Erik the Red on villains of competitive eating
Erik “the Red” Denmark has an interesting post about the villains of sports and analyzes which eaters qualify as villains:
The first name that comes to mind is obviously Dale Boone. Dale fit’s most of the criteria – controversial, unpredictable, arrogant, boastful, antagonistic and he has been suspended multiple times for misbehavior as well. The one thing lacking in Boone’s resume as a villain is legitimacy as a top eater. He may have been in the top ten in talent at one time but now his shouts of self confidence and guarantees of victory seem more like mere antics than real threats.
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beautifulbrian said
May 23, 2007 @ 9:42 am
It’s a good article but what he fails to mention is the fact that most eaters that assume the villain role are attempting to make up for their inadequacies at the table. There is no need for top echelon eaters to bother with stuff like that. Dont get me wrong there is nothing wrong with trying to attach the stigma of a villian to your resume regardless of your stature as a CE. Most recently i myself had to go that route in order to win back some of my fans. The price that one must pay when dealing with the devil
donmoseslerman said
May 23, 2007 @ 10:22 am
sad to say that a lot of new eaters thou they can eat and put up great numbers are a bunch of milk toasts in front of the camera and lack the charizima to exite an audiance
Rhonda Evans said
May 23, 2007 @ 10:50 am
Ironically, Dale Boone is probably a better eater today than he ever has been. At least it seems that way to me. But new talent has arrived and folks have improved, causing Dale to appear to be declining talent-wise. He is not. Had Dale been at Broadway at the Beach, he would not have won, but he would have done quite well.
carey poehlmann said
May 23, 2007 @ 11:23 am
Great article. Doesn’t make me cringe to read anything Erik writes, like how I got a headache reading Lerman’s dribble above me. Anyways…..
I think the american sports athlete today is more interested in the money than the game. With that being said, the best athletes are going to get cocky. They want money and respect above all. That is what turns them into a villain. You won’t find that type of villain in CE. The money isn’t there. What you are more likely to find, is the WWE type villain. A character who plays the part to get attention. That is probably what you were doing, right Bri?
This isn’t the first time I thought about the similarities between CE and WWE. In fact, I think about it every time I see one of Rich’s speeches before a contest. Reminds me of Vince Mcmahon on Monday Night Raw.
Jake from SF said
May 23, 2007 @ 12:06 pm
Not everyone can embody the pure unbridled enthusiasm and exhilaration of CE while coming in 10th place like you DON…haha… though I must admit that is what makes you a unique character in the world of CE…. Erik… i already gave my kudos about your article on your blog… but just wanted to repeat my sentiment here as well… well done… though BONDS will always be a hero here in SF!!!
beautifulbrian said
May 23, 2007 @ 12:20 pm
Correct. It’s all about getting attention but before i put any of my stuff on camera i have to draw a fine line between what the public might find funny and what is considered tasteless vulgarity. If the viewers inform me that they are really grossed out then i have to stop and modify or i can really get in trouble. If you listen to Howard Stern throughout the years he realizes what age bracket tunes in and in essence he has no choice to adapt his style so he could cater to that level, knowing that some of his fans are morons. WWE is really the only way to go in CE if you decide to go the villain route. When the organization first got rolling in 2001 Shea’s sort of shunned any idea of WWE . I think they realized the clean cut image wasnt working and adding trash talk would heighten publicity .
Locust said
May 23, 2007 @ 1:35 pm
Terrific article, Erik! Willie Mays, like Barry, had his personal faults (though not nearly as many), but I was fortunate enough to witness his entire career having attended over 400 games in S.F., New York and several other NL stadiums across the country. I would not have given Barry any edge prior to his steroid use as he never did (and still doesn’t) have great baseball instincts like Willie did. Willie understood baseball the way Steve Nash understands basketball and Tiger understands golf. Barry, like Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmiero, Sammy and others, used artificial means to obtain their level of power. Jake, if that makes him a hero in your eyes I can understand, but he will never be considered the great all-around player that Willie was.
Jake from SF said
May 23, 2007 @ 2:44 pm
Locust, being from SF I have to back up Barry, but I equally love Willie Mays. He will always be the face of the Giants Franchise. Barry is also a beloved figure of the Giants as well as Willie. People forget, but barry was an all around great baseball player in his younger days with numerous gold gloves. He is the only baseball player ever to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. Though Willie may have been a better all around player, Bonds was not just a one dimensional player in his prime. That being said, supplements can not help you hit a baseball any more accurate. With many of today’s competitive eaters being rumored to use their own supplements to help their performance, no one here should be judging Barry. Rich, I know you are not one of those eaters, but we have to look at Barry in a different way than we looked at Mays in the past… just like we have to look at CE’s like Joey and Pat differently than we looked at the greats like Cookie Jarvis and Oleg during their era…
Rhonda Evans said
May 23, 2007 @ 3:25 pm
That was an interesting article Erik. I think Crazy Legs is most natural as a bonafide hero, but he has enough talent to be able to pull it off as a villain if need be. But I’d hate to see him go that route.
Tim Janus is certainly a hero. He’s my Captain Fantastic! (Unfortunately, he’s also young enough to be my er … younger brother … by a “couple” of years.) (Tim, please don’t do that damned Helen Haggerty thing again … please.)
Rich LeFevre: HERO … all caps! He’s mature, yet routinely outeats most other competitors. And he’s just a little guy.
Sonya is the biggest hero in the eyes of most viewers. Why? Look at her size! Look at the woman eat! Look what gender she is! Being the ravenous little female that she is qualifies her as a hero on those three fronts! Maybe her fellow eaters forget that she’s not one of the boys, but her fans remember. She’s always the runt at the table. She runs not from Koby, Joey, or anybody. The woman has guts, spunk, and is surely one of the most competitive spirits in the business, ever. And she continue to MORE THAN hold her own against most all of the best eaters in the world.
Joey is the greatest eater America has ever seen — a hero who could one day win back the Mustard Yellow Belt (but certainly not against Kobayashi) (If you think otherwise, God Bless you for loving your country, but let me stop laughing, so that I can compose myself.). That alone makes him a hero.
Pat Bertoletti is still young. He could be either hero OR villain and commands attention for his talent and nice smile/demeanor.
Humble Bob is (outwardly) a nice, kind, sweet, innocent man. He’ll probably be a wonderful grand dad someday. Hero?
(I could surely go for some Old Grand Dad and Seven right now!)
Erik the Red said (Registered January 9, 2006)
May 23, 2007 @ 3:25 pm
Being a villain is all about getting attention. Brian, I agree there are probably guys out there that try to make up for eating talent with attention getting antics, but I guess in my eyes if you can’t back anything up with results at the table, than no one will ever fear you or take you seriously.
CE and WWE may be similar in some ways because the build up to events is just as important as the event itself, considering that the actual eating contests are a very short form of entertainment such as a “wrestling’ match. But the biggest difference obviously is that CE is not scripted so it means that if you want to be a villain you can’t just have someone write a script for you to be one.
Ron Koch said
May 23, 2007 @ 11:33 pm
Erik,Erik,Erik,In case you didnt know it,in Vegas I had 18 dogs in six minutes in the employee contest because ifoce would not let me compete.Its true,I have no character appeal,but Im a nataral eater..No enhancmements ,no steching with water…With that I still came in fourth two years in a row the barrik burger contest ( 10lbs ) where were you????? The only time you ever beat me was when I was sick in Frisco,but Im good now…I will be going to Coney for the championships and I offer you this challange You and me, one on one hotdogs six or twelve minutes…IF YOU WIN I WILL NEVER TRY TO COMPETE EVER AGAIN (retirement ) ARE YOU UP FOR THIS….OR DO YOU JUST LET YOUR COMPUTER DO YOUR TALKING.GET BETTER BEFORE YOU EVER CRITISE ANY PRO EATER.IT SEEMS YOU LACK RESPECT FOR YOUR FELLOW EATERS IF THEY DONT MEET YOUR STANDARDS..I dont like my name mentioned unbless you have your fats straight..All I want to do is bring respect to the eaters #11 to 50 but you seem to be all about yourself…..
Erik the Red said (Registered January 9, 2006)
May 24, 2007 @ 12:55 am
Ron, please don’t misinterpret my comments. I have a lot of respect for your talent and I feel bad that you have not been able to compete at the table for whatever reason, in fact I fought to get you on my fantasy team. The only comment I made about you is referring to the fact that since you decided to take on a villain character as “the Undertaker” in the last 6 months, you have not had a chance to back up your statements agains the pros. Your performance in the employee contest was great but come on, you are not an amateur.
Do you think I want you to retire? I don’t and I hope you have a chance to make it to Coney somehow.
Ernest said
May 24, 2007 @ 2:18 am
Koch is sounding more and more like Lerman every day. They are close to the same age arent they?
Ron Koch said
May 24, 2007 @ 2:19 am
THANK YOU ERIK, HOPE TO SEE YOU IN CONEY COMPETING OR NOT,YOUR A GOOD GUY..THE REASON I TOOK THE UNDERTAKER ROLE WAS I WAS NOT GETTING ANY FEEDBACK FROM IFOCE AND SO THINKING TAKING ON A CHARACHTER WOULD HELP…IT DIDNT, SO I ENTERED THE EMPLOYEE CONTES TO PUT UP NUMBERS..I GUESS IFOCE IS TOO WORRIED ABOUT MY MEDICAL CONDITION…..RON
Anonymous said
May 24, 2007 @ 3:20 am
Joey leaves everyone fighting in his wake/
Luther
Anonymous said
May 24, 2007 @ 4:49 am
These self proclaimed know it alls seem pretty high on their opinions its a shame they fail miseably to follow through at the table and they are a nickel a dozen. Only Joey is entitled to an expert opinion because hes the only expert. Joey id the centerpiece and everyone else is a pathetic table ender.
Luther
carey poehlmann said
May 24, 2007 @ 5:06 am
Ron, what are the circumstances surrounding the whole “because ifoce would not let me compete” situation? this is an interesting topic lately. Also, I got from Eriks comment about you that you are taking on a persona, that’s all, nothing to get defensive about.
Bubba said (Registered January 8, 2006)
May 24, 2007 @ 6:47 am
This is what I like about Ron He’s always ready to take it to the ring! I wish MLE & IFOCE would get together and do an old school “choose up” then we could weight in crash a Buffet limit everyone to two 20 glasses of water then 1 hr later weight out it would be a good publicity stunt. I would want to be on Ron’s team!
Anonymous said
May 24, 2007 @ 6:52 am
Except for Rich LeFevre, why is it that whenever an eater past or present hits 50 years of age he starts talking all this stuff about what he has don, will do, or might have done. That sort of talk makes them seem even older. Look at Brian Seiken Don Lerman and now Ron Koch. Joey Chestnut can today eat more of any food in 5 minutes than those three combined in 12. Even Ensure.
Luther
Ron Koch said
May 24, 2007 @ 3:17 pm
Hey Luther, He still wont eat icecreme against me.
Ron Koch said
May 24, 2007 @ 3:26 pm
As far as Joey goes he simply is the best..Ive been up close to Joey and see the pain he goes through…If he went up against Kobe in seperate contests Joey would win 65% of contests
Anonymous said
May 24, 2007 @ 4:05 pm
Ron you are a really good eater. Im just giving you a hard time but you have proven yourself I hav to say.
Luther
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