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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Patrick Vandam, runner-up in the most recent Nathan’s qualifier, answers some questions on TwinCities.com. Vandam is planning to compete in Saturday’s Nathan’s qualifier in Chicago.

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The Harvard student newspaper has an article about the Chickwich Challenge, which entails eating 12 chickwich patties in 12 different dining halls on the Harvard campus (only one bun must be consumed). Two sophomore females, Katherine Tan and Michela DeSantis attempted the challenge and both finished in 2 hours and 43 minutes. As the challenge progressed, the rules were liberalized:

By the time the contestants reached Quincy, they were fading quickly, and a new rule was instituted: each is permitted to approach two strangers and ask them to take one bite out of her chickwich. Though both contestants hesitated to demand this favor of strangers, the thought of less chickwich ultimately won.

DeSantis walked to the end of the dining hall and patiently explained her predicament.

“Is this for some kind of experiment?” asked one doubtful diner.

“No,” DeSantis quickly assured, hoping that the kind soul would agree to her offer.

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• Minnesota qualifier ABC News video
• Apparently no one was able to register for the Dallas Nathan’s qualifier after the food blog for D Magazine announced the contest (Nathan Biller and Jason Erb did get in)
• Video of “Furious” Pete eating 8 McD’s double cheeseburgers in 2.5 minutes for bodybuilding.com contest (thread #1, thread #2)
• Some pictures from last year’s Nathan’s finals on mosesnews
• 10 woman team attempts 15 pound Denny’s Beer Barrel Belly Buster
• Megamunch’s office cereal contest
• Mike Fitzgerald, the Apple Valley, MN 3rd place finisher, won last years amateur Sheboygan bratwurst contest
• Blog entry about Amos Wengler, the “Coney Island Songwriter”
• Wing Tut’s 5k race report
• Kobayashi leaves Japan for a while
• Cruise for Takuya Yamamoto and fans (Yama3’s event report)
• Blogger will vote for presidential candidate who will ban competitive eating

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The Fairfax Times has an article about Ian Hickman and his quest for a strawberry title.

Hickman said he first became interested in becoming a competitive eater after watching actor John Candy eat a huge steak in the movie “The Great Outdoors,” and later consumed his own 64-ounce porterhouse in a Lexington, Ky., steakhouse that offered the meal free to anyone who could finish it in less than 45 minutes. Hickman ate the steak – along with a side and a salad – in only 19 minutes.

“That’s when I knew I might have talent as a competitive eater,” he said.

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The date of the 2008 Shoo Fly Pie contest was announced as June 21 and some calendars still list that event, but the contest website says that no contest is currently scheduled.

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Galleries of the recent Nathan’s qualifiers held in Las Vegas and Apple Valley, Minnesota are now available. Captions for the Las Vegas gallery report that Rich LeFevre ate 32 hot dogs and not the 31 in the official report.

The Las Vegas Sun has an article containing a picture of Rich LeFevre and Sarah Jane from one of the galleries. Sarah Jane was the only female competitor and previously auditioned for “American Idol”. Like Ron Koch, she works as a casino photographer. She finished with 8.5 hot dogs, which puts her in the company of 8 females who are known to have broken the 8 HDB mark:

39 Sonya Thomas, 2007, 12 minutes
28 Juliet Lee, 2007, 12 minutes
25 Carlene LeFevre, 2005, 12 minutes
22.25 Takako Akasaka, 2000, 12 minutes
18 Miyuki Iwata, 2004, 12 minutes
12 Melody Andorfer, 1972, 5 minutes
9.5 Birgit Felden, 1984, 10 minutes
8.5 Sarah Jane, 2008, 10 minutes

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• Beautiful Brian starts a “Bigger Bits” page
• Medical researcher Carl DeSelm wins Bar Louie’s national tater tot eating contest with 4.5 pounds in 6 minutes (video of another Bar Louie contest in which the winner ate almost 3 pounds)
• Youtube video from CBS about the Collegiate Nationals
• Ken Hoffman of the Houston Chronicle defends competitive eating in a reader mailbag
• Tampa Bay Rays Fan Fest video, include Hall Hunt’s eating contest
• $10,000 to enter pie eating contest?
• Mango eating contest in India

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Three different dates have been announced for the Nathan’s qualifier in New Orleans:

• May 17 – Original announcement on majorleagueeating.com
• June 4 – Sam’s Club press release
• June 7 – IFOCE.com contests page

June 7 appears to be the most likely date because June 4 is a Wednesday and there would probably be more information if the qualifier was this weekend.

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107.7 FM will sponsor a hot dog eating contest and a pasta eating contest in Brunswick, GA on May 17. Both contests will have $1,000 prizes. Call the radio station starting May 12 to obtain one of the 10 slots for each contest.

(From the Hangman, who will serve as a guest judge)

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Local news video broadcast March 24 on KAMR about Joey Chestnut breaking the Big Texan’s 72 ounce steak record has been posted to youtube.

Andrew “Skinnyboy” Lane has a blog entry and gallery about his attempt at the Big Texan.

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The morning show of KVBC.com has a video about El Toro showing him training with watermelon. There is also a video of Rich LeFevre competing in a one minute hot dog eating contest in the sidebar.

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From IFOCE.com via the Sicilian:

1) Pat Bertoletti 41 HDB in 10 minutes
2) Patrick Vandam 30
3) Mike Fitzgerald 23.5

update KARE11.com has a short article with a video

update #2 StarTribune.com also has an article

update #3 May 19 – Pat Bertoletti has posted a blog entry to his YardBarker blog about the contest

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A press release on gonintendo.com announces that a watermelon eating contest between Tim Janus and Crazy Legs Conti will take place at the Nintendo World Store at Rockefeller Center in New York City on May 20.

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(from MosesNews) A press release about last month’s Big “A” burger contest at Andy’s Burgers, Shakes & Fries is now available at Carolina Newswire. The top 3 finishers:

1. Joe Menchetti, 5 minutes 15 seconds, $1000 prize
2. Joshua Currier, 5:45, Lumberton, NC, $500
3. Shayne Katrigis, 7:58, Charleston, SC, $250

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• York (PA) Revolution to offer all you can eat seats where you can enjoy the company of former Baltimore Orioles
• Japanese commercial featuring a ramen eating contest
• Pat Bertoletti posts a picture of a hot dog training session (see above) to a yardbarker comment (The Waffle House belt is to remind Pat that Joey can be beat)
• Kansas State Games to have a hot dog eating contest July 18
• UK hot dog eating contest May 23
• Twins closer Joe Nathan to appear (but not compete) at tomorrow’s Nathan’s qualifier
• Today is Cookie Jarvis’ birthday according to a comment
• Furious Pete has posted an article about the Collegiate Nationals to bodybuilding.com
• China and the Philippines ban conversion of rice paddies to golf courses (via Freakonomics)
• Chicago Nathan’s qualifier next weekend to take place in Matteson
  

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Results from an anonymous comment & CE News
1. Rich LeFevre 31 or 32 (10 minute contest instead of 12)
2. Ron Koch 21
3. Andrew McKirdy 14
? El Toro

update Hall Hunt made quite accurate predictions for the qualifier

update #2 The Las Vegas Review has a captioned picture of Ron Koch and El Toro (from the Hangman)

update #3 BeautifulBrian.com has a contest report with some pictures

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The web site for the Hot Dog Safari announces that a hot dog eating contest between Crazy Legs Conti and two couples will take place at that event on June 1 at Suffolk Downs in suburban Boston. The entry form states that the couple must be married or engaged and that the accepted pairs will be notified by May 15. The winner will receive $1000 in gift certificates, the loser will receive $500 in gift certificates.

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Andrew “Skinnyboy” Lane announces in his blog that he will attempt the Big Texan’s 72 ounce steak at approximately 4:30 pm eastern, which can be viewed on the restaurant’s webcam.

update Skinnyboy reports that he had about 7 ounces of steak remaining along with the potato when an hour elapsed.

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BeautifulBrian.com has a preview of today’s Nathan’s qualifier focusing on Ron Koch’s comeback to face his rival Rich LeFevre.

The Las Vegas Review Journal also has a short preview which says that LeFevre and Koch will compete. It says nothing about Joey Chestnut.

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• Beautiful Brian’s thoughts on Badlands Booker’s possible comeback. (He thinks that Tim Janus will compete in the Shea Stadium qualifier)
• Musician Dan Bern trains for and wins a hard boiled egg eating contest (he thinks that the female who ate 65 eggs is 8 years old) (via Ugly Dude Food)
• Megamunch has a blog entry about his participation in City Chase, which had a dog food eating segment
• Wing Tut to do Cleveland brownie eating contest and 5K Race for the Cure in Pittsburgh on Sunday. He is seeking donations for the Race for the Cure.
• Article about eating contests at Fitchburg State College
• 8.5 month pregnant woman competes in taco eating contest
• Videos of Scozzy Bone at the Acme Oyster Eating contest: video 1, video 2
• Dallas Nathan’s qualifier to be held at Plano Sam’s Club
• Skinnyboy competes in Denver CE meetup group burger contest
• CE: sport / not a sport debate in New Mexico State student paper

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Reflector.com has a page dedicated to Kristin Day’s recent attempt at Andy’s Big “A” 50 ounce burger challenge. The page has 5 videos, a slideshow along with an article by Kristin, probably making Kristin’s meal the best documented burger challenge by a female since Kate Stelnick completed the 96er in January 2005.

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Pat Bertoletti has uploaded a blog entry to his group blog with Joey Chestnut at yardbarker.com in which he describes the end of the asparagus contest in Stockton from his perspective:

A point came with 1 minute remaining where the margin was 1 spear. It became obvious that I could take this contest in front of Joey’s home crowd. I saw victory and let it slip through my grasp. My brain knew the necessary means to achieve this yet a disconnect between brain and body function existed. It was a point of mental and physical failure as neither would respond in the dwindling seconds. Asparagus was forced in yet my body fought every attempt to let it pass down my esophagus. It’s provides evidence that Joey is a true champion; a champion knows how to coerce every ounce of drive and performance out of their body, doesn’t make excuses, and gets the job done.

Pat says his next contest will take place at the Minneapolis Nathan’s qualifier this Saturday. Unlike previous Minnesota qualifers which were held at the Mall of America, the upcoming contest will take place at Cub Foods Grocery Store in Apple Valley.

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• NY Magazine’s blog has an entry about the MLE video game reporting that eaters were paid for use of their electronic likenesses
• 1000 pound onion burger created in Oklahoma
• May 31 Jamaican boxing card to have eating contest
• “The View” discuss the G4 Network’s “Hurl”
• Variety columnist thinks “Hurl” will be televised on the Game Show Network
• Washington Redskin Randy Thomas ate 8 pounds of food in an hour at a barbecue in Maryland
• Jill Stoler ends her blogging hiatus and hopes to end her competitive eating hiatus at the Carnegie Deli pickle contest

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Mike Golic is not the only former Notre Dame defensive lineman to lose an eating contest this week. WNDU.com reports that Chris Zorich, a former member of the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins, lost an eating contest at CJ’s Pub in South Bend, Indiana on Saturday. Zorich ate 4 burgers, placing him in the middle of the pack. Jim Seitz and Brynne Kolbe tied for first with 6 burgers and Seitz won the overtime eat-off. Video of the contest is available on WNDU.com.

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