The Wing Bowl website has a video of Stephanie Torres' sausage eating qualification stunt.

January 16, 2012 at 10:45 pm by ojrifkin · More posts about:Philadelphia, Stephanie Torres, Videos, Wing Bowl 20 | Permalink * Comments (47)

47 Comments »

  1. Cutter said (Registered November 9, 2010)

    January 17, 2012 @ 12:44 am

    Nice job. Kick some ass.

  2. Larellmarie said (Registered May 9, 2010)

    January 17, 2012 @ 5:31 am

    Luv ya, girl! xoxo

  3. Hmm said (Registered November 12, 2009)

    January 17, 2012 @ 7:36 am

    Wow, CEaters are awake and interested at all hours. Love your passion Larell and isn’t it terrific that Stephanie is doing Wingbowl and getting support from other eaters without making distinctions about groups/organizations/etc. This age of many possibilities for the sport makes it better and better for those who compete and those who get to follow and watch admiringly.

  4. Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)

    January 17, 2012 @ 8:24 am

    I think it’s great having talented men and women outside of MLE. As much as I admire and root for MLE eaters, it’s never good to have a monopoly in any business.

    My wish for WB, as unrealistic as it might be, is that the best eaters get rewarded for their efforts.

    I’ve deducted that any of these four eaters could take home the top prize: Koby, Jon, Steph, and Wingador.

    Beyond that, stick the names up on a big dart board, give me some darts, blindfold me, and stand aside.

  5. Hmm said (Registered November 12, 2009)

    January 17, 2012 @ 9:53 am

    I am really liking what Rhonda writes, as always, but especially on a slow day at work, yeah! So you think any of those four could win including Steph. I like that, it would be interesting to see her against Kobayashi and the others. Makes Wingbowl far more interesting to me than in the past.

  6. Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)

    January 17, 2012 @ 10:17 am

    Hmm (I feel weird addressing you as such … ), yes I do feel that Steph could win it; it would be tough, but doable.

    She, like Koby, has an immense drive to do her best, and takes much pride in CE. So I expect her to put up very high numbers. And if she gets some favorable judging—-there’s been no female winner in 8 years—-she could pull it off!

    As I said before, I do not think WB is scripted like a play or movie, whereby the placings/winner are/is known beforehand. I do, however, believe that because of the variations in judges’ opinions of what constitiutes a “clean” wing, coupled with mistakes in counting, as well as bias toward or against one or more eaters, any of the four people I mentioned can win.

    I also believe that The U.S. Male should finish in the top five, as he has wings down to a science (though not quite as much as crawfish). 🙂

  7. Larellmarie said (Registered May 9, 2010)

    January 17, 2012 @ 12:13 pm

    Hmm – lol yeah unfortunately I’m up @ 4 each a.m. – ugh. Yes, its awesome; I’m thrilled for her. She’s such a sweetheart :). Rhonda – words of wisdom, as always!

  8. Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)

    January 17, 2012 @ 12:25 pm

    You have such a sweet disposition Larell. I wish it were contagious.

  9. not Hmm said

    January 17, 2012 @ 1:14 pm

    “She, like Koby, has an immense drive to do her best, and takes much pride in CE. So I expect her to put up very high numbers. And if she gets some favorable judging—-there’s been no female winner in 8 years—-she could pull it off!”

    The comment grabbed my attention and I must call parts of it into question. How much pride does Stephanie take in CE? She does zero selfpromotion. The only reason anyone found out about her is because OTHERS wrote about her and published videos of her. She rarely talks CE, has no twitter, no website, no blog, no youtube production, and quite probably no sponsor. If anyone forgot, she got herself kicked out of MLE for playing in a nonleague burger contest on the heels of placing in gyoza. MLE is the top organization for skilled compeaters in the US and instead of letting them raise her to her true greatness, she thumbed them in the eye. How many contests does she even do nowadays. Cool person, great friend, great competitor – yes Can’t doubt any of those. but pride in CE is disputable. She has fun with it but otherwise its all a big joke and were the punchline. I’m not BB or Boone.

  10. Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)

    January 17, 2012 @ 1:54 pm

    Stephanie Torres values in the highest regard her perfomance and ability at the CE table. To me that’s about pride.

    I actually revere her MORE for lack of self promotion on the World Wide Web. She knows herself and doesn’t need others’ pats on the back. That tells me she’s about substance; she walks the walk; that’s more important than talking the talk; she doesn’t need to.

    Thumbing someone in the eye, as you call it, is semantics; it’s opinion; it has nothing to do with taking pride in CE ability.

    The 29 HDBs she ate in her first and only Nathan’s Finals speaks TONS of pride.

  11. not Hmm said

    January 17, 2012 @ 2:19 pm

    “Stephanie Torres values in the highest regard her perfomance and ability at the CE table”

    How do you know that?

    “I actually revere her MORE for lack of self promotion on the World Wide Web. She knows herself and doesn’t need others’ pats on the back. That tells me she’s about substance; she walks the walk; that’s more important than talking the talk; she doesn’t need to.”

    This is opinion.

  12. Anonymous said

    January 17, 2012 @ 4:32 pm

    Is not hmm the same as huh?

  13. Anonymous said

    January 17, 2012 @ 4:47 pm

    not Hmm I like Rhonda too, but not so much that I want to cut and paste everything she says. Geesh!

  14. Hmm said (Registered November 12, 2009)

    January 17, 2012 @ 6:00 pm

    Methinks not Hmm is not admiring Rhonda. Basically not Hmm is questioning Rhonda’s statements. About the last sentence, yes, of course it is her opinion. Isn’t that why we are commenting here? We are not journalists. Comments means commentary. The one thing which is most regrettable to me about Stephanie is that she could put away 29 hotdogs and buns yet showed poor judgment in doing something she surely knew would make her career in MLE a no. That is a real shame because she has the potential to get right up in Juliet’s face, as it were, and no one knows how high she might have gone had she been loyal to MLE. She is young, perhaps what she did was simply immature and perhaps not Hmm is correct in that she does not have total dedication to CE. But, if you think about it seriously, she no doubt has many reasons for not participating in lots of contests and challenges. If she were in MLE, that would be a different story.

  15. anonymous said

    January 17, 2012 @ 6:06 pm

    Stephanie will soon realize that she made a huge mistake destroying her career with MLE. But then again she isn’t even old enough to vote so how can she be responsible for her own actions?

  16. Anonymous said

    January 17, 2012 @ 6:31 pm

    Taking pride in comp. eating and taking pride in the i.f.o.c.e. are not the same thing. S.T. definitely takes no pride in belonging to that org., but she takes pride in and values her ability to be one of the best comp. eaters today. I agree with Rhonda. I also respect Rhonda quite a bit because she admits when she is wrong about something, which not too many people on eatfeats do and Rhonda is correct most of the time. Many people are jealous of her and that is why they cant stand her.

  17. Anonymous said

    January 17, 2012 @ 6:58 pm

    Stephanie Torres is one of the best eaters on the planet and she could easily become the top female in the world before the year is out.

  18. Anonymous said

    January 17, 2012 @ 8:10 pm

    If she isn’t in MLE, she cannot be the top female in the world. Just the way it is. She has no one to compete against as an independent or in any other place. WLOCE? No. That’s it. She may be terrific but without MLE, she will not have a rank to take seriously.

  19. Evan Porter said

    January 17, 2012 @ 8:21 pm

    Go Stephanie!

  20. anonymous said

    January 17, 2012 @ 8:42 pm

    Haters will never admit they are wrong. Plenty of them on here

  21. Evan Porter said

    January 17, 2012 @ 8:44 pm

    MLE has very good manipulated champions. In most of the worlds eyes Kobi is still numero uno even with out having to bow to MLE’s manipulated contest. MLE does not have the the worlds top eaters compete just the ones they own. Stephanie could most likely beat any of MLE women.

  22. Anonymous said

    January 17, 2012 @ 8:56 pm

    Stephanie didn’t even try July 4 and still ate 30!

  23. Anonymous said

    January 17, 2012 @ 9:32 pm

    Maybe so but the fact is and will always be, she is not MLE. AND, she is not Kobayashi and never will be no matter how much she eats. He was a legend in Japan before Nathans and just kept growing. So yes, he will always be Number One even if he isn’t MLE now. Stephanie pooped the goose and she must have wanted that, but it is hard to go back. Now that she is in Wingbowl, she is not needed in MLE even if they forgave her more than indiscretion. She may not care but those of you who are going to try to tout her as first female are simply living in la-la land. When she beats Sonya, and that will not happen because she is not going to compete against Sonya, well, if she could and beat her, then and only then would she be number one.

  24. anonymous said

    January 17, 2012 @ 9:46 pm

    Who is this El Toro? Do us a favor save the theatrics and start a Stephanie Torres fan club ok?

  25. Enola Gay said

    January 17, 2012 @ 9:49 pm

    Stephanie is the bomb!

  26. anonymous said

    January 17, 2012 @ 10:06 pm

    There was a an outfielder named George Hendrick that played for St Louis Cleveland and Calif. Solid hitter and fielder but always looked as though he would rather be doing something else They called him silent George for never speaking to the media. . When one of the teams he played for won a division title they gave him a watch or bracelet and to show his appreciation he twirled it around his finger like Whoop dee doo. . Remind you of a female eater no longer with MLE?

  27. Can'timagine said

    January 17, 2012 @ 10:16 pm

    just how hard Sonya and Juliet are laughing about this.

  28. anonymous said

    January 17, 2012 @ 10:16 pm

    The best way to determine whether Stephanie Torres is better hot dog eater than Sonya is to find a restaurant that will pay her to eat against Sonya in a Nathans simulcast with a big screen television like Kobayashi did against Chestnut.

  29. TroOtH said

    January 17, 2012 @ 11:18 pm

    1)Kobayashi 2) Stephanie Torres 3)Squibb 4)El Wingador 5)US Male? . IF THE CONTEST IS NOT RIGGED, THE RESULTS SHOULD LOOK ALITTLE LIKE THAT

  30. Anonymous said

    January 17, 2012 @ 11:44 pm

    Who says Stephanie is even any good at eating wings??

  31. Duh said

    January 18, 2012 @ 3:45 am

    I think we already found out.

  32. Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)

    January 18, 2012 @ 6:55 am

    10:16: Wow, that’s a great idea. That’s almost as good as head to head competition like back on July 4, 2011!

  33. Hmm said (Registered November 12, 2009)

    January 18, 2012 @ 10:50 am

    RHONDA! RHONDA! Retorting with humor, sometimes sarcasm but always putting things into your own unique perspective, adding lots of information and commenting with great forgiveness to all. You state when you think that you were not correct. Rhonda is the poster woman for CE. I guess I should add…..in my opinion.

  34. Oh yes Hmmm said

    January 18, 2012 @ 10:55 am

    Retorting with humor oh how lovely. sometimes sarcasm oh how lovely. adding lots of information again oh how lovely. Lots of chocolate for me to eat Now wouldnt it be lovely lovely lovely lovely lovely

  35. Naader Reda said

    January 18, 2012 @ 11:37 am

    There’s a few other people in this contest who might put up high numbers. Marcos Owens is playing, and he hasn’t really had a bad contest yet.

    The comparison made above between Kobayashi and Stephanie is interesting. Koby lives CE, does press conferences, does stunts at the Sports Illustrated office, arranges rooftop hot dog stunts and turkey exhibitions to compare his ability to IFOCE’s best. I couldn’t imagine Koby not doing CE.

    By comparison, Stephanie doesn’t necessarily define herself by her participation in competitive eating. She’s mostly a quiet person who enjoys eating and competition. In an ironic twist that worked to her favor, it so happens that other people thought to arrange a way for her to use these interests to earn rewards. Johnnie Excel and Ben Monson remind me of the same idea. If organized and semi-organized competitive eating dried up tomorrow, these latter three would still be living their lives and eating well (obviously true in Ben’s case). I don’t know where Koby would end up, by contrast.

  36. Marcos The Monster Owens said (Registered August 16, 2011)

    January 19, 2012 @ 5:43 pm

    The video/stunt was beast Stephanie has great capacity & that fact that she so small makes it all that more amazing that she can eat the way she can. In all honesty I’m not sure if any of us can beat Kobi, Squib included but it will definetly be fun trying I’m going all out & I’m sure Steph is too. Ultimately we’ll see on the 3rd. & Naader thanks for the mention

  37. Naader Reda said

    January 19, 2012 @ 6:23 pm

    @Marcos

    You earned it!

    Stephanie can eat 10+ lbs on a bad day. Don’t know if she’s ever done a wing contest prior. Gonna be interesting!

  38. Who cares? said

    January 20, 2012 @ 10:22 am

    Really? There are REAL championship eaters competing. Take a seat Torres.

  39. Hmm said (Registered November 12, 2009)

    January 20, 2012 @ 11:16 am

    Forgot to sign in here twice, I am the one who made the comparisons between Kobayashi and Stephenie. Jan 17 @ 9:32. Thanks Nader for making a better comparison and also for stating the irony. It seems that if Stephanie wanted to pursue going after Sonya, she could, but she does not care. That does not make her any less a champion eater.

  40. Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)

    January 20, 2012 @ 11:45 am

    Personally, I think Stephanie has a lot of respect for Sonya, but she also has a lot of pride in wanting to be the top female eater. As an independent, she is #1 among other independents of her gender; it’s not even close—-no TBW or Lovely Juliet to contend with. There’s nothing wrong with that. Actually, I’d be the same way if I were her.

    As an indy, Steph can continue to have fun, even when she loses contests against the guys, because she tops most of them. I’ll say it again, though practically every male competitive eater’s ears are bleeding from hearing it.

    Spectators are more thrilled seeing a woman outeat a larger guy—-especially a tiny one—-than they are seeing large guys smoke other big guys. Big guys are supposed to eat large amounts of food. That’s just the way it is, and that’s why TBW, The Lovely One, and Xanadu are real crowd pleasers. They don’t even have to win—-just finish CLOSE or beat SOME of the guys.

    Puitting so much food in their little bodies is considered beyond the pale … ultraextraordinary. It’s something people have to witness with their own eyes to believe.

    Yep, the top dozen or so (depending to which of the three ladies you’re referring) guys can indeed outeat those three girls, and they’re supposed to. . It’s NOT supposed to happen vice-versa. That’s news; that’s man biting a dog.

  41. Hmm said (Registered November 12, 2009)

    January 20, 2012 @ 11:50 am

    I do not think Stephanie could beat TBW but she might be able to take Juliet, perhaps even easily. I agree with what Rhonda writes, after a while, watching Bob, and Pat and Joey and Janus etc. etc. or even lower tiered going up against each other pales when there is a small woman in the mix. Lots of people choose to be the big fish in whatever pond if they cannot be in what some might consider to be the biggest pond. Or even smaller fish, Stephanie made her preferences clear.

  42. Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)

    January 20, 2012 @ 12:06 pm

    Hnm … I can just envision most eaters reading our posts, rolling their eyes and saying to themselves, “Yeah, yeah, yeah … so what?”

    My own opinion is that Stephanie is at least as good as Juliet, and Steph would give Sonya quite a run for her money, as seen in HDBs. If you take snapshots of where each was when they started their CE “careers” Steph’s probably ahead of Sonya (depending on what criteria you use in assement). But Sonya has excelled to a level to which I’m not sure Stephanie can ascend.

    Of course, having said that, and knowing that people get really tired of seeing the “same ol’, same ‘ol” people getting all the attention all the time, I am certain at least half the people out there will argue that Xanadu is the better of the two. That’s just human nature.

  43. Naader Reda said

    January 20, 2012 @ 1:03 pm

    Torres is considerably better than most of the competitive eaters currently out there. After seeing her performance at gyoza, other contests, and knowing what’s she capable of, I would say she’s top ten material. Unfortunately, her day with IFOCE is done. I don’t see the league inviting her back, and knowing her temperament, she could care less about the invite. We’re making specualtions and analyses and she’d think we’re all the more ridiculous for it.

    Rhonda, you’re dead right. A lot of guys are angry and jealous at her eating abilities, which seem to come naturally. At the same time, she often participates in contests because it’s a chance to hang out with friends, or because a friend suggested she should try this contest or that. Her real competition at the table is all IFOCE, notwithstanding a few scattered indies. Unfortunately, being outside MLE/IFOCE not only denies her the competition but also the exposure and the elevation that would come with battling/beating the best. WingBowl is a glaring exception, and that is once a year.

    There’s talk about fish and ponds, and where you place yourself, but my feeling is that Stephanie was playing a completely different game this whole time.

  44. Wait for it said

    January 20, 2012 @ 1:36 pm

    Here’s how Steph could beat out TBW. Wait it out and continue to work on her game. I know it’s impolite to talk about a woman’s age, but Sonya’s in her 40’s and Stephanie can barely vote. Eventually, Sonya, and Juliet for that matter, are going to lose a step and/or retire. I know in Sonya’s case, she’s a fierce competitor and if she’s not at the top of her game she won’t stick around. Unfortunately, I don’t know if when that time comes MLE will take Stephanie back or who else may emerge with the top woman eater crown. This is also a good strategy for Stonie amongst the boys and he’s still in the MLE. Heck, he could eat for the next 20 years if he keeps himself healthy.

  45. Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)

    January 20, 2012 @ 2:21 pm

    Wait for it, you have a very valid point. Regarding CE, as compared to other pseudosports or sports, I’m amazed at how CE talent sticks around many years, especially with women. Carlene LeFevre is a perfect example.

    I think she was at her best during the year or so leading up to her retirement, and though she didn’t look it, unbelievably, the lady was close to 60. Again, she looked deceptively young, as did/does her hubby.

    So, I’m almost laughing as I’m writing this, not at you, but at the circumstances surrounding your assertion. Yes, in another 20 years or so Sonya’s talents will surely have dropped off. However, not only will she have likely already retired, so she can leave at or near the top of her game, but by then I fully expect someone (or maybe several ladies) will come along and start rewriting Sonya’s stats. That’s the way it always is with sports/records. But who knows, the female CE world may well be all Stephanie’s by the time WB XL takes place.

  46. Rhonda Evans said (Registered March 6, 2008)

    January 20, 2012 @ 2:24 pm

    As always, good points Naader! I’m certain you know Steph much better than I could ever dare to conjecture, and I appreciate the insight. Thanks!

  47. Naader Reda said

    January 20, 2012 @ 3:40 pm

    Lol Rhonda, you give me too much credit. I was as shocked as anyone else when she showed up to qualify for Wing Bowl.

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