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With the Empire State Building as a backdrop and a drag queen named Mimi Imfurst cracking jokes about stuffing wieners into Anderson Cooper's mouth, Takeru Kobayashi executed an improbably perfect "up yours" to the Nathan's hot dog eating contest, from which he's been barred over a long-running contractual dispute that we examined yesterday. Today, Kobayashi gobbled 69 hot dogs and buns, one more than his nemesis Joey Chestnut's world record and seven more than Chestnut ate on Coney Island to claim his fifth straight Nathan's title. So what if it was impossible to keep track of how many hot dogs Kobayashi actually ate. He ate a ton. Everyone had a great time. Happy Fourth of July, patriots. More »
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On a May evening, in a cramped biergarten behind a German restaurant off the Bowery in Manhattan, Takeru Kobayashi sat down to a plate of Rheinischer Sauerbraten mit Kartoffelklößen und Rotkraut. First, he produced a small camera and began photographing the sauerbraten for his blog, where he catalogs his personal gustatory experiences. He was dressed in yellow pants, a summer scarf, and a blazer with multicolored markings resembling graffiti. Some nearby diners looked up when the camera flashed, but Kobayashi, the great Kobayashi, went unrecognized, in the city where he became a celebrity. More »
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We deputized AnimalNY's Bucky Turco to document the goings-on in Coney Island yesterday. This is what he came back with. ("Sorry, just woke up," he writes.) More »
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Takeru Kobayashi, upset over a non-compete clause in his contract, started all kinds of trouble in Coney Island yesterday. He's facing charges of obstruction, resisting arrest, trespassing and disorderly conduct. If this is a stunt, the DA's not in on it. [AP] More »
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Takeru Kobayashi didn't compete in today's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, but he showed up at Coney Island anyway and got himself arrested. We were there and got some video. More »
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Three years ago, the former proprietor hereabouts immersed himself in the world of moist sausage and watched as a proud America reclaimed what is rightfully hers: the world championship for cramming hot dogs in one's distended mouth. More »
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Is there anything more distinctly American than celebrating our independence by holding a contest to see who could consume the most processed meat? Photographer Erin Siegal and I ventured out to Coney Island to take it all in. More »
]]> http://deadspin.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5307965&view=rss&microfeed=true Coors Light has a new ad campaign with ... a competitive eater. Unfortunately, it's Kobayashi, proving that unerring sense of timing. We're hoping that the Guinness or Red Stripe guys sign up thre great American that is Joey Chestnut. Brilliant! More »
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As mentioned yesterday, we headed to Coney Island for the epic Kobayashi-Chestnut duel. We can't imagine a better way to spend our Fourth of July. A confession: For the first time since we started the site, we accepted a press pass for the event. It was a tough call, but, frankly, we feel rather comfortable that our association with The International Federation Of Competitive Eating is not something that will force us to compromise our integrity in the future. More »
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We just returned from Joey Chestnut's world record breaking performance at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Championship, and, to be entirely honest with you, we're not sure when we've had more fun at a sporting event. Full report tomorrow ... but as for now ... USA! USA! USA! Nobody eats like us! More »
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After months of speculation and anticipation, tomorrow, the day finally arrives: It's Kobayashi vs. Chestnut, for the Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Championship. More »
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Longtime readers know of our fascination with competitive eating and, specifically, Takeru Kobayashi, who is the closest thing to a Babe Ruth that we've had in any competition in 80 years. (You know, since Babe Ruth.) Not only did he destroy all hot dog eating records, he legitimized — well, "legitimized" — the whole enterprise, setting a training standard that everyone now follows. And he's never been beaten in the hot dog competition. More »
]]> http://deadspin.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=268450&view=rss&microfeed=true LeBron James wasn't the only world-class athlete who made a significant breakthrough yesterday. Joey Chestnut sucked down 59 and 1/2 hot dogs in 12 minutes, breaking Takeru Kobayashi's previous record of 54 and 1/4. The feat was accomplished, as so many notable athletic feats are, at the Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe. More »
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