Competition Blog

Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest was held over Fourth of July weekend on Coney Island. This year, long-time title-holder Joey Chestnut consumed 54 hot dogs and buns, winning the competition. Although this eating contest is one of the most famous in the world, there are many other opportunities to see people shove food in their faces as quickly as possible. Here are 11 unusual competitive eating contests.

Matzoh Balls

Kenny & Ziggy’s World Matzoh Ball Eating Championship challenges competitors to down as many of the Jewish staple as possible. Winners receive $1500.

Gyros

Niko Niko’s World Gyro Eating Championship in Houston, held in conjunction with the city’s Festival of Greece, gives eaters 10 minutes to ingest as many gyros as possible.

Ramen

To celebrate their restaurant’s eighth anniversary, the owners of Kinsahi Japanese Restaurant held a ramen-eating contest. The competition was divided in a prelimary round and a final contest to determine the fastest eater.

Raw Onions

In Maui, competitors chow down on raw onions. Believed to be the sweetest onions in the world, Maui Kula onions are the centerpiece of a yearly festival, which includes games, pairing dinners and chef demonstrations.

Cupcakes

Competitive cupcake eaters are popular on YouTube, but in this video, Xin employs the “dunking-it-in-water-first” technique to take the win.

Twinkies

These participants don’t look like they’re going to be competing professionally any time soon, but they sure did down more Twinkies in one sitting than I could ever fathom.

Ribs

At the Madison Bicentennial Rib-Eating Contest, several community officials, including the mayor, vie for the wining title in a competition to see who can finish their plate of ribs fastest.

Wings

Each year, on the Friday before the Super Bowl, Philadelphia hosts the WingBowl. Thousands of people fill a stadium. At last year’s event, Jersey Shore’s Snooki showed up for the festivities.

Burritos

Hosted by Moe’s Southwest Grille, this burrito-eating contest forces contestants to down four full-size burritos.

Asparagus

In Stockton, California, competitors attempt to eat the most deep-fried asparagus in this yearly contest.

Thanksgiving turkies

Famed female eater, Sonya Thomas smokes the competition at the Thanksgiving Turkey Invitational. In this video, she eats a 10-pound turkey in 12 minutes.