jimmy johns. but not really.

Let me take you on little a photo journey of our adventure to the Jimmy John's Eating Contest....

Once upon a time, Trey and I got in the car and decided to drive to Charlotte.  We were excited to journey to Speed Street to see the Jimmy John's eating contest.  To get from Winston-Salem to Charlotte, you have to go through Concord.  Concord is where the big NASCAR race is. 

When there is a race, there is race traffic.  When there is race traffic, you can sit on I-85 for hours without moving an inch.  When sitting in traffic a long time, a person can get annoyed.  Very annoyed.  So annoyed that.....

a person gives up on their journey to drive right into a rain/hail storm.  So ends the Jimmy John's contest adventure.  We didn't make it to the contest so we went back home and ate pizza and I was asleep by 9:30.  Jamie will have to fill you in on her Speed Street experience.

Luckily, the next day, Trey and I went to Tennessee and had big beers and went to eat at Krystal.  All became right with the world once again.

--Sadie

Day 6: 4th of July!

Yet another early start for us on our trip, but it was easy to get out of bed knowing what was to come on this 4th of July. Bagels in hand, we got on the subway again for the long journey to Coney Island. We got to Surf & Stillwell around 8:40 Saturday morning, trying to scope out a good spot to stand for today's momentous event. Gates were set up all around the stage area so no one was really allowed to get close to the stage. Around 9:30 security opened up those gates to let in the masses and we fought our way to the front like crazy women fight for a free snow globe on the day after Thanksgiving. We ended up getting spots right in the spray zone and were surround by fans from all over the country who soon became our friends for the day. A couple from California right in front of us came to cheer on Kobayashi. Some Pennsylvania boys beside of us were die hard Joey Chestnut fans who came to NYC without telling their parents, hoping they wouldn't be spotted ESPN.

Nathan's did a good job of keeping us entertained for the 4 hours we stood there in the hot sun before the contest began even though they passed out thundersticks. Ever since last year's Krystal Square Off I have decided that thundersticks have to be the most annoying thing ever invented. Anyway, some old school funk type band played for a while and there were a few circus acts performed on the stage including jump ropers, weenie dogs who can do tricks, and a contortionist/gymnast type person. George Shea also did a pretty sweet Michael Jackson tribute--moonwalking and doing the MJ lean.


One of the best parts of the pre-show was Badlands Booker's rap about saving Coney Island. It kind of got down right political; people were yelling "TAKE US NOW" right along with Badlands and everybody seemed to get into it. It was awesome to be there right in the middle of it. Badlands Booker: if you read this you should totally post a recording of that song online.

Finally, at high noon, the big show had begun. The bunnettes came out on stage and it was cool to see some of them after reading the bunnette boot camp stuff online. We had been reading Zoe's blog and were glad she made it as a bunnette this year. Next, the eaters were announced. The eaters only had one introduction this year, not really giving them a lot of time to flaunt their stuff on stage. The intros actually seemed a little rushed. Pat Bertoletti came to the contest dressed as Tony Clifton, and as a long time Andy Kaufman fan, I thought it was an excellent idea! The crowds screamed for the favorites as they were announced, and everyone was excited to get the show on the road. We did notice that one eater was missing--Rich LeFevre. We didn't find out until a few days later that he was absent because of an illness. The judges were brought out and Beautiful Brian Seiken was judging right in front of us and gave Jamie his camera to take some pictures for him.

Around 12:40 the countdown started and the eaters began eating the first few minutes were chaotic to watch, not knowing where to look. It was exciting to be right in front of the stage, but it was also hard to see around the judges. Joey and Kobayashi looked to be neck & neck throughout most of the competition and Eater X definitely held his own as well. From where were standing it was hard to see Pat Bertoletti but we knew he had to be close as well. We had a really good view of Hall Hunt, Juliet Lee, and Humble Bob so we cheered them on from our spot in the spray zone.


In the end, Joey Chestnut won the contest eating 68 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes, Takeru Kobayashi in 2nd with 64.5, Pat Bertoletti in 3rd with 55, and Eater X in 4th with 53. Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas also set a new female record eating 41 hot dogs and buns.

After the contest, Jamie managed to get a left over hot dog and we went to the boardwalk. It was nice to finally sit down after standing up for five hours. We got a little sunburned during the contest, but that wasn't something a few beers at the after party couldn't fix. It was fun getting to hang out with some eaters and friends after the contest and we even met some people we hadn't met in person (Steakbellie, Crazy Leg's mom, & others). We even got a personal invite to the after-after party by none other than Crazy Legs Conti himself.

By 3:00, our stomachs were telling us it was time to go, and we headed back to Manhattan. We made a mad rush to McDonald's because we hadn't eaten in like 8 hours and nothing seemed more delicious at the time than a double cheese burger and a large chocolate shake. Bellies full and rested up, we got ready and went out to the after-after party. The night was filled with drinking many drinks, making new friends, blowing in a breathalyzer, and doing our best drunk white-girl dance. A fun night was had by all.

Sunday morning at 7:14am, we boarded our train and rode from Penn Station to Trenton, Trenton to Philly, and drove the long haul from Philadelphia to North Carolina, arriving back home Sunday night. Round trip, we spent 986 miles driving in a car and probably 200 miles on a train. Totally worth it--I would do it again tomorrow if I could.

Being at Coney Island on July 4th was the most American way I could ever imagine spending Independence Day. This will definitely be the first of many more July 4th trips to New York City!

For more pictures, from our trip click here!

We've got a few videos from our trip that I have yet to upload, so be sure to check back for those.

Thanks for reading, ya'll. See ya at Krystal on September 27th (...or maybe before, who knows)!
--Sadie

Day 5: Humans vs Elephants/Touring NYC

Friday morning greeted us with a list full of fun activities. We mapped our routes for the day which started by taking the subway from Manhattan to Coney Island to witness the first ever elephant vs human bun eating contest. Once in Coney, we walked around the boardwalk for a while and finally made our way to the Boom-A-Ring circus area for the morning events. As fans of all things white trash, we were excited to find Gravedigger (the monster truck) on display at the circus.

We met up with fellow eating fan, Valerie, who managed to get in the press area and was able to take some amazing pictures. Before the contest began, we were able to talk to Juliet Lee who is as lovely in person as she is in pictures. It was pretty exciting because she knew who we were even before we introduced ourselves.

Right before the contest began, there were some PETA protesters right outside of the gate yelling stuff about Ringling Brothers and how they treat their animals. Coming from small-town North Carolina, we had never seen any PETA protesters before in real life, so that was interesting. Anyway, the humans put up a good fight against the elephants, cramming as many buns as possible in their mouths, but the gentle giants prevailed in the end. It was actually pretty cute watching the elephants eat because sometimes one bun would fall on the ground and they would reach down and grab that single bun instead of a big bunch of buns on the table. In the end, the humans ate a combined 147 buns and the elephants ate a total of 505.

After watching mass bun consumption, it was time for us to do some eating of our own. Carrie, Jamie, Valerie, and I made our way over to Nathan's Famous on the corner of Surf and Stillwell to experience the glory of a Nathan's Hot dog--well they did, I had chili cheese fries instead. I am not a hot dog eater--at all--but I did taste a bite of Carrie's chili dog just to say that I had eaten one, and it was pretty good (for a hot dog).

We made our way over to the Coney Island Cyclone which was a pretty big damn deal for us because of our past roller coaster obsession. Any coaster enthusiast knows that the Coney Island Cyclone is the ride everyone must take at least once in their lives, and riding it was amazing! We each sat in our own seat and were tossed around on every turn and were lifted out of our seats, experiencing maximum airtime. The Cyclone is officially the best wooden coaster in the world!

Leaving Coney Island, we found our way through Brooklyn to Junior's restaurant for a slice of cheesecake. The slices were huge, and still being full from Nathan's, we decided to split a piece of devil's food cheesecake. Excellent choice on our part, because the cream cheese mixed with the dark chocolate was a tasty combination.

After consuming thousands of calories between Nathan's and Junior's we decided that it would be a good idea to walk back to Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge. Walking the bridge was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip because we were able to see great views of the city without being rushed.

Other things we did on our day of being tourists:
-Saw Wall Street/New York Stock Exchange
-Visited Canal Street and bought knock offs (Carrie got a purse, I got a watch. Both broke within 24 hours.)
-Found the outside shot of the Cosby Show house
-Saw the Dakota, where John Lennon was shot
-Went to Strawberry Fields
-Walked around Times Square at night
-Ate at the Magnolia Bakery (I had a brownie with cream cheese icing/toffee/pecans. DELICIOUS!)

Overall, our touristy day in New York was busy and awesome. Next post: 4th of July!

Myrtle Beach

My first taste of real competitive eating was quite an adventure.

Friday morning, my two friends Kelly and Allyson came to my house, and we set off toward my Aunt's new condo in North Myrtle Beach. We followed my dad, and two grandparents who were going to stay in the condo and visit with my aunt and uncle. The trip was going perfectly fine, when I had to stop and get gas in South Carolina. I had directions with me, so my Dad drove on and we were on our own. I do a pretty decent job with directions and maps, so I wasn't worried. The only problem: I was driving, and navigating at the same time. We ended up missing a turn and going through the city of Darlington as opposed to the route that would take us around the city. As I was reading directions and driving, I did not realize the speed limit had reduced to 35, and that there was a cop waiting to catch speeders. I got pulled over for going 51 in a 35. The cop asked if we had just graduated, I told him politely no, we were going to a Hot Dog Eating Contest and luckily he wrote me a warning because he didn't want to ruin our weekend. It was a very pleasant surprise and I definitely watched the speed limit from then on.

We made it to the condo in about 5 and a half hours. Which isn't terrible considering we stopped to eat twice, got gas, pulled over and slightly lost. After getting there, we walked to the beach and enjoyed the Atlantic ocean and the hot tubs at a beachside hotel.

Later that evening, I wanted to be sure I knew how to get to the Hard Rock Park. It took approximately 30 minutes to get there from our condo and I was getting excited for the next day.

The next morning, I woke up early because I was just too excited to sleep. I decided to go on a short run (mainly because I am not the cross country runner I used to be, and a short run is all i can do.) and came back to get ready. To our luck, it started storming, brutally. I wasn't sure if my friends would want to go to the park since i only had one extra ticket, so they would each have to pay 20 dollars to get in. I didn't want them to spend their money and not be able to ride any rides. However, they decided to go, and by the time we got to the park, it was clear.

We got to the park and rode the Eagles: Life in the Fast Lane roller coaster. it was a small roller coaster, but fun. The Eagles were blaring during the whole ride.

It got to be about 11:00 and I made my way to the amphitheater. I discovered that I was the only girl competing, got my t-shirt and signed the waiver. While I was waiting in the backstage area, I began to get nervous and my adrenaline was pumping. The Emcee (Micheal I believe was his name. He gave me his card but I don't have it with me right now.) began the introductions. I waited and waited for my name to be called. Come to find out, I would not be a table-ender at all. There was one person in between Allen goldstein and myself. I was in the middle. I have all of the introduction on video, but then when the national anthem played, my friend who was filming turned off the recording and forgot to hit record again. Hopefully I can get in touch with someone who was also videoing and get a copy.

The countdown began and I was off. I didn't notice anything around me. When Crazy Legs Conti talks about the zen in each contest, I definitely know what he is saying. It was just me and the hot dogs. Toward the end, I began to felt the wall. they announced 30 seconds, and I chipmunked my 9TH HOT DOG!. I definitely felt that last one, and had to hold back from spitting it out. I hate to say it, but the hot dogs were not very tasty. The wieners were cool, not even warm, but I guess that is for safety.

Anyway, I do not know the exact results, but I am guessing I came in about 5th place. Allen Goldstein finished first with 22 or 23, the second was 18, and third 13. I talked to a few later who ate less than me, and were quite embarrassed to be beaten by a girl.

Immediately after the contest was over, I was feeling fine. I guess the elation of finishing the "race" had my endorphins pumping. I knew I wouldn't ride any rides yet though. Kelly and Allyson rode a few, and I went back to my car to get some money for a soft drink and sit for a while. It was probably 3 hours after the contest, and as I went back to the park to get a drink, I began to get nauseous. I couldn't hold it, I had to go to the bathroom and face urges contrary to swallowing. I tried not to, but there was no way I could keep that last hot dog down. After that, I was fine to ride some rides and ended up riding Led Zeppelin: The Ride three times.

It was a fun weekend and Hard Rock Park was a pretty cool place. I hope to be able to enter a few contests again!

more to come

quick recap of hog happenin' eating contests, more to come later:

friday night:
-no pictures :[
-mulletted man destroys everyone in the Osama's Extra Hot Hot Wings contest
-older man wins pizza
-kids compete in pies

Saturday:
-we will post pictures and videos sometime!
-I (Jamie) end up competing in the pizza contest. i didn't win, but i think i came in second. the pizza was super hot and i about choked on the cheese a lot. the roof of my mouth is raw from the hot cheese too.
-Sadie's Hungry Husband: Trey, and our Hungry Father: Freddie competed in the hot wing eating contest, Freddie won!
- then there were donuts, pie, and chocolate ice cream.

more to come later!

Hog Happenin'

Well, Tomorrow's the big day. My first big event as an unpaid intern. I'm excited about the eating contests which will be tomorrow from 8-9, and then Saturday from 12-1:30. The contests are set up with five eaters, chosen from people who had signed up and whoever eats the item the fastest will win a free t-shirt, bbq, or beverage bucks. On Friday, there will be Pizza and Wings from Court Street Grill, Donuts from the 36th Street Bakery, and Pies from Bi-Lo. Saturday will be the same, but with my new discovery that June 7th is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day, I had to add that to the competition; therefore, the final eating competition will be the Melamoose Chocolate Ice Cream and will have eight eaters pining for the right to claim the prize of being the Lincolnton Chocolate Ice Cream Champion.

It will be fun, and hopefully everyone will have a good time.

On another note, I did practice my hot dog technique the other day. I did not use Nathan's however for my waistline, and wallet, I bought the low fat, 40 calorie Oscar Myer's Dogs. I know it will be totally different, but I had to make that sacrafice.

-Jamie

So here I am, sitting in the Business and Economic Development of Lincolnton, NC in my cozy little office doing unpaid work. I don't mind the unpaid part because: a) I suppose it will help me in the future. b) although gas is expensive, I only live approximately five minutes away, and could ride my bike if i wanted. c) I've gotten a few free meals, and will get another today. and most importantly: d) I am helping to organize the eating competitions for the 8th annual Hog Happenin'!

These competitions are no where on par with the IFOCE or AICE however, they will be great. As of right now, I am working on getting local restaurants to donate food to be gurgitated. My predictions of food will be: pizza, hot wings, hot dogs and pies. There will be two sets of competitions, one on friday june 6 at 8, and one on saturday june 7 time tba.

I still need to work on my hot dog eating skills for Myrtle Beach on June 21st!!!
I have to go now...
More to come later!

-J

Training

I have been doing my best to drag myself to the gym, go for a run, or bicycle ride daily in hopes of being in better physical shape and health. Why? you ask, because I am offically going to be in the Nathan's Qualifier at the new Hard Rock park in Myrtle Beach, SC!! This will be my first eating competition ever, and I do not want to embarrass myself, or take the position of someone who deserves to be there. With that being said, I am shooting for a goal of at least ten hot dogs (both Sadie, and myself have decided that is a formidable and realistic goal for my first attempt) but hopefully more. Unfortunatly, the other half of the hungrysister duo will be in Cancun and unable to experience my debut; but, I will have a few friends along for moral support and the excitement of Myrtle Beach. I am extremely excited to find out who will be at Myrtle Beach on the 21st of June and measure up my competition :].

-Jamie

Its official. I, Jamie have entered to compete in either the Myrtle Beach or Atlanta Nathan's qualifier on June 21st. If I will actually get to compete or not, we will soon find out. Regardless, I will most definately be at one of the qualifiers, cheering on whomever may be there, and hopefully partaking in some free Nathan's hot dogs (if the qualifier is anything like KSO, with loads of leftover sliders). Sadly, I will not be in North Carolina on the date of the Charlotte qualifier but Sadie will be there in all the hot dog glory to witness the special occasion.

Anyway, even if I am unable to compete in a qualifier, I'm going to start training (aka... I just need to get in shape and drop a few pounds) and maybe try a practice run or two on some Nathan's. I have doubts in my ability to make it to the big table, but you have to start somewhere!

anticipation!

We cannot wait for:

MLE: The Game


Nathan's to release dates for the qualifying tour. Hopefully there will be one in Charlotte this summer seeing as we ae complete idiots and missed it last summer!

Sweet summer and our favorite holiday, Independence Day!

KSO V. and multiple qualifiers! (and possibly giving a qualifier a try? we'll have to see about that.)

The Hog Happenin' in Lincolnton, NC (which offers amature eating competitions!) that we have yet to visit in our deprived years of living there.

And hopefully many many more great food moments and memories of the 2008 season to come!