READy... STEADy...

EllE MiCh Ell” oARD Sh JUliET “CARDB Ely” lESCo “ThE lov ■ Has demolished lEE 152 chicken wings ■ Former chemistry 7Th in 10 minutes. professor turned in ThE ■ Uses her eating hair salon owner. woRlD career winnings to ■ Has taken home build drinking-water $36,115 in cash prizes. 14 Th wells in Africa. ■ Competitively ate 9Th in ThE ■ Her cupcake- six kilos of jellied in ThE munching record is cranberry sauce in woRlD woRlD 48 in six minutes. eight minutes.

MC12_FEAT_EATING_COMP4.indd 82 18/10/13 4:16 PM us report ... T n downtown LA, hundreds of AT!A spectators are filing into a con- E crete plaza that is shimmering In a country considered in the intense afternoon heat. the epicentre of the obesity On the recently constructed stage, shaded by a white mar- epidemic – but where one quee, sit half a dozen trestle in six people also go hungry tables, each one festooned with each day – there’s a sport ihuge takeaway cups filled with that sums up America’s soft drinks, iced tea and water. Backstage, a group of women are conficted food culture: getting ready. At one end of the roped- . off competitors’ area, an athletic Asian And who are the rising girl with a peroxide ponytail and tiny shorts is chugging on a sports drink, stars? Women, as Naomi as she listens to hip-hop through her Chrisoulakis discovers ... headphones. At the other, a 40-some- thing, encased in pink velour, is chatting to an excited friend, while a fifth woman, in vertiginous black heels and a dress decorated with plastic mod- els of sushi, is texting on her phone. The MC is whipping the crowd into a frenzy, bellowing into his microphone, “Are you ready to meet those who eat?” Nearby, a team of men and women are racing to fill dozens and dozens of plas- tic plates with gyoza. As the opening bars to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” pump through the sound system, the competitors stride onto the stage. The audience scream the names of their favourites. And as they take their places, side by side, each woman turns to face their Everest: piled-high plates of pan-fried Japanese dumplings. Today’s event – the Day-Lee Foods 43RD World Gyoza Eating Championship – is in ThE just one of the hundred or so eating woRlD competitions that take place in the US each year. At each belly-busting bout, competitors go head-to-head to vie for fame (at least within the competitive eating world) and fortune (the prize ■ MARy Has eaten 3.8 kilos pool for some events can top $60,000). of kimchi (fermented “i lovE A bit gross? Maybe. But it’s the world’s cabbage) in six minutes. fastest-growing sport, according to ■ Can eat 50 Cadbury ’EM hoT” organiser (MLE). Creme Eggs in six What was once considered a fair- minutes 15 seconds. BowERS ■ ground spectacle now comes with Did nine practice all the trappings of a legitimate ■ Creates food-themed sessions to prepare for athletic endeavour. There are huge, costumes for each event. this year’s Fourth of live audiences, sponsorship deals and ■ Has competitively July contest, national TV coverage. More people eaten, among other downing almost 45 hot tuned in to watch the sport’s flagship things, brain tacos and dogs during her last event – a hot dog-eating contest on 10-minute attempt. wild boar sausages. 

Evan Hurd Evan the Fourth of July – than watched the

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MC12_FEAT_EATING_COMP4.indd 83 18/10/13 4:17 PM us report

3rd High-ranking competitive eaters (from far in THE left) Matt “Megatoad” Stonie, Sonya “The world Black Widow” Thomas, Patrick “Deep Dish” Bertoletti and Bob “Notorious B.O.B.” Shoudt do battle with fried blAck dumplings. Far left: Nathan’s famous YA “THE Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. Son oMAS game widow” TH “Miki is a surprisingly powerful eater broadcast that day. Add to that ■ Has pocketed more than whose greatest asset is that she wants the burgeoning pay packets $206,000 in winnings. to win beyond anything else, and it (the sport’s superstars can earn ■ Has eaten 564 oysters drives a lot of the men crazy,” says six-figure salaries and command in eight minutes – which MLE co-founder George Shea. “When appearance fees of $10,000 per is a world record. a tiny woman beats a big huge guy, event) and the overall picture is ■ In 2003, she ate 65 it makes a bit of a mockery of them. less small-town entertainment hard-boiled eggs in six They don’t want to be the one who than booming sporting enterprise. minutes 40 seconds (then lost to a tiny woman.” But there is one key difference organisers ran out of eggs). Sudo admits she trains hard to between competitive eating and ■ To stay fit, she walks remain on form. She spends her most major athletic pursuits (and on a treadmill for two evenings improving her technique it’s not just the fact that few other hours, five days a week. (yes, there is technique involved), and sportspeople usually don Hooters submits to a preparation regimen that T-shirts and elasticised pants to involves a stopwatch and terrifying compete). Here, men and women com- a rib-eating contest earlier this year. amounts of food. When she’s not pete side by side – and, increasingly, it’s Sudo, who lives in Las Vegas, burst eating, she’s working out. “I like to go the female eaters who are dominating. onto the pro scene in April and, just in fit, to feel lean and at my healthiest,” This hasn’t always been the case. last August, broke the world kimchi reveals Sudo. “And I switch over to a Until a decade or so ago, women chal- record – eating an incredible 3.8kg liquid diet the day before – you want lengers were rare, and men reigned of the Korean fermented cabbage your digestive tract to be clear.” supreme. Then, in 2003, Sonya “The delicacy in six minutes. It’s a routine that the 163cm-tall, Black Widow” Thomas came on to the Tiny and blonde with long false eye- 52kg Michelle Lesco knows only too scene; weighing in at 48kg, she became lashes, Sudo is an events coordinator well. The 27-year-old youth worker a sensation when she not only took who was first introduced to the sport a from Arizona devotes her evenings to home the following year’s year ago through one of her local res- practice sessions that involve dozens (her record: 167 chicken wings in 32 taurants. “I heard about a challenge: of frankfurters, dumplings, ribs – or minutes), but beat a 185kg man in the eat 12 pounds [5.4kg] of Vietnamese whatever particular category Lesco process. From then on, the diminutive noodle soup, and win a $1500 jackpot,” has set her sights on conquering. brunette has been an inspiration to she recalls. “I did it ... Then I thought “[The training sessions] really other female competitive eaters. to myself, “Wait, I can eat while suck,” she admits, laughing. “Being Female competitive eaters like the having fun and make some money alone in a house and eating hot dogs five standing onstage in LA – alongside out of this? Let’s do more of these!’” for 10 minutes? You get into the first minute and you’re like, ‘This is the worst idea I’ve ever had.’” “i likE To go in fiT. i SwiTcH To Currently ranked 14th in the world, A liquid diET THE dAY bEforE – You wAnT Your digESTivE and having won nearly $12,000 in prize money, Lesco started out in the sport TrAcT To bE clEAr” coMpETiTivE EATEr Miki Sudo after a friend watched her devour a 1.5kg burger and dared her to test a clutch of men – who are all currently Since then, Sudo has climbed the her skills against the pros. Today, she eyeing the mountains of gyoza in ranks of professional eaters and is now is determined to dominate the field. front of them and waiting for the start- number seven in the world, having won “When I started three years ago, I said ing bell. Today, the prizes on offer more than $20,000 in prize money I’d never practice. That’s just a weird include $6000 and return flights to along the way. She is now recognised in threshold that I didn’t think I would Japan – and the women stand a good the street by fans who snap photos on ever cross. Now here I am, practicing chance of winning them. At the Fourth their phones and ask for autographs. for every competition.” of July competition, two of the top six “The other day I was grocery shopping, Lesco also runs up to eight kilome- contestants were women. and a woman just screamed from across tres, five days a week, but maintains Today, 27-year-old Miki Sudo is the fruit aisle: ‘Stop! Are you the girl she’s not really conscious of her diet looking forward to once again facing who ate the wings?!’” laughs Sudo. between competitions. off against world number one Joey Others in the industry have strug- “Post-contest, I tend to carry a 

“Jaws” Chestnut – having beaten him at gled to come to terms with her success. few extra pounds. I’m OK with that.” INF; CorbIs

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MC12_FEAT_EATING_COMP4.indd 84 18/10/13 4:48 PM us report Th “ThE MEREDi iED DivA” DEEp-fR gER ■ Entering an eating competition BoxBER was entry three on her bucket list – the rest is (deep-fried) history. 25Th ■ Like ? She can put away 23.5 in 10 minutes. in ThE ■ Holds the Canadian hot dog- woRlD eating record: 21.5 in 10 minutes.

points to raised cholesterol levels as an there I was hooked, and I joined immediate by-product of binge eating, Facebook just so I could follow the and while there’s little research on eaters and find out where they were competitive eating, “the potential for appearing.” Kitchenmaster tries to health problems is very high”. attend as many competitions and chal- Today, the female competitors lenges as she can, and has her favourites seem fit and healthy now, but they – Matt “Megatoad” Stonie is “so sweet”, admit they don’t feel great after their while Jason “Crazy Legs” Conti is “so Lesco has written on her blog: events. “It’s an unpleasant aftermath fun”. Later, she will loiter near the stage, “My metabolism is pretty killer, plus, because, as you can imagine, you have pen in hand, chatting to the competitors I poop a lot ... No, you don’t understand [kilograms] of very salty food [in your eagerly as they sign paper plates for her. – I mean a lot.” stomach],” says Sudo. “I get really “Eat!” screams the MC, and the Mary “I Love ’Em Hot” Bowers sleepy, and I’m kind of uncomfortable audience roars with excitement. Lesco (ranked 43rd in the world), a part-time for a day.” Surprisingly, none of them shovels in two dumplings at a time with model and project manager from seems to suffer from “reversals of for- her head down, glancing quickly at California, creates themed costumes tune” – as it’s known in the competitive Sudo, who’s near her. She’s throwing for each of her contests. She also blogs eating world – i.e. vomiting. her head back, then wiping her mouth about her exploits, writes recipes, and The organisers don’t believe the on her shoulder, a much practiced and hopes to one day produce a calendar, physical side effects are a problem. precisely choreographed technique. which will reflect her passion for food. “Clearly, if the schedule was like Lesco bounces up and down on the In between bouts, she maintains her basketball, where the athletes compete balls of her feet rhythmically while figure by following what she calls a “conscious diet”. “After a competition, something simple and healthy like a “in All of ThE EvEnTS wE D0, wE salad or shake is really good,” she says. pRoBABly ConSUME lESS ThAn whAT A SinglE gRoCERy Like Sudo and Lesco, Bowers entered the world of competitive eating SToRE ThRowS AwAy in A DAy” EvEnT oRgAniSER on a whim, but is staying because of the platform it gives her to encourage constantly, it would be unhealthy,” says she shoves handfuls of squashed gyoza other women to challenge themselves Shea. “It’s certainly not every single into her mouth. Cheeks bulge and in male-dominated arenas. weekend.” Shea also dismisses the French-tipped fingernails disappear “Once after a contest, I had a woman moral argument. “In all of the events between lips as ponytails bob and come over with her young child,” she that we do year round, we probably con- plates of dumplings disappear. Lesco remembers. “She looked at her daugh- sume less than what a single grocery tries dunking the gyoza in water as ter and said, ‘I’d like you to meet this store throws away in a day. But the emo- Bowers looks like she’s about to cry or woman because she’s very brave and tion behind the criticism is very valid, vomit – or both. The clock hits nine very strong’, and this little girl looked so we donate services and money to minutes as Lesco clutches her stomach up at me and said: ‘That means I can be food charities and food banks.” and raises her eyes to the cloudless whatever I want to be. It doesn’t matter sky. And then, it’s all over as the 10- if I’m the only girl.’” It was, she says ack in the plaza in LA, everyone’s minute buzzer sounds. shiny eyed, “an epiphany” that made Bwaiting for the countdown to Paper towels are held up to dis- her want to continue. begin, and few people seem dis- tended cheeks, eyes water, and the But not everyone’s a fan, with the tracted by the moral questions posed competitors look exhausted as they sport’s critics vehemently arguing it by their sport. As the clock ticks watch their plates being tallied. Sudo sends a dangerous message. “Nothing down, Sudo stretches out her neck as has managed 204 gyoza in 10 minutes, could be more wrong, as a country in Chestnut massages his famous jaw. placing her third ahead of at least the state we’re in regarding our health, Down in the crowd, Christine 10 men, who look a little shame-faced, than to hold eating contests,” says Kitchenmaster, 52, is just one of the and 64 dumplings behind the winner, dietitian Joseph Gonzalez from the fans who have turned up to watch their 21-year-old Stonie. “I wish my number Physicians Committee for Responsible favourite eaters ... well, eat. With eyes had been higher,” says Sudo, sweating. Medicine. “It just sends a bad message shining, the marketing executive “But I’m pretty happy for my first when there are a lot of concerns for describes how she was channel-surfing year. Anyway, I’ll be back.” ■ food availability in a lot of countries, on July 4, 2005, when she first came and even in America, there are plenty of across competitive eating. “The hot people who don’t get enough food.” dog-eating competition was about to In the time it took you to read Not only that, the sport poses phys- start ... it was just so funny and exciting, this story, Miki Sudo could have eaten 109 hard-boiled eggs.

ical risks for competitors. Gonzalez I got completely caught up in it. From InF; GEtty ImaGEs

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