12:02 pmby Chris HardestyAdd a Comment
On Kobayashi: Too bad he couldn't reach a deal with MLE. Like him or not, he was (and is) good for the sport.
12:00 pmby Nikki WallerAdd a Comment
...And ESPN cuts away, no mention of Kobi's apparent world-record feat, though in very different conditions.
11:59 amAdd a Comment
11:59 amby Chris HardestyAdd a Comment
Did you catch Joey kissing the Pepto bottle? Word is that they paid him 100,000 last year.
11:57 amKnow Thyselfby Chris HardestyAdd a Comment
MessageEater X predicted he'd eat 45. He knows his body.
11:57 amby Tom LorenzoAdd a Comment
Kobi now weighs in at 158.8 pounds, gaining 18.8 pounds in 10 minutes.
11:57 amby Chris HardestyAdd a Comment
I think the three chinese eaters ate the same amount as the one guy next to them.
11:56 amWorld Record Featby Tom LorenzoAdd a Comment
But wait - in Manhattan, Kobayashi has eaten 69 hot dogs in ten minutes, tying the world record. Strike that - BREAKING the world record.
11:55 amby Chris HardestyAdd a Comment
And it's now five-time champ Joey Chestnut in a walk: 62 dogs in 10 minutes.
11:54 amby Nikki WallerAdd a Comment
Deep Dish's hands are red. Why? According to Hardesty: Fruit Punch.
11:54 amby Chris HardestyAdd a Comment
That news [of Kobayashi] makes me wish he was here. Most exciting thing here is battle for fourth place.
11:53 amby Tom LorenzoAdd a Comment
Kobi has hit the 60 dog mark - well ahead of Joey Chestnut right now, who's at 55.
11:53 amby Chris HardestyAdd a Comment
MessageEaters on the outer edges of the table are hurting. Top five guys look like its just another day at work.
11:52 amby Nikki WallerAdd a Comment
So if Kobayashi breaks a record, will it count? 68 is the number to beat.
11:51 amby Chris HardestyAdd a Comment
Gravy Brown had a reversal of fortune! First I've seen in a major competition.
11:50 amby Tom LorenzoAdd a Comment
At halfway mark Kobi at 51 dogs, according to the score keeper.
11:50 amby Nikki WallerAdd a Comment
At home, my husband (who is not, it must be noted, American) wonders: if you have a 'reversal of fortune', but eat it again, are you back in the game?
11:49 amby Chris HardestyAdd a Comment
Eater X is lagging behind.
11:48 amby Tom LorenzoAdd a Comment
According to scorecard, Kobi at 35 dogs 3 minutes in.
11:48 amby Nikki WallerAdd a Comment
The Chinese competitors appear to be having a leisurely snack. You can practically hear "Baby Elephant Walk" playing in the background.
11:48 amby Nikki WallerAdd a Comment
Notorious B.O.B., keeping his cool. Chestnut appears to be in pain.
11:47 amby Chris HardestyAdd a Comment
Deep Dish a little sloppy today.
11:46 amby Tom LorenzoAdd a Comment
Kobayashi: 5 dogs in less than 30 seconds so far.
11:45 amby Nikki WallerAdd a Comment
Deep Dish is a culinary school grad...seems like his fortunes may be reversing soon.
11:45 amby WSJ StaffAdd a Comment
AND THEY'RE OFF!
11:44 amBarbaric Yawpby Nikki WallerAdd a Comment
"Reversal of fortune" = competitive eating's term of art for the technicolor yawn. Must remember to use that with my infant.
11:42 amTeenage Wastelandby Chris HardestyAdd a Comment
The background song for Joey' intro is that 'teenage wasteland.' Might be an apt description for some of the characters I've seen this morning at the corner of Surf and Stillwell.
11:41 amby Tom LorenzoAdd a Comment
At 230 FIFTH, Kobayashi has just snapped a latex glove on one hand. The crowd, so enthusiastic a moment ago, grows perplexed.
11:40 amby Nikki WallerAdd a Comment
Joey Chestnut is introduced, the crowd chants his name. He appears to have popped over after mowing the lawn. It's humid out there, folks.
11:38 amEater Xby Nikki WallerAdd a Comment
Eater X was a foundling in Tangiers, according to Shea. A man of mystery, even to himself. The crowd is loving this guy.
11:36 amby Tom LorenzoAdd a Comment
Kobi is filling ten large glasses of hot water for dipping his hot dogs into. The steam rises from the cups
11:36 amby Chris HardestyAdd a Comment
Hot dogs are fun, but competitive eaters really like softer things - oysters, for example, that don't require a lot of jaw work.
11:35 amby Tom LorenzoAdd a Comment
Back in Manhattan, Kobayashi is wearing a 'Kobi Unleashed' t-shirt. He takes heavy breaths on stage.
11:34 amby Nikki WallerAdd a Comment
The eaters from China are being introduced. One is called 'The Great Wall of China.' Crowd reactions are muted -- fear of empire's end?
11:33 amby Chris HardestyAdd a Comment
Eater introductions seem to be shorter this year than in years past...
11:32 amKobi's Hereby Tom LorenzoAdd a Comment
Kobayashi shows. The crowd erupts!
11:31 amby Nikki WallerAdd a Comment
A-Train has eaten 18.5 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to 'honor the memory of Elvis.' Aww.
11:30 amby Chris HardestyAdd a Comment
As Shea is listing the varied accomplishments of the competitive eaters, something to note: Many eaters say Nathan's contest is their favorite, but few will say hot dogs are their favorite 'discipline.'