Exactly one week after the world's best competitive eaters displayed their talents at Coney Island on ESPN, many of them made the trip across the country to converge on the small community of Lincoln City on the Oregon Coast.
The Chinook Winds Casino once again hosted the International Federation of Competitive Eating sanctioned world rib eating championships, which have regularly attracted professional eaters. In the past, Joey Chestnut, ranked #1 in the world by the IFOCE, has had little competition at the event. Erik "the red" Denmark and Rich LeFevre usually were competing for second and third place in past years.
This year, Major League Eating announced days before the event that in addition to regular attendees such as Denmark, Jason "the erbivore" Erb, and Cameron "consumption" McKirdy; the field would gain some much needed depth with the addition of rookie of the year "Big" Ben Monson and #4 ranked Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti. In the past, Bertoletti has been ranked #2 in the world, even surpassing international sensation Takeru Kobayashi.
An afternoon of live music and prize drawings courtesy of Chinook Winds Casino preceded the climax of the weekend's festivities as the professional eaters prepared to eat their way to over $2000 in prize money to be split among the top three finishers. The top four finishers in Saturday's amateur rib eating competition were invited to compete in the finals as well.
A field of fourteen took their places at the table, all appearing anxious to take home the winnings. Returning champion Joey Chestnut expressed some concern about Betroletti's abilities shortly before the contest began. Chestnut had easily won the event five years in a row previously.
Plates were brought out to the table with five pound of ribs carefully measured out onto each one. Then, a brief discussion of the rules and a warning that a "reversal of fortune", competition vernacular for vomiting, would result in a disqualification. For the first time in many years at Chinook Winds, this warning would not be an ominous foreshadowing of things to come.
After introductions and instructions, the crowd chanted a countdown and the competitors began devouring the towering plates of ribs. Pat Bertoletti appeared to take an early lead, drawing the gathered crowd into a frenzy. This year's crowd appeared much larger than in past years, perhaps due to interest generated by the drama following Chestnut's win on July 4th, with the arrest of #3 ranked eater and legend Takeru Kobayashi.
The favorites, Chestnut and Bertoletti appeared to be evenly matched throughout the competition, with Ben Monson right with them for the entire 12 minutes. As time continued to expire, so did some of the weaker competitors, as the amateur qualifiers realized that competitive eating takes more than willpower. One in particular simply gave up rather than risking "urges contrary to swallowing".
At around 8 minutes in, several in the field began to slow, having hit the physical limits of normal human endurance. The top eaters showed no such tendencies. Bertoletti continued to outpace Chestnut, and the two of them pushed one another to their limits, right to the end. With a minute to go, it was clear why the top ranked professionals are consistently at the top of the competitions.
Eventually, the emcee counted down the final seconds, and the eaters stepped back from the table. The table and surrounding areas resembled a ghastly crime scene, with detritus spattered everywhere and rib sauce covering every item in sight.
Competitors waited as the remains were weighed. Some paced impatiently, a few sat in exhaustion, while others grimaced in pain and endured what some refer to as "meat sweats". The competition had appeared to be very close, and due to the nature of the food in this event, it would be hard to judge how much actual meat had been consumed until the bones and leftovers were weighed.
Finally, the results were announced, with Joey Chestnut successfully defending his title. It had been the closest competition in recent years at the Chinook Winds Smokin' at the Ocean event, creating an exciting atmosphere for those in attendance. The top 6 finishers were as follows:
1 - Joey Chestnut 9.5 lbs
2 - Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti 8.5 lbs
3 - "Big" Ben Monson 7.65 lbs
4 - Erik "the red" Denmark 5.50 lbs
5 - Ryan "Big Red" McKillop 4.50 lbs
6 - Jason "Erbivore" Erb 3.65 lbs
Cameron and Andrew McKirdy of Seaside, Oregon made a strong showing as well, with both brothers finishing with over three pounds of rib meat consumed. Cameron, a regular at this competition, is actively involved in documenting the competitive eating events he attends, and had cameras with him at the venue recording all of the action throughout the afternoon.
The inclusion of Bertoletti and Monson created an environment of real competition on Sunday, unlike in years past when Chestnut's win was a foregone conclusion, just as it was in Coney Island this year with the absence of Kobayashi. The aftermath of that event has generated opinion by several of the circuit's competitors, with Cameron and Andrew McKirdy discarding their event tee shirts and sporting "Free Kobi" shirts after the competition. Fifth place finisher Ryan McKillop was seen wearing a shirt bearing a contrary statement with an expletive preceding "Kobi" before taking the stage.
Regardless of their views on a certain international sensation that was not in attendance, all of the professionals in Lincon City were gracious and well mannered, showing patience and gratitude to the hundreds of fans in attendance hoping to get a photo, an autograph, or just a moment of conversation with the men they had seen on national television a week before.
For more on the International Federation of Competitive Eaters, navigate to ifoce.com
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