NEW YORK (Associated Press) - A Japanese eating champion who sat out this year's Coney Island Fourth of July hot dog contest apparently couldn't resist the temptation to hotdog afterward.
Competitive eater Joey "Jaws" Chestnut gobbled his way to a fourth consecutive championship Sunday. But he was suddenly upstaged by the surprise appearance of his biggest rival – six-time champion Takeru Kobayashi, who did not compete but crashed the stage after Chestnut's win and wrestled with police.
"Let him eat! Let him eat!" the crowd chanted as police handcuffed the world's No. 3 professional eater, dubbed "The Tsunami."
The 32-year-old Kobayashi did not eat this year because he refused to sign a contract with Major League Eating – the fast food equivalent of the NFL. On his Japanese-language blog, he said he wanted to be free to compete in contests sanctioned by other groups.
But a few days ago, he told Japan's Kyodo News: "I really want to compete in the event."
Kobayashi mingled with the crowd watching the contest, standing inside a police-barricaded pen just under the stage. When the eating ended, he slipped up the stage stairs and was welcomed by host George Shea.
Then, several security officers appeared and tried to usher him off. He grabbed a metal police barricade with both hands, holding on tightly as the officers pulled at him. Finally, they dragged him down the stairs, with Kobayashi resisting vehemently.
Kobayashi was arrested after this year's contest. It sucks that they've commercialized this to the point where you have to sign an exclusivity contract just to participate. What do you guys think about this? I personally think it's just stupid to "professionalize" competitive eating to the point where you are not allowing people to compete unless they sign a contract binding themselves to you. Until Kobayashi is allowed back into the contest, the legitimacy of Chestnut's win will always be in question so far as I'm concerned. How the hell do you not allow one of the biggest names in the sport to participate, particularly after he's been participating for so long?
On July 05 2010 13:29 YoonHo wrote: Wow, I bet he was hard to pull off the police barricade, he looks fucking jacked.
lol in that exact same special i mentioned i remember seeing him eat like 5-7 (not sure exact #) XXL pizzas and then hitting the gym. ridiculous. might be his secret or something ?
man, this is retarded bad :< I have deep respect for kobayashi and his eating skills... why always make it so official that you have to arrest champions?
The guy's been competing for years in the competition with no problem. He's a household name for people at this point. Hell, the whole hype around Joey Chestnut is his rivalry with Kobayashi. How the hell are you going to suddenly tell him he can't compete after he pretty much brought the competition to a whole new level? Crap, I tell you... Absolute crap...
At first I was surprised to hear that there was major league eating, then I imagined it like Starcraft tournaments, with teams and aces matches and all that fun stuff... and then I wondered why I was thinking these things...
On July 05 2010 14:15 Beloth(OD) wrote: Wait...what illegal thing did he do besides resisting arrest?
Then, several security officers appeared and tried to usher him off. He grabbed a metal police barricade with both hands, holding on tightly as the officers pulled at him. Finally, they dragged him down the stairs, with Kobayashi resisting vehemently.
Then, several security officers appeared and tried to usher him off. He grabbed a metal police barricade with both hands, holding on tightly as the officers pulled at him. Finally, they dragged him down the stairs, with Kobayashi resisting vehemently.
Yeah, I know but why were the security officers trying to usher him off.
On July 05 2010 14:15 Beloth(OD) wrote: Wait...what illegal thing did he do besides resisting arrest?
Then, several security officers appeared and tried to usher him off. He grabbed a metal police barricade with both hands, holding on tightly as the officers pulled at him. Finally, they dragged him down the stairs, with Kobayashi resisting vehemently.
Yeah, I know but why were the security officers trying to usher him off.
Because he was not in the competition. It would be like someone from the crowd rushing the stage essentially.
wow i remember this guy from a documentary a saw this guy is a friggen beast eating and hes ripped.. he started loseing to this chesnut guy in almost everything and he is no longer the number 1 in the world.. he must have lost it....he has trouble competing in hot dog eating cause in japan there are no real equivalents to hot dogs which he can purchase in large quantities..
ya well I'm faster than a lot of the new runners going through my high school but if I just jumped onto the track and torched them in a race then that'd be pretty retarded and silly dontcha think?
its not the WWE, you dont just walk up and compete like some end to a bad movie.
the guy wins a competition and some retired fatass tries to upstage his victory? THATS being an asshole if I've ever heard of one.
He's not retired... The only reason he didn't compete in the competition is because he wasn't willing to sign a contract that limited him to exclusively competing in MLE events. This contract didn't exist before of if it did, it certainly wasn't a pre-requisite to compete since he's been competing for years now. Despite the fact that he's lost the past few times, he's still the only serious competition Chestnut has...
Just to clarify, I'm not arguing that he didn't behave inappropriately. I'm arguing that the policy that was suddenly put in place which prohibited from competing is just incredibly stupid. This isn't the Superbowl. A hot dog eating competition should be open to anyone and everyone that proves that they are worthy of a place in it.
I agree with you OP, how can an organization say "you can eat for us here, but you can't eat over there." It's eating, some people have mastered it but making leagues off of that just feels silly. What a shame Kobayashi got arrested, obviously the crowd was happy to see him, and isn't that what the July 4th hotdog competition is all about? Being a fun spectacle?
How much does he eat when he's not competing, or is every meal a "practice" meal? Wouldn't he have a high possibility of dying from a heart attack from eating all of those bad calories?
On July 05 2010 16:28 Pika Chu wrote: Eating contest. Eating league, professional eater.
Am i the only one to whom these concepts seems retarded?
How can you transform eating into a sport? How about pissing and defecating, are those two next on the list?
Gaming contest. Gaming league, professional gamer.
Am i the only one to whom these concepts seems similar?
How can you play computer games as a sport but laugh about professional eating?
Seriously, I do see that many people take the point that gaming isn't as weird as eating as it requires a lot of thinking and quick hands, but I doubt these eating competitions are a piece of cake either (haha, that fits). It also needs training and control over your body, so don't be so surprised about this stuff pulling up competitive leagues.
On July 05 2010 16:28 Pika Chu wrote: Eating contest. Eating league, professional eater.
Am i the only one to whom these concepts seems retarded?
How can you transform eating into a sport? How about pissing and defecating, are those two next on the list?
It feels deeply wrong and disgusting to me. The real and symbolic decadence of professional eating is sickening.
EDIT: Mind you, I respect the competitive spirit, and I'm not going to lecture anybody else on their preferences - but this is how I feel. All I have to say.
They are just preventing some illegal betting and match fixing that may ruin the image of professional eating scene being the reason for the need of dem contracts
- eSports - not a physical activity. Very limited popularity. - Competitive eating - physical activity. (I read up on this - apparently, the less fat you have in your body, the more your stomach can stretch, which makes it easier to consume ~60 hot dogs in 10 minutes). Very limited popularity.
I can easily see why the latter is considered more of a sport and is given more attention. That said, I don't necessarily like it, but it makes perfect sense.
On July 05 2010 19:32 Volkov wrote: OK, I'll catch some flak for this, but:
- eSports - not a physical activity. Very limited popularity. - Competitive eating - physical activity. (I read up on this - apparently, the less fat you have in your body, the more your stomach can stretch, which makes it easier to consume ~60 hot dogs in 10 minutes). Very limited popularity.
I can easily see why the latter is considered more of a sport and is given more attention. That said, I don't necessarily like it, but it makes perfect sense.
Wait... professional eating gets more attention than e-sports? Lol people are stupid.
People need to study biology more, it's pretty obvious why those that are the best at this are the ones that are pretty slim. *puts on his tophat and monocle* It's all about stretching your ventriculus gaster. The best way I would assume (I'v never really been into eating as a sport) would be to eat very seldome but in large quantities
It feels deeply wrong and disgusting to me. The real and symbolic decadence of professional eating is sickening.
EDIT: Mind you, I respect the competitive spirit, and I'm not going to lecture anybody else on their preferences - but this is how I feel. All I have to say.
Same for me. I'm not going to argue with anyone about if it's a sport or not, and I concede I may be narrow-minded and in 20 years, everything from eating to shitting to sleeping will be an acknowledged and respected sport, but for now, the idea is just repulsive to me. It feels like the worship of gluttony to me.
However, I confess some interest in the matter. I'm especially fascinated (in a sick way) by Sonya Thomas.
Yeah, this skinny Korean chick is, afaik, the best female eater in the world. She can eat 17 to 18 pounds in a sitting.
I - don't want to be present when she empties her bowels. O.o
The man is a legend in the competitive eating competition scene. Watching his old video never ceases to amaze me. 56 hot dogs? I couldn't eat 56 hot dogs in a week, let alone in 10 minutes. Ridiculous.
"60 hot dogs in 10 minutes? Pfft, you should see Boxer kill a bunch of lurkers with marine micro! now that's radical!"
Are people here really that clueless about competitive eating that they are shocked that people hold these competitions? Hell, pick up any guiness world record book for the last 50 years and you will probably find a section on competitive eating records. I'm not quite sure how it's any more ridiculous than competitive starcraft playing.
On July 05 2010 16:28 Pika Chu wrote: Eating contest. Eating league, professional eater.
Am i the only one to whom these concepts seems retarded?
How can you transform eating into a sport? How about pissing and defecating, are those two next on the list?
Gaming contest. Gaming league, professional gamer.
Am i the only one to whom these concepts seems similar?
How can you play computer games as a sport but laugh about professional eating?
Seriously, I do see that many people take the point that gaming isn't as weird as eating as it requires a lot of thinking and quick hands, but I doubt these eating competitions are a piece of cake either (haha, that fits). It also needs training and control over your body, so don't be so surprised about this stuff pulling up competitive leagues.
Again, gaming is not a primordial necessity. Hell it isn't even a necessity. And to even argue about the complexity it involves would be futile.
Reminds me about that water drinking competition where the winner died (anyone else remember? it was a thread with a big discussion here on tl.net).
On July 05 2010 20:23 BlackJack wrote: "60 hot dogs in 10 minutes? Pfft, you should see Boxer kill a bunch of lurkers with marine micro! now that's radical!"
Are people here really that clueless about competitive eating that they are shocked that people hold these competitions? Hell, pick up any guiness world record book for the last 50 years and you will probably find a section on competitive eating records. I'm not quite sure how it's any more ridiculous than competitive starcraft playing.
From the wiki articel of "The Guinness Book": "The Guinness Book also dropped records within their "eating and drinking records" section of Human Achievements in 1991 over concerns that potential competitors could do harm to themselves and expose the publisher to potential litigation.[17]"
maybe next time take those 2 second to check what you type before you type?
@Pika Chu nice, keep on showing those idiots why pro gaming (which i personally don't think all that good about) is not to compare with pro eating.
I've thought about what happens after they eat those hot dogs.
Kobayashi and Chestnut essentially swallow those hot dogs unchewed. They eat 50-60 of them. There's no way they can digest that, expanding stomach or not. Forced regurgitation seems like the only solution, which makes the whole thing stupid, even within its own little world of appreciation.
On July 05 2010 20:23 BlackJack wrote: "60 hot dogs in 10 minutes? Pfft, you should see Boxer kill a bunch of lurkers with marine micro! now that's radical!"
Are people here really that clueless about competitive eating that they are shocked that people hold these competitions? Hell, pick up any guiness world record book for the last 50 years and you will probably find a section on competitive eating records. I'm not quite sure how it's any more ridiculous than competitive starcraft playing.
From the wiki articel of "The Guinness Book": "The Guinness Book also dropped records within their "eating and drinking records" section of Human Achievements in 1991 over concerns that potential competitors could do harm to themselves and expose the publisher to potential litigation.[17]"
maybe next time take those 2 second to check what you type before you type?
My point was that competitive eating has been around for many decades and is a much more established competitive "sport" than starcraft. In other words: record breaking = competition and 50 years = longegivity.
I think this sport is incredible, and it's unfortunate he was arrested. On a lighter note, there's a video of him challenging a BEAR to an eating contest! + Show Spoiler +
On July 05 2010 21:21 Pika Chu wrote: Again, gaming is not a primordial necessity. Hell it isn't even a necessity. And to even argue about the complexity it involves would be futile.
Reminds me about that water drinking competition where the winner died (anyone else remember? it was a thread with a big discussion here on tl.net).
While eating is a basic necessity, eating the amount that is required in a competitive eating competition isn't by any means. Just like walking and running to an extent are necessities, but doing so at a certain speed or for certain distances isn't. Just because something is a primordial necessity doesn't mean you can't your shouldn't make a competition out of it. You can turn anything where one person can do more or better than another into a competition. This includes everything from gaming to racing to eating.
I definitely won't argue that there's a certain absurdity to it or that it's a disgusting symbol of decadence in our world (particularly with people starving all over the globe), but so are most other competitions. Think about eSports. How is that not any less absurd? It's not as if you're testing some sort of useful or meaningful skill. It's essentially a bunch of people sitting around on their ass wasting their time away on a computer, detached from reality and we glorify it. One could argue why we're doing so when we could or should be instead encouraging these people to go out and do something productive with their lives. The same argument could apply to any professional sport though. Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Football, etc. They're all pointless activities that we've turned into competition, all equally as pointless as eating 15lbs. of food in a single sitting.
On July 05 2010 23:25 ss6290 wrote: Oh man, I remember when Kobayashi was king. Now Joey Chestnut seems to rule the hot dog eating contest :/.
Psshh... Kobayashi could still give him a run for his money (and beat him) any day of the week. Chestnut didn't even eat that many dogs this time around. Of course you could argue it's because Kobayashi wasn't there to put any pressure on him in order to push him to his limit, but that's exactly the shitty point of this whole situation. Without both #1 and #2 there to compete against each other, how can we know what their limit is and how good the best in the sport is?
On July 05 2010 21:21 Pika Chu wrote: Again, gaming is not a primordial necessity. Hell it isn't even a necessity. And to even argue about the complexity it involves would be futile.
Reminds me about that water drinking competition where the winner died (anyone else remember? it was a thread with a big discussion here on tl.net).
While eating is a basic necessity, eating the amount that is required in a competitive eating competition isn't by any means. Just like walking and running to an extent are necessities, but doing so at a certain speed or for certain distances isn't. Just because something is a primordial necessity doesn't mean you can't your shouldn't make a competition out of it. You can turn anything where one person can do more or better than another into a competition. This includes everything from gaming to racing to eating.
I definitely won't argue that there's a certain absurdity to it or that it's a disgusting symbol of decadence in our world (particularly with people starving all over the globe), but so are most other competitions. Think about eSports. How is that not any less absurd? It's not as if you're testing some sort of useful or meaningful skill. It's essentially a bunch of people sitting around on their ass wasting their time away on a computer, detached from reality and we glorify it. One could argue why we're doing so when we could or should be instead encouraging these people to go out and do something productive with their lives. The same argument could apply to any professional sport though. Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Football, etc. They're all pointless activities that we've turned into competition, all equally as pointless as eating 15lbs. of food in a single sitting.
Obviously tennis is just as objectively pointless as everything that exists purely for it's entertainment value (movies, for example), but tennis is not eating fifteen pounds of food and it's no good saying it is. It's not fundamental to these other things you cite that they be celebrations of gluttony and mental blindness.
I think bodybuilding is disgusting at the highest levels too...
On July 05 2010 23:44 dnosrc wrote: how can you eat so much? i think that sport is disgusting
I dont think its that disgusting. Maybe if you think of the food they're wasting etc but a lot of sporting events generate similar waste(maybe not as obvious). That said, I do find the hardboil egg eating a bit gross because their mouths are all foamy and covered with hardboiled yoke/saliva froth.
Wow, I don't know what to say..lol.. He looks surprisingly fit..must be because ripped people need to eat so much to get energy(?)
MLE..lol
On July 05 2010 22:59 Triple7 wrote: I think this sport is incredible, and it's unfortunate he was arrested. On a lighter note, there's a video of him challenging a BEAR to an eating contest! + Show Spoiler +
On July 06 2010 02:26 RA wrote: Weird thing about the story is that I heard on the news that he actually threatened someone with a gun to eat his hot-dog. Sounds extremely absurd.
I'm surprised he didn't just hulk-smash his way through everything. None of the top eaters are fat; Kobayashi works out almost every day. He's gone from 5'8 ~120 lbs in his early days to about 190 lbs of lean muscle.
EPT
![[image loading]](http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/9600/p1kobayashi.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.ifoce.com/LOGO/small/6.9976.png){kind=logo}
![[image loading]](http://playstationlifestyle.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/mlg-major-league-gaming.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.steroid.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/mlb-logo.gif){kind=logo}
![[image loading]](http://9gag.com/photo/5522_540.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.enjoypatrickresponsibly.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/freedom%20fries1.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/MeisjevandeSlijterij/SonyaThomas.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_T-J2hjN2HaE/Rozo4qWeN1I/AAAAAAAAAdI/BdrSvRNGqYE/s320/TakeruKobayashi-2005.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://img507.imageshack.us/f/pht33rn6.jpg/)
![[image loading]](http://www.beerbellyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/kobayashi_six_pack_2006.JPG)
