Results from an anonymous comment & CE News
1. Rich LeFevre 31 or 32 (10 minute contest instead of 12)
2. Ron Koch 21
3. Andrew McKirdy 14
? El Toro

update Hall Hunt made quite accurate predictions for the qualifier

update #2 The Las Vegas Review has a captioned picture of Ron Koch and El Toro (from the Hangman)

update #3 BeautifulBrian.com has a contest report with some pictures

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The web site for the Hot Dog Safari announces that a hot dog eating contest between Crazy Legs Conti and two couples will take place at that event on June 1 at Suffolk Downs in suburban Boston. The entry form states that the couple must be married or engaged and that the accepted pairs will be notified by May 15. The winner will receive $1000 in gift certificates, the loser will receive $500 in gift certificates.

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Andrew “Skinnyboy” Lane announces in his blog that he will attempt the Big Texan’s 72 ounce steak at approximately 4:30 pm eastern, which can be viewed on the restaurant’s webcam.

update Skinnyboy reports that he had about 7 ounces of steak remaining along with the potato when an hour elapsed.

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A press release announces that the five recently added Nathan’s qualifiers will take place at Sam’s Clubs to promote the addition of Nathan’s hot dogs to the menu of Sam’s Clubs’ in store restaurants.

May 17 Chicago
May 24 Pittsburgh
May 31 Overland Park, KS (Kansas City)
June 4 New Orleans
June 21 Dallas

In additional upcoming contest news, the IFOCE strawberry shortcake eating contest returns to Mattituck, NY on June 15. Registration opens tomorrow at noon eastern (from the Sicilian)

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BeautifulBrian.com has a preview of today’s Nathan’s qualifier focusing on Ron Koch’s comeback to face his rival Rich LeFevre.

The Las Vegas Review Journal also has a short preview which says that LeFevre and Koch will compete. It says nothing about Joey Chestnut.

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The meals Gal Sone endorsed for the Lawson convenience store chain debuted yesterday. Gal Sone has a blog entry about the release containing pictures of a store containing her advertisement. Gigazine has reviews of the meals. Lawson stores will sell the meals until May 19.

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The New Scientist has an article about a study conducted by a research team led by Alain Dagher at McGill University in Montreal about the effects of the hormone ghrelin:

Made in the stomach, ghrelin levels rise when people are hungry and wane after a meal. People who get injections of the hormone gorge themselves, while those suffering from a rare disease that keeps ghrelin levels unusually high tend to be obese overeaters.

“I think it’s the most powerful appetite stimulant that has ever been found,” Dagher says.

The article says that drugs that block ghrelin are in the under development at pharmaceutical companies.

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Hall Hunt has published his latest poll. The top 6 remain unchanged, the remainder of the top 10 follows:

7. Hall “Hoover” Hunt (182) [8]
8. Rich “The Locust” LeFevre (181) [7]
9. Erik “The Red” Denmark (160) [12]
10. Chip “The Phenom” Simpson (153) [9]

Badlands Booker and Joe LaRue are the newcomers to the rankings, replacing Justin Mih and Nate Biller. Arturo Rios (now #15) and Brian Seiken (now #21) both jump four slots.

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• Beautiful Brian’s thoughts on Badlands Booker’s possible comeback. (He thinks that Tim Janus will compete in the Shea Stadium qualifier)
• Musician Dan Bern trains for and wins a hard boiled egg eating contest (he thinks that the female who ate 65 eggs is 8 years old) (via Ugly Dude Food)
• Megamunch has a blog entry about his participation in City Chase, which had a dog food eating segment
• Wing Tut to do Cleveland brownie eating contest and 5K Race for the Cure in Pittsburgh on Sunday. He is seeking donations for the Race for the Cure.
• Article about eating contests at Fitchburg State College
• 8.5 month pregnant woman competes in taco eating contest
• Videos of Scozzy Bone at the Acme Oyster Eating contest: video 1, video 2
• Dallas Nathan’s qualifier to be held at Plano Sam’s Club
• Skinnyboy competes in Denver CE meetup group burger contest
• CE: sport / not a sport debate in New Mexico State student paper

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Reflector.com has a page dedicated to Kristin Day’s recent attempt at Andy’s Big “A” 50 ounce burger challenge. The page has 5 videos, a slideshow along with an article by Kristin, probably making Kristin’s meal the best documented burger challenge by a female since Kate Stelnick completed the 96er in January 2005.

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The blog for Discover magazine has an entry about an artificial mouth which is the subject of an article in an upcoming issue of the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

The chewing simulator—which was maintained at 98.6 °F, sported artificial teeth, and included artificial saliva and helium flow “to reproduce the breathing phenomena”—went up against actual human mouths in a Golden Delicious apple-eating contest. These human mouths chewed apple pieces “as naturally as possible” before spitting out the chewed up mass when they would have otherwise swallowed. The resulting mush was tested for texture, color, and volatile compound release, parameters which the group will soon use to optimize the device for aroma release.

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The new poll asks what you believe the sum of the prizes for the upcoming Nathan’s finals will be. Last year’s purse was $20,000.

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Pat Bertoletti has uploaded a blog entry to his group blog with Joey Chestnut at yardbarker.com in which he describes the end of the asparagus contest in Stockton from his perspective:

A point came with 1 minute remaining where the margin was 1 spear. It became obvious that I could take this contest in front of Joey’s home crowd. I saw victory and let it slip through my grasp. My brain knew the necessary means to achieve this yet a disconnect between brain and body function existed. It was a point of mental and physical failure as neither would respond in the dwindling seconds. Asparagus was forced in yet my body fought every attempt to let it pass down my esophagus. It’s provides evidence that Joey is a true champion; a champion knows how to coerce every ounce of drive and performance out of their body, doesn’t make excuses, and gets the job done.

Pat says his next contest will take place at the Minneapolis Nathan’s qualifier this Saturday. Unlike previous Minnesota qualifers which were held at the Mall of America, the upcoming contest will take place at Cub Foods Grocery Store in Apple Valley.

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A bodybuilding.com forum thread is devoted to Furious Pete’s in studio appearance this morning at 102.1 FM “The Edge”. Pete reports he ate 125 chicken wings during his appearance and that the radio station will sponsor him. The DJ described Pete as “Val Kilmer on steroids”.

update A podcast of the appearance is available.

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• NY Magazine’s blog has an entry about the MLE video game reporting that eaters were paid for use of their electronic likenesses
• 1000 pound onion burger created in Oklahoma
• May 31 Jamaican boxing card to have eating contest
• “The View” discuss the G4 Network’s “Hurl”
• Variety columnist thinks “Hurl” will be televised on the Game Show Network
• Washington Redskin Randy Thomas ate 8 pounds of food in an hour at a barbecue in Maryland
• Jill Stoler ends her blogging hiatus and hopes to end her competitive eating hiatus at the Carnegie Deli pickle contest

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Mike Golic is not the only former Notre Dame defensive lineman to lose an eating contest this week. WNDU.com reports that Chris Zorich, a former member of the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins, lost an eating contest at CJ’s Pub in South Bend, Indiana on Saturday. Zorich ate 4 burgers, placing him in the middle of the pack. Jim Seitz and Brynne Kolbe tied for first with 6 burgers and Seitz won the overtime eat-off. Video of the contest is available on WNDU.com.

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Neil Best’s sports media blog reports that there was an increase in the number of internet searches for the “Mike & Mike” radio show on ESPN radio on May 1, the day of the wing eating contest between Mike Golic and three IFOCE members.

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The Portland Mercury blog has a report about last night’s doughnut eating contest for mayoral candidates at Voodoo Doughnuts. Craig Gier was the first to finish his two doughnuts. Sho Dozono was hurt by not having any doughnuts at the start of the contest. 7 of the 13 mayoral candidates participated.

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Joey Chestnut has written an entry for his yardbarker blog about last Saturday’s contest at the Asparagus Festival in Stockton, CA. Joey is disappointed with his training and focus compared to 2007. He closes the entry with his thoughts on the official results:

In the end of this contest, I was given credit for eating 8.9 lbs of fried asparagus (I think I only ate about 8.3 lbs., and Pat was close behind). People that are new to Competitive Eating will learn that sometimes the numbers do not exactly add up, but it is rare for the actual placing to get screwed up. Pat did great and he would have edged me out, if there weren’t so many people pushing me to win in this contest. I don’t know if the video shows it, but I could feel myself respond to the cheers from the audience.

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The Los Angeles Times has an article about the impact of competitive eating on eaters’ health. Crazy Legs Conti is quoted and says that he and Tim Janus have hired a yoga instructor to help their eating. George Shea says that most eaters do not train for contests.

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Results from the wing eating contest on the “Mike & Mike” show on ESPN radio:

1. Tim “Eater X” Janus 31 wings in 3 minutes
2. Crazy Legs Conti 23
3. Pete Davekos 22
4. Mike Golic 15

Video and audio podcasts of the contest are available. A live blog is also available on mike-greenberg.com.

The Hartford Courant has an article about the contest

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• Lake Tahoe jalapeno eating contest May 3, $150 first prize
• San Diego Tribune front page story about the Collegiate Nationals draws criticism
• Minnesota Twins have AYCE tickets for May 19/20
• “Furious” Pete reports eating 50 wings in 3 minutes
• “Doughman” triathlon / eating contest in Durham, NC May 24
• Crocodile Egg eating contest in Thailand

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SanSpo.com reports that Natsuko “Gal” Sone’s autobiography will appear in bookstores on May 27. The book will contain Gal Sone’s secret to avoiding weight gain

Tomoko Miyake appears on the cover of this month’s Maruhan Press magazine. Tomoko did an event today to promote the Magazine’s release

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Here are top 10 states for IFOCE contests since the start of 2003 according to the eatfeats database. The list includes scheduled contests.

80 NY
*51 NV
23 CA
23 PA
22 TN
21 GA
19 FL
19 NJ
19 TX
11 AZ

*(Nevada has 21 contests if the US Open is counted as a single contest and not 31 individual matchups)

A listing of the remaining states follows after the jump:
Read the rest of this entry »

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The Houston Chronicle has an article about David “SykoBOZO” Cagle’s preparation for the May 17 gyro eating contest. Pat Bertoletti, Tim Janus, Bob Shoudt and Erik Denmark are listed as other expected entrants. The contest is negotiating with Joey Chestnut to have him compete.

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