Eating Competition
The competition is free to all contestants 18 and over, and limited to the first 12 contestants who sign up. Locals may consider it fun. The professional IFOCE competitors likely will have fun competing, too, but they take the contest seriously.
Last year, Joey Chestnut spearheaded another exciting tempura fried asparagus eating contest and won the event by downing 8.8 pounds of the green vegetable. Pat Bertoletti placed second with 7.14 pounds and Erik the Red took third place with 4.75, edging out Juris "my abs don't lie" Shibiyama by a quarter of a pound.
This year's professional competitors include:
Joey Chestnut – Click here to read bio
Jason Erb
Nasty Nathan Biller
William Myers
Erik "The Red" Denmark – Click here to read bio
Eric Booker
Khoa Nguyen
Ryan Spoon
Nic Fry
Steuart Martens
Lily Pham
Jason Eng
Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti – Click here to read bio
Jezza Macaroni
Cameron McKirdy
Allen Tran
Joey Chesnut
Joey rose to lofty heights in record time, from winning Rookie of the Year for 2005 to defeating the great Kobayashi in the 2007 and 2008 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contests and the 2008 Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship.
His career consists of the 2005-2008 seasons, in which he won the asparagus title four times, set an astonishing new world record of 66 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes, five times beat Kobayashi, four times won the Chinook Winds rib-eating championship, dominated nearly every chicken wing competition he attempted, and most recently did the unthinkable by eating 103 Krystal hamburgers in only 8 minutes.
Joey Chestnut is truly an American hero and a national treasure.
Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti
"I believe the children are our future."
The IFOCE shares this sentiment and that is why, as an institution, it is so excited about the prospects of Patrick Bertoletti.
Bertoletti brings the passion of youth, and a strong jaw, to every contest he enters. But he is always respectful of the elder eaters, quietly watching them to learn their secrets and the way of this world.
Since January of 2006, he has shown a tremendous surge in power on the circuit, and has defeated every other gurgitator. With his recent victory over both Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi in the chicken wing discipline on Spike TV, Pat Bertoletti has cemented his name in the competitive eating history books.
Pat is a sweet specialist and holds nearly every pie record on the books. However, don't count him out of the more savory categories, as he clearly has a deep understanding of food. Pat graduated from culinary school in 2007. Most recently, Pat ate 67 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes and 85 Krystal burgers in 8 minutes.
Erik "The Red" Denmark
Erik "the Red" Torvaldsson was a Viking who murdered an Icelandic man he caught by his fire stealing cedar planks. Torvaldsson, who intended to grill a dinner of Arctic Char between the two planks, never meant to kill the thief but the people of Iceland exiled him anyway. Greenlanders
of the 10th century were quick to welcome Torvaldsson. They called him "the Red" in reference to his heated passion, revered his Viking hunger and showered him with respect.
Erik "the Red" Denmark, a 27-year-old golfer living in Seattle, embodies his namesake's passionate hunger and also enjoys a similar respect - not just from Greenlanders, but from all who have witnessed his tireless determination at the competitive eating table.
Active for just a short while, Erik the Red has competed in chicken wings, corned beef and cabbage, Nathan's hot dogs and Krystal Hamburgers. He boasts a certain tolerance for hot and spicy fare, having performed in jalapenos, huevos rancheros, and buffalo wings.
2008 Score Card
Place |
Score |
Prize |
Name | From |
1st |
8.8 |
$1,500 |
Joey "Jaws" Chestnut | San Jose, CA |
2nd |
7.14 |
$750 |
Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti | Chicago, IL |
3rd |
4.75 |
$500 |
Erik "The Red" Denmark | Seattle, WA |
4th |
4.5 |
n/a |
Juris "Dr. Bigtime" Shibayama | Murfreesboro, TN |
5th |
3.5 |
n/a |
Jason "The Erbivore" Erb | Vancouver, WA |
6th |
3.25 |
n/a |
"Nasty" Nathan Biller | Wichita Falls, TX |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
Eric Louie | n/a |