The Sheboygan Press has a gallery and video of the bratwurst eating contest held at the Brat Days festival. One of the captions reports that Mike Fitzgerald repeated as winner by eating 22.5 sausages in 10 minutes.

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The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s food blog has an entry about a contest scheduled for Saturday:

A three-person team from local Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich outlets will be attempting to make sandwiches faster than a team of three world-class, competitive Major League Eaters can eat them. It’s called the Freaky Fast Sandwich Making and Eating Contest.

update (from Crawfish) Contest information is now available on IFOCE.com. The three MLE eaters competing are Tim Janus, Tim Brown and Mike Fitzgerald.

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• Video of El Toro screaming
• Shannon competes in the men’s division of the Vacaville onion eating contest and finishes third
• Furious Pete to attempt the “Italian Challenge” in Niagara Falls after getting stopped at the US/Canada border crossing update Pete finished the challenge in a record 30 minutes.
• Festival goal of 200,000 brats for the Madison Brat Fest
• Article about the Durham, NC Doughman quadrathlon (triathlon + eating)
• Jill Stoler interviews Ian Hickman
• Gal Sone article in the Mainichi Shimbun

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Deadspin has a picture of a poster in a New Lisbon, Wisconsin bar reading

“Free Tap Beer!! during Green Bay football games (until someone pees or leaves)”

The brands of beers on the poster are Bud and Bud Light. If the odds of dying from water intoxication from drinking Bud Light are the similar to the odds drinking plain water, it is surprising that such a contest is being held given the death of a competitor in the “Hold Your Wee for a Wii” contest sponsored by a Sacramento radio station. (Of course, some people might say that Bud Light is virtually indistinguishable from water. 😉 )

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A video of Monday’s AICE frog leg eating contest can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=756lc6jFXhc Full results from that event are available on the Madison Mallards web site.

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Top 4 of Monday’s frog leg eating contest in Madison, Wisconsin from AICE news:

1. Matt “The Mad City Masticator” Detroit MI 1 LB 10.8 OZ $500, Chemistry Professor at Wayne State University in Detroit
2. Mark Lyle “The Human Vacuum” Columbus OH 1 LB 8.6 OZ $250
3. Aaron “Hot Legs” Mitchell Chicago IL 1 LB 8.4 OZ $100
4. Ian “The Invader” Hickman Sterling VA 1 LB 7.2 OZ

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FDLReporter.com has an article about the amateur bratwurst eating contest held at the Brat Days Festival in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Mike “The Hammer” Fitzgerald of Menasha, WI won the contest with a respectable 19 bratwursts in 10 minutes.

update Sheboygan Press has a slideshow and video of the contest.

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Madison.com has a preview of the frog legs contest to be held before the Madison Mallards minor league baseball game Monday. The game will be against the Green Bay Bullfrogs. Three out of state eaters are expected:

* Ian “The Invader” Hickman of Virginia, who has eaten 4.78 pounds of fried zucchini in eight minutes.
* “Gentleman Joe” Menchetti of Connecticut, whose world records include pumpkin pie (5.89 pounds in five minutes) and Cajun-fried cicadas (89 in one minute).
* Mark “The Human Vacuum” Lyle of Ohio, who has eaten 8.3 pounds of chili in five minutes, also a world record.

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The Sheboygan Press has an article about the amateur bratwurst contest to be held at the Brat Days festival this weekend which includes the following quotes on the cancellation of the IFOCE contest:

Officials at Johnsonville Sausage, which sponsors the brat-eating contest and the festival itself, declined to comment Tuesday.

Johnsonville dropped the event as part of a public relations “strategy shift,” Johnsonville Marketing Manager Cory Bouck said early in July. The contest “wasn’t the exact message we want to get out,” he said.

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From today’s Sheboygan Press:

Richard Shea, president of the International Federation of Competitive Eating, said he was surprised when Johnsonville told the group — about six months ago — that the event would not continue. It has been part of the Sheboygan Jaycees-sponsored event each of the last two years.

“We were surprised and we were saddened,” Shea said. “We would have loved to have been there.”

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The bratwurst eating contest on the schedule for the Sheboygan Brat Days festival is a non-IFOCE contest limited to Wisconsin residents.

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Sheboygan-Press.com has an article about the 2007 Brat Days Festival with a picture of a fan wearing Eater X makeup. The schedule has not been finalized, but two events from 2006 that will be continued are listed:

A couple of guarantees, however, are the brat-eating contest and the traditional parade, sponsored by Piggly Wiggly and Fresh Brands.

The main musical guests will be Soul Asylum, Dokken and Trick Pony.

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A column in the University of Wisconsin student newspaper has a list of possible new jobs for fired San Diego Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer (this column was mentioned by Rhonda Evans in a previous comment) One potential new employer for Marty is listed:

Thomas certainly is no slouch when it comes to scarfing down Nathan’s hot dogs, Moon Pies or creamed spinach casserole.

But, she can’t beat Kobayashi, the Roger Federer of digestion. Ol’ Tabasco Schott knows a little bit about eating, as legend has it he once out ate the entire Charger offensive line at a team lunch meeting. He might not get her to the top, but the practice throw-downs should be more fun than watching sumos high dive.

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Michael Poppy, a columnist for the University of Wisconsin newspaper, debates another columnist about what is the greatest sport:

Furthermore, Takeru Kobayashi has become the sport’s superstar. “The Tsunami” has taken competitive eating by storm, setting the competitive eating record for hot dogs and Krystals (hamburgers). He also is the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest champion for the past six consecutive years. And you can’t tell me Kobayashi isn’t an athlete — have you seen the guns on that guy?

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Kobayashi eating 58 bratwursts at the Johnsonville Bratwurst contest made the Sheboygan Press’ list of notable 2006 events. Clarence Mertz’s efforts to suppress that contest made the list of offbeat events.

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Several international papers have picked up a Reuters report from the Sheboygan bratwurst contest focusing on “El Toro” Jimenez.

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Domenico Alesi (who attended as a spectator) has a gallery and Erik “the Red” Denmark has a blog entry about last Saturday’s Johnsonville bratwurst contest.

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IFOCE.com has posted full results of Saturday’s Johnsonville bratwurst contest.

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I will be teleblogging the broadcast of the Sheboygan Bratfest. It looks like the Hall of Fame induction ceremony will run long.

4:08 – the Reggie White induction is still going on, the whole broadcast will be shown on ESPN2 at 7

5:12 – the telecast has been completely pre-empted. I will try to watch the rerun on ESPN2 at 7.

7:03 – The broadcast opens with a history of the bratwurst festival. The weather report reads “You never sausage a nice day”

7:05 – Footage of Kobayashi working out is shown. Rich Shea predicts 2 eaters will break 50 brats. Sonya is interviewed and said her not being a favorite means less pressure for her.

7:09 – The announced attendance is 5,000. The ways to qualify are listed, which do not say the top 5 ranked get an automatic invitation. Footage of Tim Janus and Crazy Legs Conti at the qualifier is shown.

7:13 – The world’s largest grill is shown and the preparation method is explained.

7:19 – More bratfest history. A sausage making machine is shown. The first festival was held in 1953.

7:21 – Bratwurst techniques are explained. Chip Simpson is dispayed even though he did not qualify to my recollection.

7:24 – Profile of Joey Chestnut. He drinks a lot of water and has a “capacity run” at least once a week.

7:30 – The top 5 money winners are listed. Kobayashi’s earnings are listed at $100,000 even though I think he has not done any Japanese contest.

7:31 – El Toro, Conti, Bertoletti and Janus are briefly interviewed.

7:34 – Introductions, Thomas Denure (Georgetown, WI) , P J Kim (Princeton undergrad), Damon Serignet, Tim Brown (Chicago), Jim Hamrick, Frank Wach, El Toro Jiminez, Erik Denmark, Crazy Legs Conti (wearing a cheese necklace), Rich “the Locust” LeFevre, Tim Janus (carrying handlebars, claimed that Jennifer Annison gave him a gift basket because Vince Vaughn is an eating fan), Bob Shoudt, Pat Bertoletti (“You Talking to Meat” sign), Joey Chestnut, Takeru Kobayashi, Sonya Thomas (wearing the same orange shorts from Nathan’s).

7:45 – the contest starts – no running total (or even a clock) is displayed 🙁

7:47 – the running total is shown – Sonya is 5th , Kobayashi has a 1 – 2 lead over Joey

7:48 – quarter in Koby, Joey, Pat, Bob & Sonya is top 5

7:49 – 6 minutes left, Kobayashi’s lead is now 5/6 brats

7:50 – more helmetcam from P. J. Kim

7:51 – Kobayashi is at 36 at the halfway point

7:52 – Koby 41, Joey 34 with 4 minutes left

7:53 – Rich Shea claims Sonya has a mental block

7:54 – P.J. Kim is interviewed down 42 to 7

7:54 – 25% left Koby 47, Joey 38 Janus has passed Sonya for 5th

7:55 – Sonya is back in 5th, Koby’s lead reaches double digits

7:56 – Final results Koby 58, Joey 45 (who must “learn to love himself” to win Krystal), Pat 38

7:59 – a big check is passed to Kobayashi – he says he could eat more

8:00 – Joey is interviewed – he says he didn’t prepare for this contest like Nathan’s and says he will win Krystal.

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updated 5:15 pm with more results

From the Duluth Superior
1. Takeru Kobayashi, 58 bratwurst in 10 minutes
2. Joey Chestnut 45 bratwurst
3. Pat Bertoletti 39 bratwurst
4. Bob Shoudt 38.5 bratwurst
5. Tim Janus 37 bratwurst
6. Sonya Thomas 34 bratwurst

Kobayashi broke Sonya’s old record about halfway through the contest and had a 9 brat lead with 1:40 left, so he did not need a last minute comeback as he did in his last two contests against Joey Chestnut.

Updated 8/7 1:14 am – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article

Updated 8/7 10:49 am – Sheboygan Press contest writeup
Sheboygan Press festival writeup
Sheboygan Press photo gallery – has some good fan signs

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Sheboygan Times opening day report & festival schedule
Sheboygan Times pro contest editorial
Erik “the Red” Denmark radio interview podcast

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The Sheboygan Times has a preview of Saturday’s Johnsonville Bratwurst Eating contest and Brat Days. The Violent Femmes will play a concert on Saturday night.

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The Johnsonville Bratwurst contest from Sheboygan, WI will be televised on ESPN starting at 4 pm eastern (I think the contest itself will be tape delayed) The program will last an hour and it will be interesting to see what fills the remaining 50 minutes. The contest will be rerun twice on ESPN2.

From Yahoo TV

2006 Brat Eating World Championship
ESPN Aug 05 04:00pm
Special/Sports, 60 Mins.

* 2006 Brat Eating World Championship – Final, ESPN2 Aug 05 07:00pm
* 2006 Brat Eating World Championship – Final, ESPN2 Aug 06 02:00am

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The Sheboygan Times has an editorial on the Johnsonville bratwurst contest which is generally positive.

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The Sheboygan Press reports that ESPN will broadcast the finals of the Johnsonville Bratwurst contest on August 5 at 4 pm Eastern. Kobayashi will compete in the contest. Press Release

Updated 1:34 PM – registration for the 20 person lottery for the last five entrants to that contest is now open.

7/13 1:31 AM – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article

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