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2009 NATHAN’S HOT DOG EATING CONTEST

July 4, 2009- Coney Island (NY)- Noon ET on ESPN

Compiled by Greg Dohmann, ESPN Stats & Information Group

HELPFUL WEBSITES

International Federation of Competitive Eating - http://www.ifoce.com/home.php

World Rankings - http://www.ifoce.com/rankings.php

DEFENDING CHAMPION

Joey Chestnut

TOP THINGS TO KNOW

1. Two-time defending champion Joey Chestnut will attempt to keep the Mustard Yellow Belt on American soil at the annual Fourth of July staple. Chestnut’s main competition is once again Japan’s Takeru Kobayashi, who won six straight titles from 2001-06 but has hinted this could be his last run at the event because of chronic jaw problems.

2. In last year’s event, Chestnut and Kobayashi each consumed 59 hot dogs in the newly reduced 10-minute time limit. They advanced to the event’s first “dog-off” since 1980, where Chestnut won by finishing five hot dogs in 50 seconds, seven seconds before his Japanese counterpart. On May 30, Chestnut and Kobayashi went mano-a-mano once again in The Pizza Hut P’Zone Chow-lenge during SpikeTV Guys' Choice Awards. Kobayashi prevailed, finishing 5 ¾ P’zones in six minutes to Chestnut’s 5 ½.

Joey Chestnut vs Takeru Kobayashi

Tale of the Plate

	Chestnut	Kobayashi
Age	25	31
Weight	230	160
Nickname	Jaws	The Tsunami
Nathan’s titles	2	6
IFOCE records held	15	4
Other specialty	Asparagus	Cow Brains

3. Despite his P’Zone P’erformance, Kobayashi remains third in the IFOCE world rankings. Patrick “Deep Dish” Bertoletti, who finished third in 2007 and fourth in 2008, remains second in the rankings. Last year’s third-place finisher, Tim Janus, is tied for fourth in the rankings with Philadelphia’s Bob Shoudt. The top 10 eaters in the IFOCE rankings will be on hand at Coney Island.

Top 5 Competitive Eaters

IFOCE Rankings

1. Joey Chestnut

2. Patrick Bertoletti

3. Takeru Kobayashi

T-4. Tim Janus

T-4. Bob Shoudt

4. Could the winner of the Mustard Yellow Belt be determined by the Mustard Yellow Card? In September, Major League Eating announced the creation of a new rule dubbed the “Mustard Yellow Card,” which allows officials to formally warn a competitor whose eating style is so messy that it impedes efficient counting of food consumed. After one warning, the judge has the ability to disqualify the competitor if the behavior continues. The rule was created partly in response to the aggressive chewing style of Juliet Lee, who finished eighth in last year’s competition.

5. Let’s be honest, it was only a matter of time: The first sanctioned cross-species eating competition will be held in cooperation with Nathan’s Famous on the eve of the main event (July 3 at 11 AM ET). Three competitors from Major League Eating – Patrick Bertoletti (ranked 2^nd), Juliet Lee (9^th), and Tim Brown (10^th) – will go head-to-trunk with three Asian elephants from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey – Bunny, Susie, and Minnie – in a six-minute hot dog bun-eating contest.

George Shea, chairman of Major League Eating, summed up the significance of this groundbreaking competition:

“This contest has significant implications for inter-species relations. If the humans win it shows we are unbeatable in this sport, and if the elephants win it will significantly enhance their stature in the animal kingdom.”

NEXT-LEVEL

* Chestnut’s success over the last two years can be attributed to his growing reputation as the game’s ultimate closer. Using the “Munch-Time Rating,” a variation of Alok Pattani’s Crunchtime Rating for the NBA, we see that after merely equaling Kobayashi over the final minute in 2006, Chestnut has out-dogged his competitor 12-7 in the final minute of regulation over the last two years.

* Does Kobayashi’s P’zone p’erformance indicate a return to his championship form? The portable calzone doesn’t lend itself nearly as well to speed eating as the hot dog, as evidenced by the lower level of food consumed per minute. The difference appears to be the carbohydrate factor. More than 47 percent of a P’zone’s calories come from carbohydrates as compared to just 32 percent for a hot dog. Kobayashi has a history of dominating carb-heavy foods - as his multiple “rice ball” titles attest. A return to the protein-packed franks likely evens the playing field.

P’Zone vs Hot Dog

Per Minute at Winning Speed

	P’Zone	Hot Dog
Time Limit	6 min	10 min
Winning Amount	5 3/4	59
Weight(grams)per minute	477.3	590.0
Calories per minute	1169.2	1752.3
Carbs per minute	138	141.6
% of cals from carbs	47.2	32.3

Joey Chestnut

IFOCE Records Held

- Asparagus - 8.8 pounds in 10 minutes

- Chicken Wings - 7.5 pounds in 12 minutes

- Chicken Wings, Long form - 182 wings in 30 minutes

- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches - 47 sandwiches in 10 minutes

- Gyoza - 231 chicken and vegetable gyoza in 10 minutes

- Hamburgers – 103 Krystal burgers in 8 minutes

- Horseshoe Sandwiches - 6 lbs, 5 oz in 12 minutes

- Hot Dogs - 66 Nathan's Hot Dogs and Buns in 12 minutes

- Jalapeno Poppers – 118 jalapeno poppers in 10 minutes

- Kolaches - 56 sausage and cheese kolaches in 8 minutes

- Pizza – 45 slices of Famous Famiglia pizza in 10 minutes

- Pizza Hut P’Zones – 4.82 pounds in 6 minutes

- Pork Ribs – 9.8 pounds in 12 minutes

- Pork, Pulled - 9 pounds, 6 oz in 10 minutes

- Pulled Pork Sandwiches – 45 in 10 minutes

Takeru Kobayashi

IFOCE Records Held

- Brats - 58 Johnsonville Brats in 10 minutes

- Cow Brains - 17.7 pounds in 15 minutes

- Lobster Rolls - 41 lobster rolls in 10 minutes

- Rice Balls - 20 pounds in 30 minutes

* Is there any chance that a dark-horse participant could challenge the two runaway favorites? If recent history is any indication, the answer is a resounding “no.” Since the Chestnut-Kobayashi matchup took over the contest in 2006, we have seen three different third-place finishers, and they have finished an average of 15.3 hot dogs out of second place.

* Even the very best among us have, in a moment of relative weakness, gorged ourselves uncontrollably on holiday food and fare. Luckily, most people aren't presented with a detailed rundown of their caloric misdeeds in the aftermath. Joey Chestnut isn't most people. The two-time defending champion consumed a total of 64 hot dogs in last year's contest (overtime included), and based on his individual nutritional needs, consumed nearly six days worth of calories, more than 10 days worth of fat, and more than 18 days worth of sodium in the process. But hey, it's probably one of those good fats.

* According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, the average American eats approximately 70 hot dogs per year.

Frankly Speaking- Fun Facts About Hot Dogs

* The average American eats approximately 70 hot dogs per year

* According to a 2009 survey, Major League ballparks expect to sell 21,233,839 hot dogs this year, enough to stretch to AND from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, the two sites of the 2008 World Series.

* On July 4^th, Americans will enjoy 150 million hot dogs, enough to stretch from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles more than five times.

* In a national survey, Babe Ruth was voted the most likely former or current athlete to win a hot dog eating contest.

* Nine percent of hot dogs are purchased at ballparks.

* Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Americans as a whole eat 818 hot dogs per second.

* Not surprisingly, New York was the top hot dog consuming city for 2008 with more than $100 million spent on the summer staple:

Top Hot Dog Consuming Cities- 2008

1. New York

2. Los Angeles

3. Baltimore/Washington

Other Notes:- Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, Last 8 Winners

’08 Joey Chestnut- 59

’07 Joey Chestnut- 66 (World Record)

’06 Takeru Kobayashi- 53.75

’05 Takeru Kobayashi- 49

’04 Takeru Kobayashi- 53.5

’03 Takeru Kobayashi- 44.5

’02 Takeru Kobayashi- 50.5

’01 Takeru Kobayashi- 50