Press release about today’s UEPa meeting at Gregory’s Steakhouse
• Short article about Rich LeFevre

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The Chicago Tribune has an article in which Tim “Gravy” Brown’s describes his techniques for hot dog eating. The article also appears on the Chicago Tribune’s blog.

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• Erik Denmark to compete in the Detlef Schrempf Celebrity Golf Classic today. Kato Kaelin will also be a participant.
• Pat Bertoletti on the Nathan’s finals
• Jamie of Hungry Sisters on her 9 HDB performance at Myrtle Beach
• Jill Stoler has a report with videos of the Brooklyn Stinky Cheese eating contest. Will Millender won the contest.
• “Beautiful” Brian judges the NYC Olive Garden and finds it wanting
• Chicago Pizzafest results
• No MLE video game release this week

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The Southtown Star has an article about the Chicago competitive eating scene focusing on Pat Bertoletti and the upcoming Bartolini’s meatball eating contest.

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(From ChicagoApartmentLife) A pizza eating contest with a prize of $250 will be held next Sunday at Chicago’s Pizza Fest.

Bacci Pizza will also sponsor a Chicago pizza festival with an eating contest on July 19. No other details are provided other than that qualification will take place at all Bacci locations.

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• Gallery of Saturday’s contests in Brunswick, GA from Bruce Pobanz
• Sonya Thomas thinks the new 10 minute duration will make it difficult for her to become the first woman to break 40 HDB
• Don Lerman believes “food pervision” companies have stolen his “interlectial propery”
• Article about local competitors at Chicago Nathan’s qualifier
• Preview of the Pittsburgh Nathan’s qualifier. Brian Subich is the only listed expected entrant
• Milia Mahfoud, the only female entrant, won a pancake eating contest at the Kingsburg Swedish Heritage Festival.
• Humble Bob has some pictures of the gyro contest on his home page
• Skinnyboy had a drunk fan while he attempted a hot dog challenge
• Article about Crazy Legs Conti in the Monterey Herald
• Calendar lists New Orleans Nathan’s qualifier on June 4 (a Wednesday) at Metairie
• Jamie of Hungry Sisters will be an assistant for Hog Happenin in Lincolnton, NC, which will have some eating contests
• $175 burger containing gold flakes
• Video of pizza eating contest from G.L.O.W. wrestling between Matilda the Hun and Mount Fiji

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results from Sage & Gravy comments

1. Pat Vandam 31
2. Tim “Gravy” Brown 28
3. Mike Fitzgerald 23.5

update The Southtown Star has a contest report. Tim Brown’s next qualifying attempts will take place in Tempe, AZ and Plano, TX.

update #2 Val Bromann has a gallery from the contest and IFOCE.com has the contest report out now.

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1. The meatball contest sponsored by Bartolini’s restaurant has the following eligibility restriction (See May 2):
   

   Eaters competing in IFOCE-MLE sanctioned Food drinking contests within the past 12 months will not be eligible to participate in this event. Food Drinkers attempting to enter the Meatball qualifiers at Bartolini’s or fraudulently qualifying for the American Meatball Eating Championship will be immediately disqualified and forfeit any prize money.

2. Joe Menchetti is listed as one of the three eaters who will receive byes to that contest on Bartolini’s website.
3. The Krystal Square Off website reports that Joe Menchetti competed in a pre-qualifier in Nashville last September.

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• Jed Donahue competes in a grilled cheese cooking contest and comes in second place. (From Liz K)
• Video of man choking during impromptu hot dog eating contest at Wrigley Field (via FrogSoda & Awful Announcing
• Krystalist challenges chef Gordon Ramsay to a Krystal eating contest
• Megamunch announces return from competitive eating blogging hiatus
• New motto for MosesNews: “When Eating News Breaks…. We Feed It To You”
• Stockton asparagus contest press release
• CBC News article about “Furious” Pete
• USA Today blog commenter wants to meet Joey Chestnut
• Gyudon eating contest in the Philippines

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(Via Chicagoist) Pat Bertoletti reviewed wings from nine Chicago restaurants for Time Out Chicago. Bertoletti’s top choice:

Twisted Spoke
(501 N Ogden Ave, 312-666-1500)
THE PLACE Don’t settle for Hooters’ softcore family-friendly porn. Get the real thing at the Spoke’s Saturday-night “Smut and Eggs” showing.
THE VERDICT “These are smoky like roasted chicken. This is the best sauce I’ve tasted, really rich, nice salt and sweet balance. Maybe there’s some chipotle in there. The skin is really crispy. I’d rather lick my fingers clean than use a Wet-Nap.”

In other Chicago wing news, tickets are now on sale for the WingFest that will take place on February 24 A wing eating contest will be held during that event. In previous years, the contest had separate divisions for men and women.

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