Upcoming eating contests
eating challenges
(All New York eating challenges and contests in database)
“Famous Nathan” book released
“Famous Nathan: A Family Saga of Coney Island, the American Dream, and the Search for the Perfect Hot Dog” a book by Lloyd Handwerker, a grandson of Nathan Handwerker, the founder of Nathan’s famous was released yesterday. Lloyd Handwerker will give a talk about the book tonight at Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn.
In the book, Lloyd Handwerker corroborates the claim made by Mortimer Matz in a 2010 New York Times interview that the 1916 origin story for Nathan’s is a fabrication.
(image from page 5 of the book)
update Jun 23Daily Beast has an article about the book with this paragraph about the contest:
So, what would Nathan have thought about the modern-day popularity of the hot dog eating contest? Lloyd was a bit hesitant when I asked him. “Some of the old timers are disgusted by it,†he admitted. While he wasn’t sure if his grandfather would have agreed with them, he “couldn’t deny the advertising impact on the company.†But on the other-hand “he hated waste†and each night he even inspected the garbage to see what people weren’t finishing.
2016 NY Mets Nathan’s qualifier
update June 20 Full results Part 1 | Part 2
| 1st | 33 | Yasir Salem | puts Steve Hendry into sole possession of wild card lead |
| 2nd | 15.25 | William “Wild Bill” Myers | |
| 3rd | 13 | “Beautiful” Brian Seiken | 1st contest since June 20, 2015, finishes 3rd in men’s Queens qualifier 3rd year in a row |
| 4th | 8 | Andy Flamm | |
| 4th | 8 | Ryoo Jessoo | |
| 4th | 8 | Matthew Kiebus |
| 1st | 16.5 | Sophia Devita | maybe best showing for woman whose 1st contest is Nathan’s qualifer since Sonya Thomas |
| 2nd | 14.5 | Daniella Gioia | takes women’s wild card lead |
| 3rd | 4.75 | Prudence DiBenedetto |
Registration will open today for the Hooters Wing Eating Championship in Las Vegas on July 11. The purse will be $17500. Registration will also open today for the Kale Yeah! The World's Healthiest Eating Championship in Buffalo on July 9.
Dave Brunelli won the first prize of $500 in yesterday's meatball eating contest at the Hudson Valley Pizza and Meatball Fest in Wallkill, NY yesterday.
After being rained out on June 5, Rocco's pizza contest in Brooklyn has been rescheduled for June 24 and the purse has been upgraded to $2000/$1000/$500.
ABC News has an article and video about the Carolina Reaper pepper mentioning Wayne Algenio's record set at the NYC Hot Sauce Expo in April.
In its first facebook update of 2016, All Pro Eating confirmed the $10K/$5K/$2500/$1K/$500 purse for the Caribbean Food Delights World Beef Patty Eating Championship in Tappan, NY June 26. The competition is billed as "The world's most LUCRATIVE Officially Sanctioned Competitive Eating World Championship". (Both the Nathan's men's & women's contest will award $20K).
The pizza eating contest that was to have awarded $1100 in Brooklyn yesterday was postponed due to rain. Organizers hope to reschedule later in June.
2016 Nathan’s Syracuse qualifier
Syracuse.com has an article and video about the qualifier
Ryan Siciliano has the winners from today’s Nathan’s qualifier in Syracuse. Larell Marie Mele says she took the women’s wild card lead. Results part 2
1) Geoff Esper 34.5
2) Yasir Salem 31, takes men’s wild card lead
3) Jim Reeves 23
4) Ryan Siciliano 16
5) Steven Dorgo 15
6) Bill Myers 14.5
7) Jesse Kanula 13
8) Don 8
9T) Kevin Belbey 7
9T) Derek 7
1W) Meredith Boxberger 21
2W) Larell Marie Mele 14.5, takes women’s wild card lead
Geoff Esper, Eric "Badlands" Booker, Meredith Boxberger and Larell Marie Mele are expected to compete in the Nathan's qualifier at Taste of Syracuse Saturday. Crazy Legs offers some tips for spectators and Rich Shea claims that a town record will be set (Takeru Kobayashi ate 110 bunless Hoffman hot dogs in 2012)
New books out about Nathan’s Famous
The Village Voice has an article about Famous Nathan, a book about the history of the hot dog restaurant that will be released June 21 co-authored by Lloyd Handwerker, a grandson of the company founder. The book is a companion to the 2014 documentary by the same name and will include a debunking of the 1916 contest origin myth. Another book Nathan’s Famous: The First 100 Years of America’s Favorite Frankfurter Company by William Handwerker, who is also a grandson of the founder, was released on May 10.
1978 Nathan’s Memorial Day hot dog eating contest
In the 1970s, Nathan’s held Coney Island hot dog eating contests throughout the summer. Here is the account of the 1978 Memorial Day contest from the Google News Archive. (note the 1917 contest origin year).
A press release announces that the Caribbean Food Delights World Jamaican Beef Patty Eating Championship in Tappan, NY on June 26 will award $10000/$5000/$2500/$1000/$500. This is the first news about an All Pro Eating event I have heard in calendar year 2016 and this will probably be the most lucrative event in that organization's history.
Wayne Algenio produced a video of him facing off against Thomasina Owch of Singapore in a race to finish the curry challenge at Kenka in New York City.
The New York Daily News has an article about the history of Nathan's Famous which treats the 1916 origin story for the hot dog eating contest as factual. Competition co-founder Mortimer Matz admitted the tale was a fabrication in a 2010 New York Times interview.
The Syracuse Polish Festival will hold a pierogie eating contest on June 12 awarding $250 to the winner.
The Brooklyn Cyclones minor league baseball team will rename themselves the Coney Island Franks for the July 3 game in honor of Nathan's Famous centennial.
The Wall Street Journal has an article about New York City eating challenges and a video of Randy Santel and Wayne Algenio attempting the burger challenge at Clinton Hall in Manhattan last month.
Burger Urge in New Farm, QLD, Australia will hold a Trump mini burger eating contest on May 26 awarding a trip to Trump Tower in New York City.
The Hudson Valley Pizza and Meatball Fest will hold a meatball eating contest in Wallkill, NY on June 12 awarding $500 to the winner. (via Will Millender)
Rocco's Pizzeria in Brooklyn will hold a pizza eating contest on June 5 awarding $800/$200/$100
Vice.com's new documentary "How American Men Are Redefining Masculinity" opens with Wayne Algenio attempting the MotherLoad Sloppy Joe challenge at Lunch Box in Staten Island with host Gavin Haynes.
Wayne Algenio received a Guinness World Record yesterday at the New York City Hot Sauce Expo in Brooklyn for eating 119g of Carolina Reaper peppers in 1 minute.
Studio Kraut in Manhattan will hold a pretzel eating contest on April 26 awarding $500 to the winner.
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