Competitive eating

Competitive eating, or speed eating, is an activity in which participants compete against each other to eat large quantities of food, usually in a short time period. Contests are typically eight to ten minutes long, although some competitions can last up to thirty minutes, with the person consuming the most food being declared the winner. Competitive eating is most popular in the United States, Canada and Japan, where organized professional eating contests often offer prizes, including cash.

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Sonya Thomas and Tim Janus at the 2005 Midway Slots Crabcake Eating Competition

History
Pie-eating contest at the Jefferson School in Washington, D.C., August 2, 1923

The first recorded pie eating contest took place in Toronto in 1878. It was organised as a charity fundraising event and won by Albert Piddington. It is not known how many pies were consumed. The prize was a ‘Handsomely Bound Book”.[1] Following this, eating contests – particularly those involving pie – became popular across Canada and the United States, traditionally at county fairs.

There are some notable examples of early eating contestants, such as Joe McCarthy, who consumed 31 pies in a competition held at Charles Tanby’s Saloon in 1897.[1] Frank Dotzler is also noteworthy after consuming “275 oysters, 8 & 1/8th pounds of steak, 12 rolls, and 3 large pies, all washed down with 11 cups of coffee” at an event organised by the Manhattan Fat Men’s Club in 1909.[2]

The recent surge in the popularity of competitive eating is due in large part to the development of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, an annual holiday tradition that has been held on July 4 every year since 1916 at Coney Island. While the origins are debated, it is believed to have begun as a result of four immigrants who tried to eat as many hot dogs as possible to show off their patriotism.[3]

The organisation of Major League Eating (MLE) in 1997 was also a key development in the increasing popularity.[4] The organisation is responsible for between 70 and 80 eating contests per year across North America, most notably Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, which has aired on ESPN since 2003.[5] 

The most successful male competitor is Joey Chestnut, who has won a total of thirteen times since 2007. He is the current champion as of 2020. Chestnut also holds the record for most hot dogs consumed in the contest, with 75 in 2020.[6] The second most successful is Takeru Kobayashi, who won six consecutive titles from 2001 to 2006.[7] Both men hold multiple world records relating to eating, with Kobayashi holding 5,[8] and Chestnut 14.[9]

In 2011, Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest introduced a female only tournament. The most successful competitor in this contest is Miki Sudo, with seven consecutive wins since 2014.[10] She is the reigning female champion as of 2020 and also holds the record for most hot dogs eaten by a female contestant, with 48.5.[11] She currently holds 3 world records.[12]

Organizations

All Pro Eating

All Pro Eating Competitive Eaters include Molly Schuyler, Eric "Silo" Dahl, Jamie "The Bear" McDonald and Stephanie "Xanadu" Torres (deceased).[13][14]

IFOCE

The International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE) hosts nearly 50 "Major League Eating" events[15] across North America every year.

Other challenges

Other eating contests sponsored by restaurants can involve a challenge to eat large or extraordinarily spicy food items, including giant steaks, hamburgers and curries in a set amount of time. Those who finish the item are often rewarded by getting the item for free, a T-shirt and the addition of their name and/or photo on a wall of challenge victors. For example, Ward's House of Prime located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has a prime rib meat challenge. The current record is 360 ounces by Molly Schuyler in June 2017. Various challenges of this type are featured in the Travel Channel show Man v. Food.

Notable competitive eaters
Further information: List of competitive eaters

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,[16] pies, pancakes, chicken wings, asparagus, pizza, ribs, whole turkeys, among many other types of food. Foods can reflect local cultures, such as vegan hot dogs in Austin, Texas.[17]

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 ceremonies, 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 judges, 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.

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."[18] 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.

In many contests, 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 number of times competitors are allowed to dunk food.

Competitors are required to maintain a relatively clean eating surface throughout the contest. Excess debris after the contest results in a deduction from the eater's final totals.

If, at any point during or immediately after the contest, a competitor regurgitates 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 and eating speed 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.[19] Perhaps paradoxically, maintaining a low body fat percentage is thought to be helpful in competitive eating; this is known as the belt of fat theory.

For a marquee event like the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, some eaters, like current contest champion Joey Chestnut, will begin training several months before the event with personal time trials using the contest food.[20] 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.[21] Due to the risks involved with training alone or without emergency medical supervision, the IFOCE actively discourages training of any sort.[22]

Televised contests

Criticisms and dangers

Criticisms

One criticism of competitive eating is the message that the gluttonous sport sends as obesity levels rise among Americans,[24] and the example it sets for youth.[25] Actor Ryan Reynolds contended in an editorial in The Huffington Post that competitive eating is another example of Western gluttony at a time when so many others around the world are starving.[26] In the same article, retired competitive eater Don "Moses" Lerman mentioned some of the dangers of competitive eating when he said he would "stretch my stomach until it causes internal bleeding."

Dangers

Negative health effects of competitive eating include delayed stomach emptying, aspiration pneumonia, perforation of the stomach, Boerhaave syndrome, and obesity.[27]

Other medical professionals contend that binge eating can cause stomach perforations in those with ulcers and gulping large quantities of water during training can lead to water intoxication, a condition caused by diluted electrolytes in the blood.[28] Long term effects of delayed stomach emptying include chronic indigestion, nausea and vomiting.[29]

Discomfort following an event is common with nausea, heartburn, abdominal cramping, and diarrhea.[30] People may also use laxatives or force themselves to vomit following the event, with associated risks.[30]

Deaths

Most deaths have occurred from choking.[30]

  • In October 2012, a 32-year-old man died while competitively eating live roaches and worms. An autopsy revealed he choked to death.[31]
  • In July 2013, a 64-year-old Australian man, Bruce Holland, died in a pie eating contest.[32][33][34]
  • On July 4, 2014, a 47-year-old competitive eater choked to death during a hot dog eating contest.[35]
  • At a Sacred Heart University event on April 2, 2017, a 20-year-old female student died as a result of a pancake eating contest.[36] She died by choking.[37]
  • On August 13, 2019, a 41-year-old man choked to death after competing in an amateur taco eating competition at a Fresno Grizzlies baseball game.[38][39]
  • January 26, 2020, a woman died in Hervey Bay, Queensland in a lamington-eating contest on Australia Day.[40][41][42][43]

See also

References
  1. "Roundtable | Pie Fight". Lapham’s Quarterly. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  2. Johnson, Adrienne Rose (2016-08-01). "The Art of Competitive Eating". Gastronomica. 16 (3): 111–114. doi:10.1525/gfc.2016.16.3.111. ISSN 1529-3262.
  3. Suddath, Claire (2008-07-03). "Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  4. "About us". majorleagueeating.com. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  5. "The Rise of Major League Eating, America's New Favorite Pastime". Grandstand Central. 2019-07-25. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  6. "Joey Chestnut Sets New Record With 13th Hot Dog Eating Contest Win". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  7. Belson, Ken (2007-07-05). "The Winner and New Champion, With 66 Hot Dogs (Published 2007)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  8. "World Record Holders and Breakers - Takeru Kobayashi". www.recordholdersrepublic.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  9. "World Record Holders and Breakers - Joey Chestnut". www.recordholdersrepublic.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  10. Desk, Sport. "Miki Sudo sets women's record, wins seventh Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest | ESPN". The Global Herald. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  11. "Hot Dog Eating Contest Hall of Fame | Nathan's Famous". nathansfamous.com. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  12. "Miki Sudo's RecordSetter World Record Profile". recordsetter.com. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  13. "All Pro Eating Promotions". Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  14. "'A little powerhouse:' Eaters remember Torres". Las Cruces Sun-News. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
  15. "Major League Eating & International Federation of Competitive Eating". Ifoce.com. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
  16. "Competitive Eating: How Safe Is It?". Webmd.com. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
  17. "Scenes from a Vegan hot dog eating contest". Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  18. Force Fed Creative Loafing blog May 9, 2007. Retrieved on June 30, 2009.
  19. Eating champs to chow down at Everett wingding by Brian Alexander
  20. Dworkin, Andy. "Champion competitive eater shares his training, victory" The Oregonian online. July 15, 2008. Retrieved on June 28, 2009.
  21. Gullapalli, Diya. "You Have to Be in Good Shape To Eat 4.21 Hot Dogs a Minute" The Wall Street Journal. August 15, 2002. Retrieved on June 28, 2007.
  22. "Major League Eating & International Federation of Competitive Eating". Ifoce.com. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
  23. Roberts, Sam (August 18, 2010). "Mortimer Matz, Press Agent Extraordinaire". The New York Times.
  24. "Some find competitive eating hard to swallow." NBC News. November 21, 2007. Retrieved on July 4, 2009
  25. Vasel, Kathryn. "Competitive Eating Contests Bring in the Dough Archived 2010-01-25 at the Wayback Machine." FoxBusiness.com. January 31, 2008. Retrieved on July 4, 2009.
  26. Reynolds, Ryan. "Competitive Eating." Huffingtonpost.com. June 6, 2007. Retrieved on July 4, 2009.
  27. Lim, TZ; Rajaguru, K; Lee, CL (June 2018). "The Perils of Competitive Speed Eating!". Gastroenterology. 154 (8): 2030–2032. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2017.08.060. PMID 28870531.
  28. Sine, Richard. "Competitive Eating: How Safe Is It?." WebMD. Retrieved on July 4, 2009.
  29. Sine, Richard. "Competitive Eating: How Safe Is It?." WebMD. Retrieved on July 4, 2009.
  30. Albala, Ken (2015). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Food Issues. SAGE Publications. p. 275. ISBN 9781506317304.
  31. "Man Choked to Death After Roach-Eating Contest: Autopsy | NBC 6 South Florida". Nbcmiami.com. 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
  32. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/18/pie-eating-state-of-origin-death
  33. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/10190319/Australian-man-dies-during-pub-pie-eating-competition.html
  34. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/australian-man-dies-after-eating-chilli-pie-in-pub-pie-eating-contest-8719909.html
  35. "Man Dies at South Dakota Hot Dog Eating Contest". The New York Times. 2014-07-07. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
  36. "University Mourns Sorority Sister Who Died As A Result Of A Pancake-eating Contest".
  37. Swerdloff, Alex (4 April 2017). "Eating Competitions Killed Two People This Past Weekend". Vice. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  38. "Fresno man dies after competing in taco eating contest at Grizzlies baseball game". Fresno Bee. 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  39. Press, Associated (15 August 2019). "Man dies after taco-eating contest in California". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  40. https://www.newsweek.com/australa-chokes-death-lamington-cake-eating-competition-queensland-1484053
  41. https://www.cairnspost.com.au/lifestyle/food/woman-dies-after-choking-in-lamingtoneating-competition-on-australia-day/news-story/83f181567724eee63d3ae7860ce32db6
  42. https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/woman-dies-during-australia-day-lamingtoneating-competition/video/b1358c59de71b75d0d94af7423b9af59
  43. https://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/woman-chokes-during-oz-day-lamington-eating-comp/3929677/

Further reading
  • Eat This Book (2006)
  • Horsemen of the Esophagus (2006)
  • A Short History of the American Stomach (2008, Frederick Kaufman)
  • Clemens Berger: Die Wettesser. Roman, Skarabäus 2007 (The Competitive Eaters. A Novel)
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