AOL Weird News has an article about the new Nathan’s Wall of Fame with quotes from Ed “Cookie” Jarvis and Wayne Norbitz, president of Nathan’s:

“The reason that we changed the graphic is that the wall is in the sun — the design fades,” said Norbitz. “We needed to upgrade the look of it, so we decided to not just redo it the way it was.

“We decided to make the picture more current with people who have competed more recently,” added Norbitz, who noted that the wall’s bottom continues to list all of the winners of past Nathan’s contests — though insiders are quick to point out that many top eaters retire without ever winning big in Coney Island.

No reason is given for the omission of Eric “Badlands” Booker and Bob Shoudt.

update The article has been posted to the AOL News facebook if anyone wants to comment there.

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Gersh Kuntzman has a column about the updating of the “Wall of Fame” at the Coney Island Nathan’s. A summary of the changes:

• In: Joey Chestnut, Pat Bertoletti, Tim Janus, Juliet Lee, Tim Brown, Crazy Legs Conti
• Out: Eric “Badlands” Booker, Cookie Jarvis, Don Lerman, Charles Hardy, Kevin Lipsitz, Ed Krachie, “Kid” Cary DeGrosa, songwriter Amos Wengler.
• Staying: Takeru Kobayashi, Sonya Thomas
• Neither in nor out: “Notorious” Bob Shoudt (current #2 IFOCE ranking)

George Shea is quoted:

“The question is this: Do you listen to Lady Gaga or The Who?” Shea asked. “The bottom line is that it’s a ‘Wall of Fame.’ None of the people you mentioned, plus Don ‘Moses’ Lerman, ‘Krazy’ Kevin Lipsitz or Ed ‘Cookie’ Jarvis, have fame anymore. The guys on that wall now have eclipsed all of them.”

Badlands Booker ate 38.5 hot dogs in a Nathan’s qualifier last month. Three of the new entrants (Juliet Lee, Tim Brown, Crazy Legs Conti) have never eaten that much.

A picture of the old Wall of Fame

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update June 1 WPIX has a video of an interview Sonya Thomas did before the contest (via comment)
Beautiful Brian has a contest video and interviews with Sonya Thomas, Juliet Lee and Badlands Booker

update Rich Shea has the top 3:

1) Sonya Thomas, 26 dozen clams
2) Juliet Lee 23.75 dozen
3) Tim “Eater X” Janus 19 dozen

According to the eatfeats database, Sonya Thomas has finished in the top 2 in every shellfish (oysters, clams, lobsters, crabcakes, clams) contest she has competed in, with the only 2nd place finish occurring in the controversial 2009 Atlantic City crawfish contest.

The contest should start around 1pm. Tim Janus wore a Morey’s Piers shirt on the CBS Early Show, so he might be doing the curly fries contest.

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update #3 Press of Atlantic City has an article and gallery

update #2 Morey’s Piers facebook has a gallery

update George Shea has the top 3:

1) “Notorious” Bob Shoudt, 7.9 lbs. in 10 minutes
2) Pat Bertoletti 7.8 lbs
3) Sean Gordon 6 lbs.

The contest is expected to start around 1pm. An amateur contest might precede the professional competition.

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update May 31 Sun Sentinel has a video

update “Furious” Pete Czerwinski’s facebook reports that he won $2,500 at the watermelon eating contest by eating 34 slices in 3 minutes. Joe Menchetti ate 23 slices and Dale Boone ate 21. 2nd (27 slices) and 3rd (26 slices) were not named, and Pete says they did not follow the rules.

The Mardi Gras Casino twitter should be announcing results of the watermelon eating contest soon.

The twitpic page has some pictures.

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update May 30 BeautifulBrian.com has an article and contest video

Pat Philbin has uploaded to youtube his appearance on News 12 on Friday.

update NBC40 has an article and Bill Myers has entered full results – the top 7 below have been updated. Atlantic City Weekly has a video

George Shea has the top 3 and a commenter has some other results
1) “Notorious” B. O. B. Shoudt 40
2) “Buffalo” Jim Reeves 25
3) Pat Philbin 24.5
4) Allen “Shredder” Goldstein 23
5T) Dave “US Male” Goldstein 20
5T) Brian “Dud Light” Dudzinski
7T) Eric “Steakbellie” Livingston 17
7T) Brian Subich 17

The Nathan’s qualifier at Trump Plaza in Atlantic City is expected to start around 2pm. The Trump Casinos facebook might have some updates.

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Jim’s Steaks in Philadelphia recently started a Facebook page, and there is no mention of a cheesesteak record attempt by Pat Bertoletti on it. Dave “US Male” Goldstein comments that Bertoletti fell two sandwiches short of Bob Shoudt’s record of 13. If that is accurate, Bertoletti’s 11 sandwiches would tie the 1977 record set by Lynda Kuerth.

CBS3 has a video about Abner Silver, owner of Jim’s Steaks, setting up the facebook page. Abner Silver also set up the 1977 event where Lynda Kuerth set the cheesesteak record.

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