Takeru Kobayashi will attempt to defend his title at the Gringo Bandito Taco Challenge at Chronic Taco in Huntington Beach, CA on August 11.

August 2, 2012 at 1:42 pm by ojrifkin · More posts about:Kobayashi (小林尊), Orange County, Unafilliated Contests | Permalink * Comments (24)

24 Comments »

  1. Wake Up said

    August 2, 2012 @ 4:06 pm

    So at Crif Dog Kobi’s competitors were known as the “other eaters.” But, at least they had the courtesy to mention them on their website. At the event, I love the “other eaters” introduction, “enough with these guys let’s bring out the real eater — Takeru Kobayashi!” This event doesn’t even bother naming Kobi’s competition. Just calls them “a slew of competitors.” Really makes you eager to sign up for this event. Maybe the “slew of competitors” finally get it and realize they are just there to be Kobi’s patsies to attract the media and show he is still competing. If an eater other than Kobi shows up for this event I feel sorry for their self esteem. “Furious” Pete and the “other eaters,” you’re better than that. Don’t show so Kobi can get a fat check while he humiliates the “slew of competitors” through descriptions, judging and eating.

  2. Anonymous said

    August 2, 2012 @ 5:38 pm

    4:06 Wake Up,,, errr…i mean Joey, you sure are jealous of Kobi

  3. anonymous said

    August 2, 2012 @ 6:20 pm

    Maybe the “other” eaters aren’t happy about the debacle called the Crif Dog Classic. It wasn’t well organized and the “other” eaters got duped. According to one eater, they haven’t even been re-imbursed for their expenses from July 4th. Nobody got paid either (except Koby i’m sure).

  4. listen up said

    August 2, 2012 @ 8:18 pm

    Reimbursed?.You mean they had to put up.the money first? Even Nathans has more class than that

  5. Wake Up said

    August 3, 2012 @ 11:04 am

    I love it, check out the website, “Kobayashi presents the Gringo Bandito Challenge featuring Kobayashi.” Gee who do you think is going to win this one? Kobi picks the judges. Kobi picks his competitors. You independent eaters need to get your act together because Kobi is playing you guys for chumps. Kobi gets the check his competitors, “the others”, the “slew of eaters,” get the humiliation. I have to give Kobi’s manager one thing, after realizing Kobi couldn’t win at MLE anymore she’s turned competitive eating into the Harlem Globetrotters versus the Washington Generals — who do you think going to win this one? I’m just surprised that the Hotdog company he signed a contract with, and of course Kobi never signs contracts, wasn’t listed as a sponsor. “Free Kobi” needs to be changed to “Pay Kobi.”

  6. anonymous said

    August 3, 2012 @ 12:15 pm

    Prob charge $100 a head to watch the great Kobayashi like Criff dogs and there are suckers that will pay that kind of dough

  7. Anonymous said

    August 6, 2012 @ 2:14 pm

    Hahaha I love that ppl actually think Joey has time to dick around on here. He’s too busy being the most famous eater of all times while you all sit here and whine and Kobi tries to catch up. Nice numbers at Crif Kobi… Hahaha what a joke!

  8. Anonymous said

    August 7, 2012 @ 11:30 pm

    Kobi still has the hamburger title 97

  9. Anonymous said

    August 8, 2012 @ 5:28 am

    @2:14, most famous eater of all time? hate to burst yr bubble, but everytime i mention MLE the first name outta peoples mouth is Kobayashi. Then I explain he is no longer with the company, etc.. from there mention Joey, to their response “i dont know who that is”…………nuf said

  10. anonymous said

    August 8, 2012 @ 9:18 am

    Kobi most certainly does NOT have the Krystal title. Joey holds that record at 103:

    http://eatfeats.com/query.php?contest_comp=contains&contest_name=Krystal&contest_city=&contest_state=&contest_start_date=&contest_end_date=&contest_org=IFOCE&eater_first_name=&eater_last_name=&eater_city=&eater_state=&eater_org=org.&eater_gender=gender&result_min_place=&result_max_place=&result_min_amount=&result_max_amount=&result_min_duration=&result_max_duration=&sort_field1=amount&sort_order1=Descending&_button=Find+Results

    Take the blinders off, August 8, 2012 @ 5:28 am.

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

    August 8, 2012 @ 11:31 am

    Koby DOES, in fact, have a Krystal record, and he happens to be the current title holder, which happens to be very special. As 2009 was not only the last year of the Krystal finals, his 93 Krystal points were achieved using the no-dunking rule—-true competitive eating, not drinking.

    Joey, as great as he is, got smoked—-by a dozen (93 to 81)—-the most lopsided (and latest) competition between the two.

  12. Truth said

    August 8, 2012 @ 11:45 am

    I will agree that Kobi was the most famous eater. But every year away from the MLE, the annual Nathan’s, no ESPN, his fame as well as percieved if not actual talent diminishes. He hasn’t won Nathan’s in five years, yet he continually lists that and other MLE events as his career accomplishments even though he was unseated as the champion of Nathan’s over five years ago. Just this year Kobi tries to hold a Crif Dog hot dog eating event, which recieves poor if not negative coverage, so much so he doesn’t even mention it as a accomplishment in this strings’ press release. Each year coverage of his events will grow less and less, particularly with the bone head management team he has working for him until he fades into “remember that skinny Japanese eating kid?” MLE renews itself (e.g. Matt Stonie, women competion and competitors) with new eaters and new interesting events with talented eaters every year. Kobi just has Kobi, eating against nobodies, or doing sad eating demonstrations. Last year eating hot dogs a top restaraunt, this year the Crif Dogs Debacle, now Hoffmann’s (what’s a Hoffman?), next year Safeway generic brand hot dogs. Do you see a trend here, Kobi’s going to be going away from the spotlight and he only has himself blame?

  13. Settle it said

    August 8, 2012 @ 12:05 pm

    It is pointless and frustrating to compare Joey Vs Koby, since looks like it will never happen.

    The only reasonable way we will see Joey Vs Koby is if Joey breaks his MLE contract by entering an independent/Koby event. I could see Joey breaking his contract for free, if the food favored him and there was enough publicity.

  14. Anonymous said

    August 8, 2012 @ 12:15 pm

    HOORAY FOR RHONDA! And thanks!!

  15. Truth said

    August 8, 2012 @ 12:17 pm

    Rhonda, therein lies my point. The only records of any public significance (Krystal and Nathan’s) Kobi and his fans can point to are MLE events that happened over two years and in some cases nearly a decade ago for gosh sakes. What’s he done lately? Nothing. Joey and the MLE eaters have been out breaking records at major events throughout the world. When a new eater like a Matt Stonie arises it will bring in whole new generation of fans. Kobi WAS the greatest eater in his day, with fans and even himself saying remember when. Joey IS currently the greatest proving it nearly every month. In the near future, no disrespect to Joey, someone will take his mantle. Kobi when he left MLE started the nose dive and now he can’t pull out. He can thank his “brillant” management team with talk of pie and sky dreams of a financial windfall as an independent. Remember Barry Sanders, he left during the peak of his career and analysts and fans rarely talk about him anymore. Kobi left during his decline losing to Joey several years in a row at the top eating event, Nathan’s. So, where do you think his public interest meter will go as he fades out of the spotlight doing sad, uninteresting, fixed events. Not being mean to Kobi just stating the facts.

  16. Anonymous said

    August 8, 2012 @ 1:47 pm

    In my book, Beautiful Brian Seiken is the most famous and well-known competitive eater in the world.

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

    August 8, 2012 @ 2:52 pm

    Overall, I never liked Koby’s status as a non-MLE eater. I abhor it (not the man) when he privately challenges recent records/performances of MLE members, and I think he loses respect, eating with gurgitators of far less talent. But given his independence, the latter is not his fault.

    I have these feelings because I hold TK in such high regard. For me, the blood that flows from his heart is bluer than that of any competitive eater that ever existed. … I don’t want that to change.

  18. Ben Dover said

    August 8, 2012 @ 5:16 pm

    It’s Kobi’s fault and he absolutely chose to eat against “gurgitators of far less talent.” That’s why Kobi left the MLE. We now know Kobi saw that being the top dog at MLE was no longer in the cards so he left by his own decision. Take off the blinders regarding Kobi. It really tells a lot about Kobi’s character that he cowardly blamed others for leaving MLE claiming he doesn’t want to be restricted to a contract. Two years later he signs a contract with Hoffmann’s. Watch when he plans to do a Hoffmann’s event and tries to rope in other independent eaters to eat against him so he can lie to reporters that he’s still competing. Hopefully by then these no-self-respect indie jokers will wise up and stop padding Kobi’s wallet. I tried looking up some of “these world famous eaters” Kobi’s eating against at Gringos and you can find little if even anything on them on OJ’s site. The two eaters that have tried to build a reputation for themselves and have been sited on OJ’s site through somewhat suspect eating feats, their eating reputations are destroyed everytime fans see eatingwise they aren’t what they claimed to be when Kobi kicks their butt. Kobi ate separately last year at Gringos as if Damon Wells wasn’t t good enough to be at Kobi’s table and Wells still comes back for more.

  19. Matt Cohen said (Registered April 12, 2010)

    August 8, 2012 @ 8:12 pm

    @ben dover- Kobayashi did make the decision to leave but he didn’t do it to eat against “gurgitaters of far less talent”. He could have easily stayed on at MLE and still been a top 3 finisher in every contest he did and often in the top spot. Rhonda is right when she says “his blood runs bluer than any other eater”. Its true, talk with him briefly (leaving out MLE talk) and you realize he loves to compEAT and Yes he’s banking on it right now but as every athlete knows you can only play for so long. So in reality what he is doing is growing the sport. He is creating contests and giving us indies a table to eat at. We all expect to get our ass handed to us by Koby but we are all proud to be on that stage with him doing what we love to do. We appriciate him creating these contests. Obviously Im one of these “gurgitators of far less talent”. I do not use an alias. I know every one of these guys in this contest and I dont know of any “suspect feats” from any of them. We are all self respecting eaters, we do not fluff our abilities, we are all very aware of what we can or cant do and we all have good reputations in the CE community. Finally-Your comment is mostly your not very educated opinion and your facts are far and few between but just to iron things out for you. Damon did not compete in last years contest and Koby did not eat seperatly. Koby ate seperatly at a record release party for the off spring last month for fun! Damon came to kick the local fields ass so he could secure a spot in this years contest.
    As I often say,” know your shit before you talk it!”

  20. Anonymous said

    August 8, 2012 @ 8:37 pm

    Ben Dover is bent over for Kobayashi to nail him in his ass.

  21. Anonymous said

    August 8, 2012 @ 10:04 pm

    Damon, Kevin, Sean, Tom,
    Competing is great. There are a lot of challanges out there., mostly resturants who will promote there foods while using your names to promote there foods for free. The same can be said for Kobi.. Make sure you get something out of this.Do your own interviews and PR…Good luck and have fun

  22. Matt Cohen said (Registered April 12, 2010)

    August 8, 2012 @ 11:45 pm

    @anon 10:14 Sean is spelled Shawn and Kevin and Tom aren’t even in the line up. ETF dude, did you not even read the announcement!

  23. words of wiz said

    August 9, 2012 @ 12:12 pm

    Maybe the “slew of competitors” finally get it and realize they are just there to be Kobi’s patsies to attract the media and show he is still competing. If an eater other than Kobi shows up for this event I feel sorry for their self esteem. “Furious” Pete and the “other eaters,” you’re better than that. Don’t show so Kobi can get a fat check while he humiliates the “slew of competitors” through descriptions, judging and eating.

  24. Ben Dover said

    August 9, 2012 @ 12:45 pm

    Are there other eaters at Gringo besides Kobi? Kobi doesn’t think so. “Enough with these guys, let’s bring out the real eater — Takeru Kobayashi!” Oh wait look, it’s the starting line up for the Washington Generals. Seriously, who’s Shawn, Sean or whatever? Is he the guy who rides his bike to contests? Here’s a competition worth watching and a true self affirmation of self respect: “We all expect to get our ass handed to us by Koby but we are all proud to be on that stage with him doing what we love to do.” “What you love to do?” What’s that, get your ass kicked by a guy who won’t even give you the dignity of an introduction, a mentioning on their press release, or second place prize money. Kobi created this contest? The sponsor created the contest you dope. But, now that Kobi went independent because he couldn’t win at MLE contests, he realized he can just steal money from ignorant independent eaters at competitions that would have happened anyway. Nope, the independents won’t join a league, unless it’s the Independent Competitive Kobi Ass Kissers (ICK AK). OOH, I touched Kobayashi, he’s so dreamy, I’m never going to wash my hand again. Citing the famous line in Animal House, “Thank you sir, may I have another.” Have fun getting spanked guys.

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