I MADE IT! This past weekend was the be-all, end-all, SUPERBOWL of competitive eating. And, for the first time, I was there live and in person!
The Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest has become a yearly American tradition. Every Independence Day eaters flock to Coney Island in hopes of being the champ. Each year I watch it at home on ESPN and have always wanted to see it in person. And this was finally my year. I packed up my bag, flew halfway across the country and stood amongst the HUGE crowd to see the action!
Friday morning we arrived at Coney Island (not so) bright and early at 9am. Even though we got there three hours early there was already a big crowd and we weren’t able to get a prime viewing spot. We waited around on the outskirts and got some Nathan’s hot dogs and fries for breakfast. Soon enough they opened up another gate and we flooded in to try to get a better spot. Considering there were about 35,000 people there our spots were pretty good. All I have to say is thank god for my 300 uberzoom lens. (And all I additionally have to say is I am sososo sorry to anyone who I may have accidentally hit in the head…numerous times…with my lens. It’s really long and I don’t notice what it’s doing.)
We watched the countdown clock do its business and listened to the many opening acts. There were a few bands, performances by Mr. Badlands Booker himself (one of the competitors who recently found his way out of retirement), and some trampoliners.
Finally the competitors were announced and one by one took the stage. They came out in everything from the plain contest tee to purple jackets to a 007 tux to Cubs gear to almost nothing at all…
Takeru Kobayashi made his entrance decked in red and yellow dyed hair inspired by the famous condiments. I’ve been a CE fan for a while now and it’s been a goal to see Koby, one of the greatest eaters of all time, live so it was reassuring and thrilling to see him walk across the stage.
Last to hit the stage was Joey Chestnut, the reigning champ who last year at this time pulled ahead of Kobayashi to steal the Mustard Yellow Belt. Really, as much as I’m a Pat Bertoletti fan and want to bring the belt to Chicago, it was guaranteed that this would be a fight to the end between Joey and Kobayashi.
After introducing them all they were all sent away. These were merely the intros for the crowd and they would later do it all over again for the camera.
In the mean time we had more entertainment…including a marriage proposal and surprise “wedding” on stage between two fans.
Finally, the clock started winding down and the ESPN broadcast began with some pre-taped footage. Then the competitors were announced and once again took the stage.
As the contest was about to begin they positioned “Frankster” the hot-dog mascot on one of the wings…who directly blocked the entire competition from our view. We all started chanting “Hot Dog Move” but the hot dog just thought we meant he should dance. Luckily someone got him out of our way just before the final ten-second countdown began.
And then they were off…the competitors crammed hot dogs into their mouths, dipped buns into water and koolaid, crammed particles of food into every crevice their mouth could hold. Joey and Kobayashi were dead center and despite surges of eating power from their surrounding competitors it soon started to be their game. At any moment it was hard to tell just who was in the lead and how many dogs had been eaten.
The ten minutes went by entirely too fast and in the end it was hard to tell just who won…and then they announced it…a tie.
Kobyashi and Chestnut both finished 59 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Crazy.
Since we can’t leave the Fourth of July battle at a tie between America and Japan that could only mean one thing: overtime.
Each competitor had five hot dogs laid in front of them. The one who finished first would be declared the victor.
I couldn’t see much of it, since there was a photographer in the way (hmmm…what do I have to do to be that guy next year…) but from what I gathered they both ate their five hot dogs pretty darn quickly, but Chestnut managed to once again declare victory by stuffing five hot dogs down his throat in 50 seconds and America was the champion.
It’s hard to say how I feel. When you look at baseball I am not really a fan fan and even though I cheer on the White Sox I don’t usually (or at least only playfully) diss too much on the Cubs. But when the crosstown classic hits Chicago I am a diehard Sox fan through and through. But with eating I respect each eater individually, and while I have my favorites, I never really care too much as to who wins over the other. I think I was kind of hoping for a Koby win because it was always a goal of mine to see him compete in person and it may have made my life to see him win. But I am happy either way. As Marge Simpson says “Can’t I just bet that all the horses will have a good time?”
Event: Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest
Location: Outside of the Nathan’s Famous at Stillwell and Surf Avenues, Coney Island.
Cost: Free to see.
When: Every Fourth of July.
Date: July 4, 2008
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