Competitive eating
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where organized professional eating contests often offer $10,000 or more in prize money. Competitive eaters are sometimes known as "gurgitators," a word used by those close to the sport and an assumed opposite of regurgitation
Regurgitation (digestion)
Regurgitation is the expulsion of material from the mouth, pharynx, or esophagus, usually characterized by the presence of undigested food or blood.Regurgitation is used by a number of species to feed their young...
.
History
County Fair
"County Fair" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Gary Usher for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was originally released as the second track on their 1962 album Surfin' Safari. On November 26th of that year, it was released as the B-side to The Beach Boys' third single, "Ten Little...
s. The recent surge in the popularity of competitive eating is due in large part to televised coverage of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual American competitive-eating competition, which is run as a publicity gathering event by Shea Communications. It is held each July 4 at Nathan's Famous Corporation's original, and best-known restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in...
, an annual holiday tradition that has been held on July 4 virtually every year since the 1970s at Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
. Recently, this contest has been dominated by IFOCE eater Takeru Kobayashi
Takeru Kobayashi
is a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta....
, who won it consistently from 2001 through 2006; he was dethroned in 2007 by Joey Chestnut
Joey Chestnut
Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut is an American competitive eater. The , engineering student is currently ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating...
. In 2008, Chestnut and Kobayashi tied at 59 hot dogs in 10 minutes (the time span had previously been 12 minutes), and Chestnut won in an eatoff in which he was the first of the two competitors to finish eating 5 hot dogs in overtime, earning Chestnut his second consecutive title.
In the 1990s, competitive eating was popular in Japan but is now frowned on by many.
IFOCE
The International Federation of Competitive EatingInternational Federation of Competitive Eating
The International Federation of Competitive Eating, Inc. is an organization that supervises and regulates eating contests across the globe, acting as a central resource for the sport. Top events include the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, La Costena "Feel the Heat" Jalapeno Eating Challenge, and...
(IFOCE) hosts more than 100 "Major League Eating" events worldwide every year. The IFOCE, which first established eating as a sport in the 1990s, recently launched Major League Eating
Major League Eating
Major League Eating is a franchise that sanctions professional competitive eating events and competitive eating television specials. The purported mission of Major League Eating is to maintain a safe environment for all events, while also seeking to create a dynamic and enjoyable fan experience...
to serve as an umbrella for competitive eating worldwide while also providing a recognized brand for licensing of T-shirts and other products. It features videos of contests and eaters and offers a complete online community, similar to MySpace, for eating fans. Major League Eating, as overseen by the IFOCE, is the only organization that has established extensive safety regulations for events. Among the top eaters who compete only in Major League Eating events are Joey Chestnut, Takeru Kobayashi, Sonya Thomas, Eater X, Patrick Bertoletti and Crazy Legs Conti.
The IFOCE will award nearly $400,000 in prize money in 2009. In addition to a one-hour live broadcast of the Nathan's Famous contest for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, IFOCE has produced a three-hour elimination tournament on ESPN called the Alka-Seltzer
Alka-Seltzer
Alka-Seltzer is an effervescent antacid and pain reliever first marketed by the Dr. Miles Medicine Company. It was developed by Treneer in Elkhart Indiana. Alka-Seltzer is marketed for relief of minor aches, pains, inflammation, fever, headache, heartburn, sour stomach, indigestion, and hangovers,...
U.S. Open of Competitive Eating, plus additional hours of ESPN programming on eating for Johnsonville Brats and Krystal hamburgers. The IFOCE also recently produced a series of 30-minute television shows, "Eats of Strength," for high-definition network InHD. Spike TV is also ran a series of one-hour Major League Eating events, featuring the top eaters of the IFOCE, and the IFOCE produced a one-hour docudrama on the Acme World Oyster Eating Contest in New Orleans.
AICE
A smaller organized league, the Association of Independent Competitive EatersAssociation of Independent Competitive Eaters
The Association of Independent Competitive Eaters is a competitive eating organization in the United States. It is run by competitive eaters and all proceeds and profits go to the founder of the organization. It was founded 2004 by competitive eaters Arnold Chapman and former IFOCE member...
(AICE), established by competitive eater Arnie "Chowhound" Chapman, also sanctions contests. Chapman was a former IFOCE member who defected to form an independent league after disputes over IFOCE contractual restrictions.
AICE, which adopted the title All Pro Eating Promotions in 2008, differs from the IFOCE with its adherence to "picnic style" competitive eating rules in addition to being the most recognized competitive eating organization that allows independent competitive eaters to participate (independent competitive eaters are not under any contractual obligation). Picnic style rules pay "respect to the food and maintains the integrity and dignity and public reputation of that food item." Under these rules, the league forbids the dunking of any contest foods in water, a practice used by many IFOCE eaters, and one believed to speed the chewing and swallowing process. All Pro Eating Promotions is the only competitive eating organization that provides sanctioned independent competitive eating events that specifically follow picnic style rules.
In 2009, competitive eater Coondog O'Karma
David O'Karma
David "Coondog" O'Karma is a Competitive eating champion, entertainer, and writer from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He was formerly a member of the IFOCE, but is now the director of a Competitive Eating organization called the Association of Independent Competitive Eaters .-Competitive Eating:He started...
joined Chapman as a partner, and took over as Director of Operations for AICE. Arnie "Chowhound" Chapman retired from All Pro Eating Promotions in August, 2011 and Todd "The Hungry Genius" Greenwald took over the full role of Chairman of All Pro Eating Promotions / AICE.
In 2010, AICE was joined by new eaters, former IFOCE members "Jammin" Joe Larue, Chris "The Mad Greek" Abatsas and newcomer "Munchin" Mike Longo.
The year started off with the USquare National Eating Championship in Madison Wisconsin. Ian The Invader Hickman won with 102 ounces of food court food in 8 mins.
On June 5th in Rockville Centre, NY "Munchin" Mike Longo won the National Cheese Steak Eating Championship with 4.05 cheese steaks eating in 7 mins.
"Munchin" Mike Longo also won the Little Jimmy's National Italian Ice Eating Championship again beating AICE eating star Ian The Invader Hickman and legendary eater King George Van Laar, eating 4lbs 1.25 ounces of Italian ice in 7 minutes.
In Middlebury. Connecticut The Caribbean Food Eating Championship took place where Joel The Cannon Podelsky won the National Bun and Cheese National Championship eating 40 ounces in 4 min and 43 sec. King George Van Laar won the National Beef Pattie Eating Championship eating 60oz of beef patties in 7 min 32 sec.
5th Annual American Meatball Eating Championship took place in Midlothian, Illinois. Bob “KILLER” Kuhns of Pittsburgh, PA took 1st with 36.5 meatballs in 7 minutes to win $1,000.
The 1st Annual Bobs Burgers Hamburger Eating Contest was located at the 2010 Comic Con in San Diego, CA and was won by David Coondog O'Karma eating 14.5 hamburgers.
The World Hands Free Pumpkin Pie eating contest was held in Clarence, NY. The world record for pumpkin pie was broken by Chris "The Mad Greek" Abatsas. He ate 5.5 lbs in 8 mins, beating 2nd place "Jammin" Joe Larue who ate 4.6 lbs.
Other challenges
Other eating contests sponsored by restaurants can involve a challenge to eat large or extraordinarily spicy food items, including giant steakSteak
A steak is a cut of meat . Most are cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers, improving the perceived tenderness of the meat. In North America, steaks are typically served grilled, pan-fried, or broiled. The more tender cuts from the loin and rib are cooked quickly, using dry heat, and served whole...
s, hamburger
Hamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
s and curries in a set amount of time. Those who finish the item are often rewarded by not having to pay for the item, or with a t-shirt and the addition of their name and/or photo on a wall of challenge victors. Various challenges of this type are featured in the Travel Channel
Travel Channel
The Travel Channel is a satellite and cable television channel that is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, US. It features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris,...
show Man v. Food
Man v. Food
Man v. Food is an American food reality television series. It premiered on December 3, 2008, on the Travel Channel. The program is hosted by actor and food enthusiast Adam Richman. In each episode, Richman explores the "big food" offerings of a different American city before facing off against a...
.
Contest structure
Food
The type of food used in contests varies greatly, with each contest typically only using one type of food (e.g. a hot dog eating contest). Foods used in professional eating contests include hamburgers, hot dogs, piePie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....
s, pancakes, chicken wings
Chicken Wings
Chicken Wings can refer to:*A type of food, a serving of the wing sections of a chicken, deep fried wings coated in sauce are also known as Buffalo wings*Chicken Wings , an aviation related comic by Michael and Stefan Strasser...
, asparagus
Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis is a spring vegetable, a flowering perennialplant species in the genus Asparagus. It was once classified in the lily family, like its Allium cousins, onions and garlic, but the Liliaceae have been split and the onion-like plants are now in the family Amaryllidaceae and...
, pizza
Pizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
, ribs
Ribs (food)
Ribs of beef, lamb, venison, and pork are a cut of meat. The term ribs usually refers to the less meaty part of the chops, often cooked as a slab .They can be roasted, grilled, baked, braised, or smoked....
, whole turkeys, among many other types of food.
Rules and overview of events
Competitive eating contests often adhere to an 8, 10, 12 or 15 minute time limit. Most contests are presided over by a master of ceremoniesMaster of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
, whose job is to announce the competitors prior to the contest and keep the audience engaged throughout the contest with enthusiastic play-by-play commentary and amusing anecdotes. A countdown from 10 usually takes place at the end of the contest, with all eating coming to an end with the expiration of time.
Many professional contests also employ a series of judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
s, whose role is to enforce the contest rules and warn eaters about infractions. Judges will also be called upon to count or weigh each competitor's food and certify the results of the contest prior to the winner being announced.
Chipmunking
Many eaters will attempt to put as much food in their mouths as possible during the final seconds of a contest, a practice known by professionals as "chipmunking." If chipmunking is allowed in a contest, eaters are given a reasonable amount of time (typically less than two minutes) to swallow the food or risk a deduction from their final totals.Dunking
In many contests, except those adhering to "picnic style rules" mentioned previously, eaters are allowed to dunk foods in water or other liquids in order to soften the food and make it easier to chew and swallow. Dunking typically takes place with foods involving a bun or other doughy parts. Professional contests often enforce a limit on the amount of time competitors are allowed to dunk food.Debris
Competitors are expected to maintain a relatively clean eating surface throughout the contest. Excess debris after the contest may result in a deduction from the eater's final totals.Vomiting
If, at any point during or immediately after the contest, a competitor regurgitatesRegurgitation (digestion)
Regurgitation is the expulsion of material from the mouth, pharynx, or esophagus, usually characterized by the presence of undigested food or blood.Regurgitation is used by a number of species to feed their young...
any food, he or she will be disqualified. Vomiting, also known as a "reversal", or, as ESPN and the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest call it, a "reversal of fortune", includes obvious signs of vomiting as well as any small amounts of food that may fall from the mouth deemed by judges to have come from the stomach. Small amounts of food already in the mouth prior to swallowing are excluded from this rule.
Training and preparation
Many professional competitive eaters undergo rigorous personal training in order to increase their stomach capacity, speed and efficiency with various foods. Stomach elasticity is usually considered the key to eating success, and competitors commonly train by drinking large amounts of water over a short time to stretch out the stomach. Others combine the consumption of water with large quantities of low calorie foods such as vegetables or salads. Some eaters chew large amounts of gum in order to build jaw strength.Prior to a marquee event like the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual American competitive-eating competition, which is run as a publicity gathering event by Shea Communications. It is held each July 4 at Nathan's Famous Corporation's original, and best-known restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in...
, some eaters, like reigning contest champion Joey Chestnut
Joey Chestnut
Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut is an American competitive eater. The , engineering student is currently ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating...
, will begin training several months before the event with personal time trials using the contest food. Retired competitive eater, Ed "Cookie" Jarvis, trained by consuming entire heads of boiled cabbage followed by drinking up to two gallons of water every day for two weeks before a contest.
Due to the risks involved with training alone or without emergency medical supervision, the IFOCE actively discourages training of any sort.
Televised contests
The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is televised live on ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
each year on July 4.
The annual Krystal Square Off
Krystal Square Off
The Krystal Square Off was the official World Hamburger Eating Championship, taking place in Chattanooga, Tennessee and as sanctioned by the International Federation of Competitive Eating...
hamburger
Hamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
eating contest has been televised on ESPN and, in 2008, on the FSN South
FSN South
Fox Sports South is a regional sports network that airs sports programming in the Southern United States. It is part of the larger Fox Sports Net group of regional sports networks...
network.
In 2002, the Fox Network aired a two-hour competitive eating contest called the Glutton Bowl
Glutton Bowl
The Glutton Bowl was a two-hour Fox Network eating special in 2002 sanctioned by the International Federation of Competitive Eating. The special, which was co-executive produced by Nash Entertainment and IFOCE co-founder Richard Shea, featured Mark Thompson and IFOCE co-founder George Shea as...
.
Spike TV
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
has broadcast several IFOCE-sanctioned competitive eating competitions as part of its "MLE Chowdown" series, including the St. Patrick's Day Chowdown in 2007 (corned beef
Corned beef
Corned beef is a type of salt-cured beef products present in many beef-eating cultures. The English term is used interchangeably in modernity to refer to three distinct types of cured beef:...
and cabbage
Cabbage
Cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...
), the "Turkey Bowl" on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
day in 2007 (whole turkeys with an undercard cranberry sauce
Cranberry sauce
Cranberry sauce or cranberry jelly is a sauce or relish made out of cranberries, commonly associated with Thanksgiving dinner in North America and Christmas dinner in the United Kingdom...
contest), "Wedges 'n Wings" in 2007 (chicken wings and potato wedges), and "Ham 'n Eggs" during Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
halftime in 2008.
Criticisms
The chief criticism of competitive eating is the message the gluttonousGluttony
Gluttony, derived from the Latin gluttire meaning to gulp down or swallow, means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, intoxicants or wealth items to the point of extravagance or waste...
sport sends in an age of rising obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
levels among Americans and the example it sets for today's youth.
Others, like actor Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...
in a scathing editorial on The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
, contend that competitive eating is yet another example of Western gluttony at a time when so many others around the world are starving. In the same article, retired competitive eater Don "Moses" Lerman foreshadows the dangers of competitive eating when he admits "I'll stretch my stomach until it causes internal bleeding
Internal bleeding
Internal bleeding is bleeding occurring inside the body. It can be a serious medical emergency depending on where it occurs , and can potentially cause death and cardiac arrest if proper medical treatment is not received quickly....
."
Dangers
The argument that competitive eating can cause weight gain, which may lead to obesityObesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
and elevated cholesterol
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a complex isoprenoid. Specifically, it is a waxy steroid of fat that is produced in the liver or intestines. It is used to produce hormones and cell membranes and is transported in the blood plasma of all mammals. It is an essential structural component of mammalian cell membranes...
and blood pressure
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. When used without further specification, "blood pressure" usually refers to the arterial pressure of the systemic circulation. During each heartbeat, BP varies...
is a common one, but the theory that competitive eating can cause damage to the stomach and digestive system was the subject of a 2007 study by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
The Perelman School of Medicine , formerly the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, was founded in 1765, making it the oldest American medical school. As part of the University of Pennsylvania, it is located in the University City section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is widely...
. The study observed professional eater Tim Janus
Tim Janus
Tim Janus is a competitive eater from New York City known in the competitive eating community as "Eater X." He is a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating , and is one of the most colorful IFOCE characters, both literally and figuratively. He always performs in contests...
, who ate 36 hot dogs in 10 minutes before doctors intervened. It was concluded that through training, Janus' stomach failed to have normal muscle contractions called peristalsis
Peristalsis
Peristalsis is a radially symmetrical contraction and relaxation of muscles which propagates in a wave down the muscular tube, in an anterograde fashion. In humans, peristalsis is found in the contraction of smooth muscles to propel contents through the digestive tract. Earthworms use a similar...
, a function which transfers food from the stomach down the digestive tract.
Other medical professionals contend that binge eating
Binge eating
Binge eating is a pattern of disordered eating which consists of episodes of uncontrollable eating. It is sometimes as a symptom of binge eating disorder. During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an excessive amount of food...
can cause stomach perforations in those with ulcers
Peptic ulcer
A peptic ulcer, also known as PUD or peptic ulcer disease, is the most common ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful. It is defined as mucosal erosions equal to or greater than 0.5 cm...
and gulping large quantities of water during training can lead to water intoxication
Water intoxication
Water intoxication, also known as water poisoning, is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain functions that results when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is pushed outside of safe limits by over-consumption of water....
, a condition which dilutes electrolytes in the blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
.
Gastroparesis
Gastroparesis
Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a medical condition consisting of a paresis of the stomach, resulting in food remaining in the stomach for a longer period of time than normal. Normally, the stomach contracts to move food down into the small intestine for digestion. The...
, also known as stomach paralysis, is also a concern among those who routinely stretch their stomachs beyond capacity. The condition may lead to the stomach's inability to contract and lose its ability to empty itself. Side effects of gastroparesis include chronic indigestion, nausea and vomiting.
In popular culture
Competitive eating is depicted in a fictionalized manner as a nationally recognized sport in Soviet-era Hungary in the Hungarian film TaxidermiaTaxidermia
Taxidermia is a 2006 Hungarian film directed by György Pálfi. The film focuses on three generations of men from Hungary, beginning with a military orderly during the Second World War, moving on to an aspiring speed-eater during the Cold War, and concluding with a taxidermist during modern times...
.
Further reading
- Eat This BookEat This BookEat This Book is a book by Ryan Nerz which explores the world of competitive eating. Published by St. Martin's Press in 2006, Eat This Book provides a firsthand look into this sometimes controversial sport...
(2006) - Horsemen of the EsophagusHorsemen of the EsophagusHorsemen of the Esophagus by Jason Fagone is a nonfiction book about the sport of competitive eating and the outsized American appetite. Horsemen follows three American "gurgitators" during a year on the pro eating circuit: Ohio housepainter David "Coondog" O'Karma, South Jersey truck driver Bill...
(2006) - A Short History of the American Stomach (2008, Frederick Kaufman)
- Clemens Berger: Die Wettesser. Roman, Skarabäus 2007 (The Competitive Eaters. A Novel)