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‘Major League’ athletes to vie for chili spaghetti eating title

Provided "Humble" Bob Shoudt works to devour 13.5 pounds of chili spaghetti in 10 minutes during the inaugural Skyline Chili Spaghetti Eating Contest at Kings Island in 2008. Shoudt defends his title against some of the world's top competitive eaters 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7, at the amusement park.

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Staff photo by Samantha Grier "Humble" Bob Shoudt (right) of Royersford, PA, competes at the Kings Island Skyline Chili Spaghetti Eating Championship in 2008. Professional competitive eaters and amateurs alike competed. Shoudt won the competition and $2,500.

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Photos: Skyline Chili eating contest

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Provided Patrick Bertoletti, Joey "Jaws" Chestnut and "Humble" Bob Shoudt work to devour as much chili spaghetti as they can in 10 minutes during the inaugural Skyline Chili Spaghetti Eating Contest at Kings Island in 2008. Shoudt, who wolfed down 13.5 pounds of the regional dish, defends his title against some of the world's top competitive eaters 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7, at the amusement park.

By Eric Schwartzberg, Staff Writer Updated 7:44 AM Thursday, September 3, 2009

When it comes to competitive eating, a handful of big appetites reign supreme.

Some of those familiar faces will compete Monday, Sept. 7, in the International Showplace Theatre at Kings Island for the second annual Skyline Chili Spaghetti Eating Championship.

This year’s Labor Day event will see champion “Humble” Bob Shoudt laboring to defend his title against Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, currently ranked No. 1 in the world, plus a field of other top-ranked competitive eaters, including Patrick Bertoletti (No. 2), Sonya “Black Widow” Thomas (No. 6) and Tim “Gravy” Brown (No. 9).

Last year, Shoudt wolfed down 13.5 pounds of chili spaghetti in 10 minutes, while Chestnut devoured 13.25 pounds.

George Shea, chairman of Major League Eating, said the drama of the competition and the spectacle of the amount of food each athlete consumes makes for riveting viewing.

“You can know that it’s comedic and absurd and still get goosebumps,” he said. “People are going ‘This is ridiculous,’ but they’re shouting ‘Go! Go! Go!’ and that’s a great place to be.”

While many big eaters can scarf down about two pounds of any food, only conditioned pros can rack up the “big numbers” and attract a large, dedicated fan base.

Competitive eaters, as a result of their feats of extreme eating, are achieving celebrity status, Shea said.

“In a world where you have to be T.O. (Terrell Owens) or Donovan McNabb to really go big, here are some guys making big money and they’re on TV,” Shea said. “There’s almost a folk-hero aspect to it.”

Admission to the event is included with park admission.

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