The new poll asks who you think is the favorite to win 2011 MLE rookie of the year.

March 22, 2011 at 2:42 pm by ojrifkin · More posts about:Rankings | Permalink * Comments (28)

28 Comments »

  1. Anonymous said

    March 22, 2011 @ 4:02 pm

    Let’s be honest. This is the worst rookie class in a decade. No one has distinguished himself against the other rookies, let alone against the other eaters. It’s very likely none of these guys will even qualify for Nathan’s, where the award is presented, which would mean no Rookie of the Year in 2011.

  2. Cutter said (Registered November 9, 2010)

    March 22, 2011 @ 4:04 pm

    I had no idea these people were rookies. I started following competitive eating sometime around 9 mos ago and it seems to me that all of them were either already ranked or done major contests at that time. did we broaden the definition of rookie or did i miss out on a wild 3 mos of guys and gals coming out?

  3. Cutter said (Registered November 9, 2010)

    March 22, 2011 @ 4:11 pm

    The comment from anonymous sheds some light for me. It kinda doesn’t matter how long one had been doing MLE contests, it is just popping a nathans qualifier for the first time.

  4. Wrecking Ball said (Registered May 6, 2010)

    March 22, 2011 @ 4:15 pm

    At annonymous 402- Are you kidding me? ok I admit i am a little biased here but you cant be serious; Dudzinski, Morgan and Ostoff without a question have a chance to make Nathans this year. All three of those guys are amazing eaters and devloped way pass the rookie stage. Nick Bauer, Klucken, Larell Marie, Solomon and Taylor are excellent eaters as well (not to mention everyone on the list is just nice people) and will be competing for Nathans spots in the upcoming years.

    I have never seen Kobi Bauer eat and I know that this Brockert kid sucks but to say this is a horriable rookie class is not only dumb it makes no sense at all! Granted I have not been following CE as long as most of the people who post here but I am surprised a lot of these eaters are “new” to the sport. Stupidly i assume all the newbies start out as terriably as me but this is not the case at all! Anyone who disagrees with me is entitled to their own opinion but I am ready to argue the case for basically anyone on that list.

  5. Cutter said (Registered November 9, 2010)

    March 22, 2011 @ 4:39 pm

    My 2 cents, if it is just winning a nathans qualifier in 2011, i doubt any eater named on that list is going to win a qualifier. That is NOT to say that these are not good competitors. But there are 16 spots or so at nathans with 15 qualifiers (excluding military base). Like every other year, the top eaters that do not finish first will fill up other qualifiers by trying again. Therefore i think all 15 spots are accounted for with little possibility of one of these particular eaters winning a qualifer. It could happen but in my opinion is unlikely. There might be a larger possibility that a single eater falling in the “other” category will win a qualifier than any of these decent eaters. I hope i am wrong and one of these guys or Larell wins a spot. If there were 20 spots available i would change my opinion.

  6. Relative said

    March 22, 2011 @ 4:41 pm

    Sure, there’s been quite a drop off in talent compared to rookie years of Sonya and Joey, but that doesn’t mean this year’s crop is a bad one.

  7. Rookie = First Year??? said

    March 22, 2011 @ 4:46 pm

    Maybe I’m wrong, but Rookie used to mean 1st years. Dud Light and a lot of these others have been eating for years. Dud Light for example has been in a ton of contests that we could all name. How is he a rookie? What do we just let the technicalities slide so there is a poll or a topic to discuss? This is bs.

  8. valry said (Registered November 21, 2007)

    March 22, 2011 @ 4:48 pm

    Are you kidding me? I haven’t even competed yet! I will certainly be rookie of the year! 🙂

  9. nunonabun2 said (Registered November 10, 2009)

    March 22, 2011 @ 4:56 pm

    Morgan should have been in last year if the video is to be believed.

  10. Wrecking Ball said (Registered May 6, 2010)

    March 22, 2011 @ 5:20 pm

    15 spots and Morgan is ranked #14, Chestnut dosent need to qualify so that leaves 13 eaters ranked higher than he has a chance of being the highest rank competitor at a qualifer and be in. Btw not everyone in the top 15 will necessarily attempt to qualify and obviously just because he has a better ranking dosent mean Morgan in necessarily going to win but don’t say he dosent have a chance!

    Valry i pick up my new shirt this week for cupcakes (you know what I a talking about) but i will vote for for if your name was there!

  11. What's up? said

    March 22, 2011 @ 6:06 pm

    If Adrian competed all last year and did at least 2 Nathan’s qualifiers, why would he still be considered a rookie?

  12. Anonymous said

    March 22, 2011 @ 6:12 pm

    When I think of Rookie of the Year, how about this 6 month performance:

    July 4, 2003, 25 Hot Dogs and Buns in 12 minutes. (5th in the Nathan’s Finals)
    August 9, 2003, 7 Hardees Thickburgers, 10 minutes (1st)
    August 30, 2003, 134 Buffalo wings in 12 minutes. (1st in Qualifier)
    September 13, 2003, 65 Hard-boiled Eggs in 6 minutes, 40 seconds. (Record)
    September 16, 2003, 43.5 Tacos in 11 minutes. (1st)
    October 3, 2003, Corinth MS, 23 Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches in 10 minutes. (1st, Boone Puked)
    November 26, 2003, 7 & 3/4 pounds of Turducken 12 minutes. (1st)
    December 30, 2003, 4 Pounds, 14 & 1/4 Ounces of Fruitcake in 10 minutes. (1st)

    That’s not to mention what she did in 2004. Now that’s a ROY!

  13. ojrifkin said (Registered July 27, 2005)

    March 22, 2011 @ 7:19 pm

    “Rookie status” appears to last at least 15 months.

    Here is a list of the rookies of the year starting in 2004 and the date of their first contests in the eatfeats database

    2004 – Sonya Thomas – June 2003 http://eatfeats.com/query.php?_table=eaters&id=2
    2005 – Tim Janus – March 2004 http://eatfeats.com/query.php?_table=eaters&id=7
    2006 – Joey Chestnut April 2005 http://eatfeats.com/query.php?_table=eaters&id=3
    2007 – Arturo Rios, Jr. June 2006 http://eatfeats.com/query.php?_table=eaters&id=483
    2008 – Juliet Lee – August 2006 http://eatfeats.com/query.php?_table=eaters&id=577
    2009 – not awarded
    2010 – Ben Monson September 2009 http://eatfeats.com/query.php?_table=eaters&id=5377

  14. Anonymous said

    March 23, 2011 @ 7:22 am

    Sonya’s rookie record is unbelievable!

  15. Rookies?! said

    March 23, 2011 @ 11:39 am

    Rookie- n. Slang . An untrained or inexperienced recruit, as in the army or police. An inexperienced person; a novice. A first year participant in a major or professional sport. Yes- that’s how it’s defined in every dictionary and language across the world. Why should it be different here? If you can’t list REAL first years then why bother to list them at all? Dud Light and a number of the others have been around for years, not 15 months. Just because they are just starting to hold their own DOES NOT mean that they qualify as a rookie. I say post a legit list of first year rookies or skip the poll completely.

  16. Interesting... said

    March 23, 2011 @ 11:50 am

    Sonya’s year indeed phenomenal. Joey’s impressive. 2009 belongs to Squibb in my opinion. Has Kobi ever been listed a rookie? Pat Bertoletti? I dint consider this list rookies either. Ive got to agree here. Im going with other or nill.

  17. Rook said

    March 23, 2011 @ 12:30 pm

    Actually rookie’s in baseball have a pretty complex definition that can go beyond a year of play. In ce it’s really a ceremonial title of someone that’s a potential rising star. In fact, if my memory serves me, I think Juliet once won it two years in a row. One year they forgoed the whole thing and gave a trophy to some guy who drove all around the country and spent more gas than anyone trying to get in contests. In MLE the ROY seems to be a new kid who George and Richard want to bring some deserved acknowledgement to. As for Sonya, comparing her to others is a bit unfair. As George and Richard often put when it comes to her eating, she’s a natural. She seems to have been born to the sport, or entertainment venue, or whatever you want to call it. I doubt they’ll ever be anyone again like her. And, what’s really amazing she’s still going.

  18. Larell Marie Mele said

    March 23, 2011 @ 12:39 pm

    Wrecking Ball & Stallion – wow, thx for including me in your comments! One day I hope to qualify. Hmmmmm, perhaps if the 1st 5 or 6 spots all spontaneously reverse? Lollllll Heck, as long as I’m having fun 🙂

  19. Anonymous said

    March 23, 2011 @ 12:54 pm

    I believe Bertoletti’s rookie year would be counted as 2005. If so he lost out to Tim. http://tinyurl.com/4lsortn

  20. Sporty said

    March 23, 2011 @ 4:20 pm

    I don’t see any standout and vote no selection this year

  21. Anonymous said

    March 23, 2011 @ 4:38 pm

    Weakest rookie eating class in MLE history……none of these eaters are a real possible threat to the top ten anytime soon…………..no award needed for this year

  22. nunonabun2 said (Registered November 10, 2009)

    March 23, 2011 @ 5:30 pm

    Not possible top ten…Adrian has beaten two of the top ten in heads up contest, one of them being a ROY, and knocked back 20+ hot dogs three times.

  23. Anonymous said

    March 23, 2011 @ 5:36 pm

    If I am not mistaken, I think almost everyone in the “rookie class” has competed in Nathan’s qualifiers. We know that Dud Light and Adrian have both done 20+ at qualifiers. Aaron Ostoff is the only unknown with Nathan’s. I guess we’ll see how he does this year. He does hold 2 head to head wins against Adrian and a 3rd place at this years PB&B ahead of Badlands and Juliet Lee. I guess we’ll see.

  24. Anonymous said

    March 23, 2011 @ 7:05 pm

    Dud Light’s first eating contest ever was 13 months ago…he hasn’t been around for years

  25. Get with it said

    March 23, 2011 @ 11:16 pm

    Lets see, so if you played baseball before your a pro baseball player. if you bowled your a pro bowler. Thats what it sounds like. Thats some funny ass stuff.Dud last year joined wing bowl wich was only open to amatuers. Then joined 2 Nathan qualifiers. He did a few challenges and 1 independent contest where he did well. He joins IFOCE this year and he’s not considered a rookie. Come on. Sounds like alot of rookies who are hating writing this junk because there not on the same level as these guys.

  26. thank you said

    March 24, 2011 @ 4:56 am

    Wait were talking about mle any eater on this planet who is breathing is eligible jarvis, manchetti, koby, chapman, siken, the 4 year old kid who lives down the street from me, but they will most likely give it to conti remember just like the rankings roy is bullshit.

  27. Oh please! said

    March 24, 2011 @ 11:32 am

    This list is offensive. Roy is a rockstar compared to these people who are NOT rookies. This is not baseball- it’s competitive eating. People doing outrageous stunts trying to break records and be the most recognized in the world. I can’t vote for this list. It’s Ridiculous! Most of these people have. I’d vote the unnamed woman who ate the burrito over any of these “rookies”. Maybe you fix it to IFOCE up and comer? Trust me- Get with it, no one’s hating on your boyfriend. Haha.

  28. Anon said

    April 20, 2011 @ 10:21 am

    Most of those rookies listed are completely new to the sport & deserve some recognition! Saying they’ve been doing it for years is just ridiculous..the only reason you think they’ve been doing it for years is because it’s hard to believe some of them can be THAT good without lots of practice. Sure they’re not top 10 eaters yet, but the contest is for “rookie” of the year, not best eater of the year. Some of you need to just stop being bitter & be happy for someone else for once.

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