"hot dog eating contest" news and stories

Competitive eaters v. Ringling Bros. elephants. Photos: Getty Images

Man versus beast. That age-old test of wills is being revived once more, and this time it's about who can pack down more hot-dog buns.

As a prelude to the annual hot-dog eating contest at Coney Island, three professional eaters will go up against three Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey elephants on July 3 in Brooklyn, N.Y., an organizer confirmed to Slashfood.

"The animal kingdom in general is oppressed -- many would say -- by the dominance of the human species, and if they were to win this battle, in a way it could signal a rise of the animals," George Shea, chairman of Major League Eating, tells Slashfood. "Or at the very least, a confidence booster."

Get the details on this pachyderm pack down after the jump.

Well, the Fourth of July has come and gone once more, and that means so has one more Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. According to Sports Illustrated online, the whole thing was quite a spectacle, and lots of fun.

The contest this year was won by American Joey Chestnut (not pictured*). A crowd of 35,000 watched and cheered, and apparently had to be entertained for about five hours before the actual contest. SI reported that there was a trampoline duo, a rock band from New Jersey, the "Bun-ette" cheerleaders, an actual on stage marriage, and a side contest for the kids (whoever stayed the cleanest while eating a hot dog won).

Sounds like quite a way to spend your Independence Day. The author of the article commented that most people only go to the contest once, and that's enough. I think I'd fall into that category. What are your thoughts on that?

*Update: that actually is Joey Chestnut.

Source

Philadelphia Magazine writer Jason Fagone spent one year profiling some of the most divinely outsized personalities in the world of competitive eating. While Akron house painter Coondog O'Karma makes a midlife grab at glory via rapid-fire pizza consumption, Bill "El Wingador" Simmons attempts to reclaim Wong Bowl supremacy from 90lb Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas, and day trader Tim Janus dons the mantle of the mysterious Eater X, it all comes down to one shared hunger. They all want to win the Mustard Yellow Belt of International Hot Dog Eating Supremacy back from the Japanese who'd dominated the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest nearly every year since 1997.

Back in July of 2001, that would mean beating the record of 25 1/8 set the previous year by Kazutoyo "The Rabbit" Arai.

That was before Takeru Kobayashi's 50 Dog Day.

Read an excerpt from Jason Fagone's Horsemen of the Esophagus on AOL Food

American Joey Chestnut won the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest today at Coney Island. He got down 66 hot dogs and rolls in 12 minutes. But defending champ Takeru Kobayashi, even though he was injured with a sore jaw and pain from an extracted wisdom tooth, still gave Chestnut some competition. He ate 63 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes, his best showing ever but not enough to beat the new champ.

Hopefully you read this after you had your Fourth of July hot dogs. Congratulations Joey!