She’s cute. I bet some guys have fallen into the trap of taking her out to eat.
(After he’s done, staring slack-jawed in awe at her eating prowess)
Bitch…is this the first time you’ve ever eaten! Stop! I only have so much money! Noodles are cheap, but ALL the noodles are expensive! Stop!
The contest is on ESPN. Competition official begins around 12:30, I believe. Here’s the IFOCE*'s top eaters, most of which are in the competition. Kobayashi is still considered the champ since he is the defending champion of the Nathan’s contest- Chestnut’s record was set at a preliminary round in Arizona last month.
*Int’l Fed. of Competetive Eating.
IFOCE All-time records- look for Kobayashi, Chestnut, and Sonya Thomas
I think this is the first time I’ve ever watched ESPN.
4 minutes in, Kobyashi 4 behind Chestnut.
ETA: 7 minutes, Kobyashi now only down by 2
3 minutes left, tied. Both at 54 (record)
Final verdict up in air…number of dogs? Did Kobayashi have a “reversal of fortune” (vomit)?
Judges debating…Chestnut finished with 66, Kobyashi looked like he threw up his last (63rd) dog.
Announcer is drawing parrallels to Gen. Washington’s military victories…
Chestnut offical winner with 66, Kobyashi second place at 63.
I haven’t eaten anything yet today…and yet I feel full…
That was a great competition, but now, to validate it, Joey must travel to Japan and take him on his own turf.
Kudos to Mr. Kobayashi. Coming in and putting up those huge numbers after that kind of injury. You’re a bad man, Japanese brother. Yes you are.
I think Kobayashi tied him, but the reversal of fortunes at the end did it. I’ve got to take a shower now.
I for one will sleep better tonight knowing that the most important gluttony record is back in the hands of the Americans, where it belongs.
Worst thing is, there were a bunch of little kids watching that on TV, saying “Wow! I wanna do that when I grow up!”
Followed promptly with a bunch of shifty-eyed parents saying “Um…what about football? Golf? Hockey! Please?”
Now switching to Nathan’s Announcer mode…
OH MY GODDDDDD!!! THIS IS THE GREATEST VICTORY SINCE ALI VERSUS FRASIER, BUT ONLY IF FRASIER WAS ACTUALLY VISHNU WITH ALL THOSE ARMS AND EVERY PUNCH OF HIS LANDED IN ALI’S GROIN!!! THE MUSTARD BELT IS FINALLY COMING BACK TO AMERICAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
Okay, I’m done now.
Does anyone else smell a goold ol’ American conspiracy here? In competitive eating a guy going from a PR of 52 dogs, after years of contests, to 59 to 66 in a span of a month is not bloody likely. My guess- Chestnutt was surreptitously given shorter dogs than the other competitors. Nathan’s is probably tired of a foreigner winning their contest on America’s day. Someone needs to hire a private dick, or a least analyze the tape. Seriously.
Thought that myself. We were thinking that if Kobayashi was ahead of Chestnut, the reversal of fortuns would cost him. If he wasn’t, they’d count if and Chestnut would win.
No way. Nathan’s Famous stands to lose way too much, they have an important brand name that is worth quite a bit.
As far as the foreigner angle–Kobyashi is the best thing that has come along for them. Very few had really heard about the contest before he elevated it into the stratosphere. A few years, countless news stories, an ESPN contract and (probably) an enhanced market share later they would cheerfully welcome him back any time.
Except wasn’t Kobyashi’s improvement even more impressive. I think his personal best is something like 54, and it looked like he’d been within a dog or two of that number for several years. So today was like a 15% improvement for him in one afternoon.
Kind of silly, and more then a little gross, but still some good TV. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a competition of any activity where the two leaders both blew past the world record like that.
I’m definitely opting for the hamburgers at the cookout in a few hours. Where’s the barf smiley when you need it?
You mean the “reversal of fortunes” smiley?
You are correct, although it can be argued we never saw his true potential before today, as he has rarely been challenged by another competitor.
Also, what gives on the winning number of hot dogs eaten? In the 80’s you could win by eating less than 20 dogs- why did the winning number more than triple in the last 20 years?
I think Kobayashi was great for the contest at first, becasue he brought it into the semi-mainstream, but now having an American beat him is best for the contest- American pride, and all that.
A North American already creamed Kobayashi in a widely-televised contest, as mentioned upthread. With flags and everything. And the North American was barely even trying:
Sure it was a bear, but still…
Here’s hoping Kobayashi gets the TMJ cured and gets his crown back. Gotta love that guy.
He always has nifty interviews afterwards, too.
…because the Japanese finally turned their attentions to it? 
My guess is that its Kobsyashi’s influence, and the fact that before him competitive eating was more or less a lark for those involved . His first few years he was the only person that would break out of the ~20 dog range. He inspired a few other people to take it more seriously, and it turns out that when people put their minds to it, they can scarf down a lot more hotdogs.
Looking at the results, even now theirs a fair gap between the winners and the rest. More then half come in under 30, and the next highest after Kobayashi didn’t break 50.