Tough to stomach
Competitive eating: Is it a sport or a sideshow? No matter how you feel about eating contests, there’s no denying this growing phenomenon. Amateur eating events have been held at state and county fairs for decades. but the recent popularity of Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest - which is covered by ESPN - has led to a national competitive eating scene with “professionals” who travel to the events with the biggest prizes. Famed eaters like seven-time Nathan's champ Joey “Jaws” Chestnut even earn appearance fees for simply showing up.
Here are nine of the top eating contests that draw national and international attention because of the impressive amount competitors eat or simply because of the bizarreness (and messiness) of the foods involved. The tremendous gut shown at the top image is courtesy of the Wookey Hole Big Eat, a mince pie eating contest.
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1. Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest
This is the New York event that started the competitive eating renaissance. Two of the most well-known competitive eaters, Joey Chestnut and 130-pound Takeru Kobayashi, first gained fame for winning at Nathan's.
The contest is held on the Fourth of July each year in the Coney Island neighbourhood of Brooklyn, and its roots are said to go back all the way to 1916, when Nathan's was a newly opened hot dog stand. The contest first gained headlines worldwide in 2001, when Kobayashi ate an astonishing 50 hot dogs (and buns) in 10 minutes. That was double the previous record. In 2013, Joey Chestnut smashed the record, eating 69 hot dogs and buns. Since 2011, a women's contest also has been held, and for the past 10 years, TV coverage has been provided by ESPN. This year, a qualification circuit is being held to choose the amateur eaters who will challenge Chestnut and other “professionals.”
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2. The Wing Bowl
The Wing Bowl coincides with the NFL's Super Bowl each year. It is broadcast live on radio and replays are often shown on local sports channels. The Wing Bowl was started by two Philadelphia talk radio hosts in the 1990s, allegedly to give the city's residents something to do on Super Bowl weekend (because their team was too bad to make it to the big game).
Now, the event draws nearly 20,000 attendees to the Wells Fargo Centre each winter. The current wing-eating record is held by 2014 champion Molly Schuyler, who ingested an astonishing 363 wings and earned a hefty US$22,000 for her victory. Different divisions have developed through the years, and local celebrities are often enlisted to take part.
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3. World Pie Eating Championships
The World Pie Eating Championship is held annually at Harry's Bar in Wigan, a suburb of Manchester, England. This event, where competitors eat meat-and-potato pies, a staple of English cuisine, has been held annually since 1992.
In the early years, contestants tried to eat as many 5-inch diameter pies as they could in three minutes. The championship diverted from the usual eating competition format in 2006. Since then, it has become a speed-eating event. The winner is the person who can eat a single pie in the fastest amount of time. The current record is 23.5 seconds.
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4. World Hands-Free Pumpkin Pie Eating Championship
Quite a bit messier than the World Pie Eating Championships, the World Hands-Free Pumpkin Pie Eating Championship is held each September at the Great Pumpkin Farm in Clarence, New York. Contestants have 10 minutes to put away as many slices of pumpkin pie as they can.
There is an element of skill and technique to the proceedings, because, unlike other eating contests, the use of hands is not allowed. The current record is 40 slices in 10 minutes, though a new record has been set each of the five years that the championship has been contested.
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5. World Garlic Eating Competition
Arguably one of the most challenging (and certainly most pungent) contests is the World Garlic Eating Competition, which is held in Dorset, England. The official event was first held in 2013, with all proceeds benefiting a local charity and the garlic provided by a local farm.
During the event, contestants have five minutes to eat as many cloves of garlic as they can stomach. The 2013 winner put away 49 cloves. The U.S. has various garlic festivals across the country, with some holding their own garlic eating contests.
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6. Acme Oyster Eating World Championships
Photo: Louisiana Travel.com
The Acme Oyster Eating World Championship is held each summer in New Orleans. The 2014 event was topped by one of the world's most successful female competitive eaters, Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas, who was able to down 40 dozen oysters in only eight minutes. That’s 480 oysters.
Each year, the winner of the contest receives a cash prize and a heavy championship belt, not unlike the kind a boxer gets for winning a championship bout. Acme, the eatery that puts on the championship each year as part of Oyster Fest, is one of the most famous oyster houses in Louisiana.
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7. National Buffalo Wing Festival
The National Buffalo Wing Festival is held in the city where the now-famous spicy chicken wings were invented: Buffalo, New York. The U.S. Chicken Wing Eating Championships and the wing festival take place over Labour Day weekend, and there are a number of other contests on the docket as well, including a college wing eating contest, an amateurs-only event and a special event in which standard Buffalo wings are replaced by “ridiculously hot” wings.
Other wing-related events are also held, including cook-offs and juried sauce contests. However, the Chicken Wing Eating Championships are the highlight. The contest enjoys a high profile in the competitive eating world and is officially sanctioned by the International Federation of Competitive Eating.
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8. Bartolini's Meatball Eating Championship
Each July, Bartolini’s Restaurant, in the Chicago suburb of Midlothian, puts on a meatball eating contest of epic proportions. Now in its ninth year, the 2014 event will draw both amateur eaters and professionals, with qualification rounds held prior to the championships for inexperienced competitors who want to eat their way into the main event.
Bartolini’s also has an on-going eating challenge. The restaurant's famous 10-pound meatball sandwich - with 40 meatballs, cheese, gravy, bread and a whole pound of peppers - costs US$44.95. However, individuals who can down the whole thing in three hours don't have to pay. Two-, three- and four-person teams can also attempt the feat, with time limits of 45, 25, and 15 minutes respectively.
9. Farrell's Ice Cream Eating Challenge
Photo: Farrell's
For the past five years, the California ice cream parlour chain Farrell's has been holding an event officially dubbed the Splendiferously Superific Summer Spectacular Ice Cream Eating Challenge. The unique thing about this contest is that anyone can qualify. Would-be champions can try to make it to the main event at any of the chain's locations by eating a “qualifying sundae” in the fastest amount of time possible. Qualifiers are invited to the July 20 championship in Brea, California.
The final amateur challenge is a race to see who can finish a six-scoop dessert called the Pig Trough the fastest. The professional division winner has to completely finish a Farrell's Zoo, a sundae so large that two people are needed to carry it to the table.
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