Juliet Lee has updated her WriteNow page with news from her trip to the Nathan’s finals where she received the 2008 IFOCE Rookie of the Year award. She also announced that she finished recording a documentary being produced by the Food Network.

The pictures above are from valjean615’s flickr gallery from the Nathan’s finals, which includes pictures of all competitors entrances (Arturo Rios also removed his shirt like Juris Shibayama) along with the Rookie of the Year ceremony. Patrick Vandam and Juris Shibayama were apparently the other finalists for that award.

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From the Elizabethton Star:

1. Dale Boone 21 hot dogs in 12 minutes, $250
2. James Wilson, 15 (last year’s winner)

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• July 4 Peoria hot dog contest results
• MLE Singapore contest – first qualfier report, Joey Chestnut interview
• Fort Wayne, IN hot dog contest preview
• Passerby wins Frederick, MD hot dog contest
  
• New trailer for Nacho Mountain (PG rated)
• Bass player wins Tampa hot dog eating contest, vomits, then performs
• Pat Philbin article in NJ.com
• The LeFevres will be on Nevada Public Radio today
• Nathan’s Kevin Ross segments on youtube
• No MLE game release this week

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SalisburyPost.com has an article about the July 4 Apple Ugly eating contest. The top 3:

1. Dale Boone, 17 Apple Uglies
2. Keatin “Thunder” Shelton, 14
3T Timothy “Ace” Cameron, 10
3T Kristy Spurlock, 10

Dale Boone describes his techniques in the article:

“I came Monday night with these big cups,” Boone said. “I get here tonight, every single one of them’s got a big cup.

“They’re paying attention to me. That’s what’s scary.”

Boone one-upped them again though: They brought bigger cups of water this time but Boone dipped each of his Uglies in a cup of hot tea.

The article reports that Boone ate 21 hot dogs at an Elizabethton, TN hot dog contest earlier that day. It does not say how he placed.

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Pictures and videos of Furious Pete’s attempt at the Clinton Station Diner’s Zeus burger challenge have been posted to bodybuilding.com. It is estimated he finished about 60% of the burger. The current prize for finishing the burger is $500. Forks are apparently allowed at the Clinton Station Diner (they are prohibited in Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub’s challenges)

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Augusta.com reports that Dale Boone won $1000 recently by being the first person to eat a 28 inch cheese pizza from Roma’s Pizza in under 90 minutes.

WLOCE.com reports that Dale Boone also won the Apple Ugly eating contest in North Carolina yesterday and competed in the Elizabethton, TN hot dog contest.

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• Furious Pete wins Coney Island burgers by eating 9.75 burgers in 6 minutes. He will attempt Clinton Station Diner’s Zeus burger today.
• Rock Hill, SC hot dog contest
• Pensacoloa, FL hot dog contest
• Round Rock, TX jalapeno eating contest
• St. George, UT hot dog contest
• St. Petersburg, FL hot dog contest

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KrystalSquareOff.com announces that the date for this year’s Krystal Square Off finals will be September 28, a month earlier than previous years. The site will remain the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga. The qualifier schedule will be announced later.

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Results from the Nathan’s finals

1. Joey Chestnut 59, won 5 hot dog eat off
2. Takeru Kobayashi 59
3. Tim Janus 42
4. Pat Bertoletti 38
5. Sonya Thomas 34

Online news archives contradict Rich Shea’s claim that the contest was the first to be tied at the end of regulation time: 1990, 1980, 1978 (Memorial Day weekend)

Comments on this post are now closed. Please use the second place poll thread to comment on the Nathan’s finals.

update #4
Gothamist blog entry and gallery
Sports Illustrated article and gallery
Joey Chestnut’s mother prepares for her son’s return
Jill Stoler blog entry about Coney Island contest

July 5 update #3
Yardbarker report from Coney Island. Juliet Lee was named rookie of the year.
Newsday article and gallery
New York Post report
San Jose Mercury article
Calorie Lab blog entry
ABC News article
Wackbag thread with Pat Philbin pictures
Times and Democrat column
Southtown Star article about Pat Bertoletti
BBC news video
Kobayashi’s blog entry about the contest
Praise for Rich LeFevre
Anti-CE thread in Serious Eats from Raphael Brion

update #2 IFOCE.com has full results (from Crawfish)

AP article
Gersh Kuntzman column
ESPN.com video
flickr gallery by dietrich (from TechCrunch)

update NECN.com has the contest video in its entirety

The teleblog follows after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »

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• Tampa Bay Online article about Nathan’s finals
• Joey Chestnut interview for Tampa Bay Online
  

  Q: Do you and Kobayashi actually hate each other?
  A: We might like each other in 15 years when we’re done. A lot of us are close friends.

• Hall Hunt article in First Coast News
• AFP article about Nathan’s finals. Kobayashi says he will eat at least 60 HDB
• Japan Today article about Nathan’s finals
• Little Italy pasta contest July 5
• Updated odds on gambling911.com
• re-release of 2007 Jason Fagone article about C E injuries (from Wing Kong & Megamunch)
• Youtube video of QVC qualifier
• More comments on the WSJ Health blog

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amNY has an article and gallery from this afternoon’s weigh in. The finals have been officially shortened to 10 minutes. The listed weights in the article:

Joey Chestnut, 210 lb.
Takeru Kobayashi, 128 lb.
Juliet Lee 110 lb.

Gersh Kuntzman has a new column disparaging Kobayashi’s chances at reclaiming the belt.

The Big Lead sport blog has a preview of the Nathan’s finals

Sarah DiGregorio, who wrote the Village Voice article about Conti & Janus, will appear on the Ron Kuby show on Air America this evening at 5:45

update

Gothamist has a blog entry about the weigh in

NY1 has an article and video

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Articles about Nathan’s finalists

• Pat Philbin – NJ.com
• Hall Hunt – Orlando Sentinel
• Nate Biller – MySanAntonio.com
• Pete Davekos – Boston Herald
• Takeru Kobayashi – NY Daily News

• The Wall Street Journal’s health blog on competitive eating
• Will Millender and Sal Carbone expected at Peggy O’Neil’s hamburger eating contest
• IFOCE BBQ sandwich eating contest near Tulsa July 26 – registration opens Monday (from Crawfish)
• The Sporting News blog thinks Nathan’s hype is down in 2008

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• Video of bacon eating contest from Super Paul Barlow
• Video of a recent Pat Bertoletti practice session
• amNY article about Badlands Booker
• Video promoting upcoming “Hungry & Focused” apparel from Badlands Booker
• Synopsis of upcoming “Hurl” episodes on G4
• Crazy Legs and Eater X make the cover of the current Village Voice (from Liz K) – a gallery from their article
• MSNBC on extreme July 4 meals
• 2 for the price of 1 Nathan’s online coupon
• Slideshow of Henderson, MN sauerkraut competition
• Fox News article about Nathan’s
• Krystalist announces Krystal Square Off V
• Megamunch emails the following request for an upcoming Baltimore Examiner story:
  

  Are there any long-term health effects of competitive eating? What about just short-term effects? Should people take certain precautions if they are competitively eating? Are there warning signs someone should look out for if they compete frequently? Contact: Sara Michael, smichael@baltimoreexaminer.com

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Badlands Booker has emailed the following information about his performance tonight

July, 2 2008

Hungry & Focused 4 Fork Knife & Mic Concert Live @ Rehab

25 Ave B, Lower East Side (Formerly Club Midway), New York, New York
Cost : $5. More Info: www.clubmidway.com

Don’t even think about Sleeping on July 4th Week Because Badlands will be burning the midnight oil performing songs off the critically acclaimed CE Themed-Hip hop Album Hungry & Focused 4_Fork knife & Mic. I will also be performing hits from the previous H&F albums in anticipation of the upcoming 92nd. Annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. so come by Club Rehab The Day B4 the big show, Wednesday night at 11:33 PM. to experience Hungry & Focused Live Midnight Show. Don’t miss it and we’ll See u There!

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Gersh Kuntzman has a new column in the Brooklyn Paper about the Nathan’s finals. The first half is about Kobayashi receiving a sponsor’s exemption. The second half is an encomium to George Shea which closes with the following statement:

So, sure, Joey Chestnut may down 60 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes on Friday, but without Shea, he’d just be a disgusting spectacle.

ABCNews also has a new interview with Kobayashi.

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Does anyone know if the traditional July 3 weigh in for Nathan’s finalists will take place tomorrow? I have not been able to find any coverage online about that event. The IFOCE.com websites have yet to be updated with any information about the upcoming Nathan’s finals (or Kevin Ross’ qualifier victory).

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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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DelmarvaNow.com reports that Fish Tales restaurant at the Bahia Marina in Ocean City, MD will host a hot dog eating contest on July 4 that will award $1000 in prizes. Entrants will qualify at the restaurant by eating five hot dogs (cost $5).

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• Video of 2002 Nathan’s finals
• 2002 article by Gersh Kuntzman
• Evening magazine segment about 2005 Chinook Winds ribs contest. Ray Meduna appears.
• USA Today column suggesting Tiger Woods and Joey Chestnut switch sports
• Rich Shea podcast
• Furious Pete does 100 wings in 9:15 to prepare for Coney burgers

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Steve Penhollow of The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has emailed the following request:

We have a hot dog eating contest coming up as part of our Three Rivers Fest. I think it’s the first competitive eating event we’ve had in the area.

What is the dominant strategy for eating the most hot dogs?

I’d love to quote someone in my article.

Thanks.

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The new issue of The Village Voice has a long article about Crazy Legs Conti and Tim “Eater X” Janus. The roommates will also be profiled in an upcoming issue of Italian Vogue

updated removed sentence about 33 gram bun

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EDave.com has a page about the bacon eating contest between “Super” Paul Barlow and Loren “Bubba” Yarbrough tomorrow morning on the Zakk Tyler show.

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The producer of the promotional contest that took place in Westbury, NY yesterday between Eric “Badlands” Booker and “Hungry” Charles Hardy has a blog entry and gallery of the event. Kobayashi does not appear in the pictures.

update (from Sean Gordon) Kobayashi’s most recent blog entry says he was too fatigued to appear at the Long Island event.

update #2 The news video clip is now available

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• “Humble” Bob article in Philly.com in which he says that Krystal Square Off V is his priority for 2008
• Beet eating contest in “The Office Games” in Scranton, PA July 19
• Micah “Wing Kong” Collins on his second place finish at QVC
• Blog entry about winner of Austin veggie dog contest
• Bodybuilding.com water drinking contest final results
• Bristol, RI hot dog contest
• Radio bacon eating contest between Paul Barlow and Bubba Yarbrough July 2 (details from Super Paul after the jump)

Read the rest of this entry »

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A comment by Crawfish contained a link about Dale Boone’s victory in the corndog eating contest at Corndogorama. In the pictures, Dale Boone is wearing a World League of Competitive Eating baseball cap and has a shirt with a .com address. Trying WLOCE.com reveals that a website has been set up at that address. The site has a standings list which Dale Boone leads. P.Thayagarajan, mentioned as an Indian giant and a possible entrant in last year’s Nathan’s finals on IFOCE.com, is #6. Most of the links on the page are inoperable, but a contact page and safety guidelines are available.

update The Salisbury Post has a report about Dale Boone’s victory in the Apple Ugly qualifier last night

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