The Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN) has an article about yesterday’s Nathan’s qualifier at the Mall of America won by Chip Simpson with 38 hot dogs.

Updated 6:27 pm – Brian Seiken has commentary

7:13 pm – a volunteer judge has a myspace blog entry about the contest

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From IFOCE.com, Andrew Lane’s blog & Liz K.

Bloomington MN – Mall of America Nathan’s qualifier

Chip Simpson 38 HDB
Pat Bertoletti 32 HDB
Andrew “Skinnyboy” Lane 12 HDB
Kevin Carr 11 HDB
16 other locals

Chip is one of four people to eat 38 or more hot dogs (Joey Chestnut, Kobayashi & Nobuyuki Shirota are the others)

from Domenico Alesi’s comment:

Milwaukee Harley Davidson Johnsonville bratwurst qualifier
top 5 qualify for Johnsonville bratwurst finals in August

Tim “Eater X” Janus (NY)- 29 Brats
Frank Wach (Chicago)- 20 Brats
Tim Brown (Chicago)- 19 Brats
Crazy Legs Conti (NY)- 17/18 Brats
Jim “Hammer” Hammerick (Springfield, IL) -14 Brats
Domenico “The Sicilian” Alesi (Chicago)- 13 Brats

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The Independent of London (UK) has an article about Sonya Thomas at the Baltimore crabcake contest (which does not mention that event took place two months ago) The author also witnesses Sonya’s post-contest meal.

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The following video captures were taken from the video of the goldenpalace.net grilled cheese contest on the contest page at goldenpalaceevents.com after the contest timer expired (around 2:20 – 2:26 in the video)

It is obvious from the video captures that Sonya has a significant amount (probably 1/4 to 1/2 a sandwich) outside her mouth after the contest is finished. I assume that the man with sunglasses and a notepad is a contest official and he apparently took no action after he saw the amount of food outside Sonya’s mouth.

If the chipmunking rule is going to be interpreted liberally, then Sonya has every right to take advantage of that interpretation, but IFOCE should clarify the details of that rule so other eaters can take advantage of it as well.

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The San Jose Mercury has an article about Joey Chestnut’s record breaking performance at the goldenpalace.net grilled cheese contest Saturday which ends with a message to Takeru Kobayashi:

“I hope he knows I’m working hard, and if I do beat him, he’ll know I was coming to get him.”

(Does anyone know what the prize money for the grilled cheese contest was? Joey won $2,500, but I have been unable to find what the other prize amounts were.)

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Erik Denmark has a video of Eater X’s grilled cheese exhibition & Andrew Lane has a gallery by El Toro on their blogs.

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Liz interviewed “Big” Brian Subich after he won the Norfolk Nathan’s qualifier on Saturday.

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The calendar on Badlands Booker’s myspace page announces that he will appear at the Virginia State Lottery Ham Steaks Contest in Richmond on June 24. This contest does not appear on the IFOCE list of contests.

Updated June 12 1:50 PM Ian Hickman has confirmed that the Virginia Lottery will sponsor a contest on the 24th in Lynchburg, not Richmod. Sonya Thomas is expected.

A new goldenpalace rib contest in Memphis on July 3 has also been announced.

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from dogsarefunyes.blogspot.com

ArenaBowl XX FanFest, Las Vegas, NV

1) Joey Chestnut 47 grilled cheese sandwiches – world record
2) Sonya Thomas & Pat Bertoletti 37 – tie
4) Rich LeFevre 35
5) Chip Simpson 33
6) Ron Koch 20
7) Erik “the Red” Denmark 17.5

Other results – not necessarily complete
Jason “Erbavore” Erb 15
El Toro 12.5
Andrew “Skinnyboy” Lane 10
Doug “Cerberus” Ecks 8

Tim Janus 18 in five minute exhibition against Arena Football player

Mike Justice 9 in amateur contest

updated 10:00 pm

updated June 11, 9:47 am – Marketwire has a press release and video about the contest.

updated 7:34 – Andrew Lane has a trip report (which is a must-see for females who have ever wondered what men’s bathrooms in Las Vegas look like)

Updated 8:43 PM – KESQ has an AP article about the contest

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from IFOCE.com & Brian Seiken – Norfolk Nathan’s qualifier results:

1. Brian Subich, 20.5 HDB
2. Hall Hunt, 20.375 HDB
3. Seaver Miller, 18 HDB
4. Justin Mih, 17 HDB

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Tomorrow a potential $100,000 will be awarded if an amateur eater from Las Vegas eats more than 36.5 grilled cheese sandwiches in 10 minutes. The new poll asks if you believe if a feat is possible for the best amateur eater in North America.

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On Father’s Day, Harry Caray’s restaurant in Chicago will offer a 6 pound tallgrass steak burger for $37.95. The first person to finish that sandwich will receive 4 tickets to a Chicago Cubs game in Harry’s personal seats and his or her name in lights on Wrigley Field’s centerfield scoreboard along with a week’s supply of steaks. $500 will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation for each finisher of the burger.

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NorthJersey.com has a report on yesterday’s Quick Chek Italian sub qualifier held in Hackensack, New Jersey. Ian Hickman won the contest, and Joshua “the Lumberjack” Hearne and Mike Grove also gained entrance into the finals.

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Philly.com has a column about the life of former Wing Bowl commissioner and major league umpire Eric Gregg, who died of a stroke on Monday.

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The Hampton Roads Daily press has a profile of Partha Peddi, a former vegetarian from Hyderabad, India, who will compete in the Norfolk Nathan’s qualifier on Saturday. (Perhaps Peddi has learned the secrets of Indian competitive eating that Dale Boone has boasted about in his comments)

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Festivus Gastronomicus attended the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest won by Justin Mih at the Hot Dog Safari in Boston last Sunday and wrote a blog entry about it.

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Here are various links I have come across in the past month or so:

Erik Denmark radio interviews: June 2, June 5
Kevin Carr’s interview with Pat Bertoletti (about 50 minutes)

Interview with David “Brickhouse” Braunstein & Matt Streett before Baltimore crabcake contest
Las Vegas Sun preview of Nathan’s qualifier (has only Ron Koch quotes I am aware of)
2005 US Open of Competitive Eating writeups: Round 1 Round 2 Round 3-5
Rocky Mountain News column
Another Natsuko “Gal” Sone fan blog

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Andrew “Skinnyboy” Lane has posted a travelog of his trip to Tempe for the Nathan’s qualifier on his blog.

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Yahoo! sports reports that former major league umpire and Wing Bowl commissioner Eric Gregg has died at age 55 of a stroke he suffered yesterday.

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The Daily Item of Lynn reports that Justin Mih (who is not named but listed as the 39th ranked IFOCE member) won the Nathan’s hot dog contest at the Hot Dog Safari in Boston Sunday with 15.5 hot dogs. Lynn native Peter Davekos placed second with 13 hot dogs. A Coney Island berth is not awared to the winner of the Hot Dog Safari contest.

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Eric “Badlands” Booker will perform at Mo Pitkin’s in the East Village on June 7 at 7:30 (tickets are $5) Booker has also placed some of his songs on his myspace page.

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Steakbellie has uploaded a gallery of the Philadelphia Nathan’s qualifier at http://www.flickr.com/photos/steakbellie/sets/72157594155903732/

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Philly.com reports that Eric Gregg, chief Wing Bowl judge and former Major League umpire, experienced a stroke Sunday morning. While the competitive eating community may not have always agreed with Gregg’s Wing Bowl decisions, we can all offer our prayers and support to the Gregg family.

ESPN.com article

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(Thanks Brian Seiken) Johnstown high school football coach Brian Subich’s performance in the Nathan’s qualifier in Philadelphia Memorial Day weekend is the subject of three blog entries in pennlive.com’s Southwest PA Sports Blog.

Video from the Philadelphia qualifier can be viewed at http://cbs3.com/video/?id=26720@kyw.dayport.com

Updated June 5 12:54 pm with direct link – thanks Pat from Moonachie

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Liz has posted interviews with Rich LeFevre from before the Tempe qualifier and Erik “the Red” Denmark from after the contest.

Updated 11:48 pm Erik Denmark has a blog entry about the contest

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