Gothamist has an interview with Guardian Angels founder and talk radio host Curtis Sliwa. In addition to the opening of a Guardian Angels chapter in Cape Town, South Africa, stickball, and his hatred of Manhattan, Sliwa also discusses his competitive eating history:

Let’s switch focus from the Guardian Angels to competitive eating. How did you become a world champion pickle eater and do you have any plans to return to the world of competitive eating?

I established the world record one year at one and three quarter pounds. The contest took place on the lower East Side of Manhattan. I had done it because I was recovering from gunshot wounds that were inflicted on me by John Gotti Jr’s goons in the summer of 1992. One of the remedies was liquid penicillin- chicken soup. It came from the second avenue deli. The owner, Abe Lebewohl, would send it over each day and even inquire about my health. Unfortunately, he was the victim of violent crime. He was held up at gunpoint, shot, and killed. He had asked me to participate in this contest to represent the lower east side. I could barely consume solid food at that time and I had agreed. That was the first big solid food I’d had, which might be how I was able to set the world record, but I’d also won the contest three times after.

Unfortunately, I’ve suffered gastronomical depression. My head has revolted against my stomach. The stomach wants to continue but the mind has reached a wall. In my last pickle competition, I was so weak that I didn’t even place into the show. I placed third one year at the 4th of July Dirty Water Hot Dog Eating Contest at Nathans, with 16 hot dogs in 12 minutes. That was back in the late 90’s. Now that wouldn’t even qualify you to get into the contest. So, the world of competitive eating has passed this older timer by.

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The LAist blog has an entry about the donut eating contest to be held tomorrow morning at Randy’s Donuts to promote the DVD release of CHiPs.

Randys-Donuts.com has a webcam of the restaurant. Hopefully it will broadcast the contest.

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The Rocky Mountain News has an article about Englewood, CO resident Marco “Mongo” Marquez. Marquez will try to gain entrance to the Nathan’s finals at the Mall of America qualifier. Crazy Legs Conti is also expected to compete in that event. Andrew “Skinnyboy” Lane and Russell “the Mad Stork” Witzke are also mentioned.

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Brian Seiken has uploaded the episode of his television program recorded at today’s qualifier at Shea Stadium to http://hometown.aol.com/beautifulbrian43/wrap.html

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From OregonLive’s article about the “Stand By Me (movie) Celebration and Rolling Roadshow,” to take place on July 28 in Brownsville, Oregon:

Other activities include a sock hop, a “body” scavenger hunt with clues from the movie, photo opportunities at various film locales, and a blueberry pie-eating contest presented by the International Federation of Competitive Eaters.

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From MosesNews.com via Todd the Butler:

Erik The Red Denmark – 26.5 + 3 in overtime
Pat Philbin – 26.5
Allen Goldstein – 25.5
Russ Keeler – 20
Brian Subich – 19

Erik Denmark has won a contest in a New York City baseball stadium for the second year in a row.

MosesNews.com also has a gallery of today’s contest.

update
BeautifulBrian.com has a report from Shea Stadium with some pictures

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Results from Laura & Beautiful Brian & other commenters
updated from Andrew “Skinnyboy” Lane

1) Joey Chestnut 59.5 (breaks previous record of 53.75 HDB)
2) Rich LeFevre 33
3) Tim Brown 25
4) Justin Mih 21
4) Mongo Marquez 21
6) Mad Stork 16
7) Andrew “Skinnyboy” Lane 14
7) Jason Erb 14
9) Russell Blackwell 13.75
10) Todd “The Butler” Yeates 7

According to wikipedia, the last American to hold the Nathan’s record was Ed Krachie w/ 22.25 HDB from 1996 to 1997

updated
Todd “the Butler” Yeates’ gallery
AZ Republic article
ESPN.com article from AP
Russell Blackwell blog entry

Joey Chestnut will throw out the first pitch at tomorrow’s game at Shea Stadium according to this USA today article

A contest video can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEpvZUqkTss

update #2
The East Valley Tribune has a slideshow with a sound track
The SF Chronicle has an article about Joey’s performance in which he describes his training regimen:

Chestnut, 23, started training six weeks ago with what he calls a “hot dog run” two days per week. Each time, he consumed as many hot dogs as possible in 12 minutes, doing his “weird” dance, flexing and wiggling to push the food down.

Then, he didn’t eat for three days to prepare for the next time.

“You have to mentally have a reason to eat that much and maybe convince my body that it’s OK — it’s not going to hurt it,” he said.

One day each week he ate normally. He also took “tons of vitamins,” amino acids and protein supplements.

Before Saturday’s contest, he didn’t eat Thursday or Friday.

update #3
Live Spaces gallery
Deadspin thread

update #4
Local news TV clip (from Todd “the Butler”)
Joey’s post contest interview
BBC News video (from Brazen) (Video is most popular BBC video for June 3)

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(From Steakbellie) a one minute news clip about Saturday’s Philadelphia qualifier from Reuters video can be viewed at http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=54562&videoChannel=4

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(from Courtney Jacobs) A donut eating contest will be held at Randy’s Donuts in Inglewood, CA (Los Angeles area) on the morning of June 5 to promote the release of the first season of CHiPs on DVD. Former CHiPs star Erik Estrada will be the contest judge. The winner will be the first person to eat 18 donuts. Participants will be chosen from the first ten entrants to appear at Randy’s Donuts on the morning of the contest and must be residents of California. Contest eligibility, entrance rules and prizes follow:

ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS. MAXIMUM TEN (10) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS. 1. ELEGIBILITY: CHIPS DVD Promotion Donut Eating Contest (“Contest”) is open to individuals eighteen (18) years of age or older who are legal residents of the state of California. Contestants must be present at event in order to enter. Employees and their immediate families (spouse, parents, children, siblings, and their respective spouses), including household members, of Time Warner, Inc. or any subsidiaries or affiliated companies including Warner Home Video, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (“Sponsor”) are not eligible to enter or win

HOW TO ENTER: To enter, go to the “Donut Eating” event at Randy’s Donuts on Tuesday, June 5, 2007, by 9:00 AM PDT and be one of the first ten (10) eligible participants in the “Donut Eating Contest” line designated as such.

PRIZES: GRAND PRIZE to the winner (1): Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500) (payment to be made in the form of a check payable to winner within four (4) to six (6) weeks after the end of the Contest). FIRST PRIZE to the first runner-up (1): Portable DVD Player (prize to be awarded the day of the Contest). Total Estimated Retail Value of Prize: (U.S.) One Hundred Seventy-Five Dollars ($175). SECOND PRIZE to the second runner-up (1) “Chips: The Complete First Season DVD” signed by Erik Estrada. Total Estimated Retail Value of Prize: (U.S.) Thirty-Nine Dollars and Ninety-Eight Cents ($39.98).

A website with contest information can be found at http://www.myspace.com/chipscontest

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BeautifulBrian.com has a preview of Sunday’s Nathan’s qualifier at Shea Stadium. He is torn between rooting for Brian Subich and Allen Goldstein in that contest.

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The East Valley Tribune has an article about Mesa, AZ resident Todd “the Butler” Yeates, who will be competing in the Nathan’s qualifier in Tempe Saturday. Todd’s nickname is a reference to the poet William Butler Yeats.

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An article about the Philadelphia Nathan’s qualifier video on MLE appears CompetitveEatingNews.com. Apparently IFOCE is standing by its original results:

Nonetheless, several viewers have reported watched the video and claimed that it shows that Shoudt’s hot dogs were closely counted and that, to support claims of a mis-count, Shoudt would have had to eat five additional hot dogs during one of the 10-second periods when the camera pans away. These viewers claim that it is possible to follow Bob’s consumption throughout the contest, if one allows for the missed moments when the camera pans away.

They also claim that the video reveals the MLE host repeatedly alerting the Nathan’s judge to the multiple plate issue and conscientiously following the count.

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(From Todd “the Butler”) An IFOCE strawberry shortcake contest will be held at the Strawberry Festival in Mattituck (Long Island) NY on June 17. Registration opens May 31 at noon.

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(from Erik Denmark comment) Videos from the Philadelphia and Hartford Nathan’s qualifiers can be found on the MLE videos page.

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From AICE news:

1. Gentleman Joe (“AKA Eatmeiser”) 3.87 lbs
2. Mark Lyle “The Human Vacuum” 2.67 lbs
3. Veto “The Machine” Porter 1.96 lbs
4. Shawn “Taz” Wiggins 1.85

MyFoxKC has a video clip and gallery of the contest

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Indiana James competed in the 2 person team vegetarian hot dog eating contest held in Austin, TX Saturday and wrote a blog entry about her experience. She ate 10.5 hot dogs in 12 minutes, a half hot dog more than her male teammate “Honeybun”. Their total of 20.5 hot dogs was good for second place. Fans of picnic style rules will be glad to know that apparently no teams took advantage of the blender.

“In second place, with 20 and a half, we have Honeybun and Indiana!” We smiled, happy that our prides were still in tact. The girl to my left was like, “OMG! I could only eat three!”

What’s cool is that for the rest of the day, I felt like a local celebrity. Everyone kept high fiving me, and asking me how many dogs I choked down. Even after we left, I was recognized. We made a stop over at End of an Ear to pick up the Voxtrot CD for Honeybun, and the clerk was all like “You were that girl from the hot dog contest!”

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A report on yesterday’s Nathan’s qualifier in Philadelphia appears on competitiveeatingnews.com.

Shoudt ate 33, and one viewer claimed that an entire Shoudt plate was missed and that Bob actually ate five more HDBs. However, this claimed was dismissed by a veteran Nathan’s judge who counted Bob’s dogs throughout the event.

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Hogzilla has posted entries about his competitive eating training in his myspace blog. He is preparing for the July 4 hot dog eating contest at the Dairy Inn in St. Petersburg, FL.

There is an article about that contest in creativeloafing.com containing some quotes from Kate Westfall of the IFOCE.

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Delaplane Strawberry Festival results from a Wing Tut (contest MC) text message:

Tom “Goose” Gilbert 9 lbs
“Gentleman” Joe Menchetti 6.88 lbs
Ian “the Invader” Hickman 6.2 lbs
Carey Poehlman 5 lbs
Chris “The American” schlessinger 4.9 lbs
Cain 2.5 lbs

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(From Beautiful Brian & Philly Guy & Steakbellie & Wild Bill & anonymous commenter )

Nathan’s Philadelphia qualifier results, Independence Center

1.) Sonya Thomas 36
2.) “Humble” Bob Shoudt 33 or 34
3.) “Big” Brian Subich 27
4.) “Wing Kong” Collins 23 1/2
5.) Steakbellie 17.25
6.) Wild Bill 16.5
7.) Pete “Philly Guy” Miernicki, 13.75
8.) Paul “Buffet Buster” Sakelarides, 12
9.) Mike Isco, 10 (tie)
9.) Sean Verma, 10 (tie)
11.) Adam Dewalt, 9

update NBC10.com has a brief article about the contest

update #2 MegaMunch has a post about his thoughts on the judging controversy

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A video from a road trip to Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub to attempt the 15 pound Belly Buster burger is available at http://youtube.com/watch?v=OUkcRa-d-jU

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AZCentral.com has an interview with Joey Chestnut. Joey states he plans to compete in the Tempe, Arizona qualifier on June 2. He will practice for that event in the Los Angeles Dodgers All You Can Eat pavilion this weekend. Joey expresses confidence about his upcoming performances:

Meanwhile, Chestnut believes he’s prepared to shock the eating world.

“I’ve definitely been able to break the record in practice,” he said, adding that for competitive reasons he doesn’t want to say exactly how many hot dogs he has devoured.

“Unless I have a bad day, I’ll break the record.”

And he is convinced that Kobayashi is approaching his gastrointestinal zenith.

“Kobayashi is amazing, but he’s been at it about six years and he’s hovering at about the same amount,” he said. “I don’t know if he can go much higher. If I can get to 55 or 56 I have a chance to beat him.”

updateAZCentral has another article about the qualifier

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NYMag.com reports that “Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating”, starring Crazy Legs Conti, will be screened at the first New York Food Films Festival on June 21. The schedule of events for that evening follows:

Thursday, June 21st
8:30pm – Tasting Rachel Ray – 3 mins.
– Best of the Wurst – 21 mins.
– A Trip To The Butcher – 4 mins.
9:00pm – Crazy Legs Conti – Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating
10:15pm – Q&A with Crazy Legs Conti
10:45pm – Hot Dog eating contest – 32 inch Stahl-Meyer Hot Dog
closing – XXX – An Uncanventional Love Story – 1 min.

Another movie to be screened at the festival is Buffet – All You Can Eat Las Vegas. A trailer for that film is available at NYMag.com

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(From Domenico Alesi comment) An IFOCE pigs feet eating contest will be held at the New Jersey State Fair on June 23. Registration opens today at 2pm eastern.

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VeggieDogContest.com has information about a vegetarian hot dog eating contest to be held in Austin, TX tomorrow. There will be both individual and doubles categories and additional prizes will be awarded for style and good sportsmanship.

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