By the time Friday afternoon rolled around, I was prepared to watch a lot of sick hot dog action going on at the State Fair of Texas. Takeru Kobayashi, as you all know, is the world champion eater who recently signed on with Hoffmann Hot Dogs as the brand ambassador, and he’s been judging and eating his way through plenty of hot dog eating competitions.
“Eat at your own pace,” said Kobayashi. That was his advice to the eight people about to risk their stomachs for Hoffmann’s pleasure.
The competitors starting chomping on hot diggity dogs as soon as the alarm sounded. Kobi was acting as judge for this first part of the show. A young man named Jake was in the lead for some time until he started blowing chunks into the waste basket behind him. Bam. Immediate disqualification for the Sooner baby, but that’s okay. After five minutes of tough eating times, Barlas Yuce, a Turkish man with a belly that could probably fit Kobi inside, claimed the $1000 prize. He’d eaten 20 whole hot dogs. 2-0.
Kobi made that look like a cinch by following it up with his own act. The small Japanese man was able to fit 60 hot dogs inside his signature rock hard abs in two minutes and thirty five seconds. How’d he do it? Kobi jumped, wiggled, and threw his head back every time he needed to swallow. His head rhythmically bounced up and down to the music playing as he stuffed hot dogs inside his mouth, two at a time.
Amazing. Kobayashi never ceases to disappoint.
Scroll down for more pictures of the whole amusing experience.
Correction: I previously wrote that Kobi ate 60 hot dogs in three minutes, but Kobi’s manager writes to inform me: “His actual score was not 60 hot dogs in 3 minutes. It was 60 bunless Hofmann hot dogs in 2 minutes and 35 seconds. There were two referees judging with a clock to make it official.”
