Joey "Jaws" Chestnut made hot-dog history in Tempe on June 2nd Something about over eating today.. Chestnut, 22, broke the record previously held by the legend of hot dog eaters, Takeru Kobayashi ("Kobi" of Japan by eating 59½ hot dogs and buns during the Southwest Regional Hot Dog Eating Championship in Arizona. Kobi set the old record last year, when he filled his belly with 53¾ hot dogs in 12 minutes, at Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City. Chestnut's record won him a chance to compete against the Kobi this summer to assume the role of champion hot dog eater. But why would he want to do that? Why do some people eat so much, and why are others not overeating but fascinated when they see others overeat?
I have watched that Nathan's world champ HD contest several times. The participants are introduced to cheering, adoring "fans" and treated as if sports stars. Guess what TV network shows the contest every year? Yep! It's ESPN, the sports network. They have elevated hot dog eating to the level of a sport. Of course they also show poker games and chess matches as "sports"...anything to justify putting those non sports programs on their network.
I understand that eating contest are popular all over the world. maybe it's because we all want to eat more than we permit ourselves to do, given that "being fat:" is a negative. What an odd conundrum....we love to see others gorge themselves to dangerous levels, but won't eat enough to satisfy ourselves because our vanity doesn't like being too fat. So maybe those kinds of contest allow a release as we live vicariously watching them do what we would love to do- pig out.
As for why the the Kobi's and Joey Chestnut's exist for us to gape at? I think because they can do it and enjoy the celebrity of it. Most of them look almost skinny, so it is evident they are not overeating on a regular basis. They are simply happy to be the freaks in the freak show.Or are we the freaks for enjoying watching people put their lives at risk gorging so much?
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