You've no doubt heard of rib-eating contest, hot dog and burger eating contests, pizza or sausage contests. But what about blueberry pie (hands free!), baked beans, pizza, birthday cake, cabbage, cow brains, mayonnaise, peanut butter + jelly sandwiches, pig's feet - or even The Turkey Testicle Festival in Byron or Huntley, Illinois?
If you thought those were weird - well, these eating contests take "odd," "crazy," and "weird" foods to a new level. Some have been deemed so controversial - not just by PETA - that they have been banned.
So, check out our list and eat your heart out at these Competitive Eating Contests. One of the most famous of today's eaters include Kobayashi, international world-eating champion, whose records include 17.7 pounds of cow brains (that's 57 brains from 57 cows) in 15 minutes and 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes. In 2008, Joey Chestnut and Kobayashi tied 59 hot dogs in 10 minutes. An overtime round was held where the first to finish the 5 hot dogs on their plates would win. Chestnut finished in 50 seconds, just 7 seconds before Kobayashi. Women competitive eaters include Sonya Thomas, Carlene LeFevre and Juliet Lee.
5 of the Oddest Eating Contests in the World
Oddly enough, most of these contests are found in the United States. For more info, check out the International Federation of Competitive Eating.
SPAMARAMA Festival SPAMBURGER Eating Contest
SPAMARAMA Festival at Waterloo Park in Austin, Texas
At the annual SPAMARAMA Festival, you'll find events like the SPAMALYMPICS and the SPAM Disc Shoot, the SPAM Can Relay, a SPAM Cook-Off and a SPAMBURGER Eating Contest. Richard LeFevre holds the current record from 2004 when he ate 6 pound of SPAM in 12 minutes. Regular hot dogs and burgers is one thing, but SPAM? Does SPAM even count as food?!
Erotic Corn Dog Eating Contest
Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa
The Iowa State Fair takes place near Des Moines, Iowa. For the past four years, the Des Moine Classic Rock 95KGGO-FM station has run a "Erotic Corndog Eating Contest," but this year, the contest was axed because it was deemed as inappropriate. Competitors 18 years and older are allowed to compete. All competitors thus far have been women - who are given 30 seconds to demonstrate erotic techniques on a corndog. Enough said. The 2008 Iowa State Fair takes place August 7 to 17.
Eating Mice in the Become a Jackass Contest
Some Pub in Brisbane, Australia
This one wins for being odd, disgusting and cruel at the same time. In 2004, a local pub in Brisbane set up a contest for a "Jackass"-like stunt show. The contest included 12 dares, including: eating a bird fee cup of maggots, pouring cockroaches over your head, setting off a mouse trap on tongues, shooters of fish oil and Tabasco - and chewing the tail off two live mice, and then chewed on their bodies - one contestant spit out the mouse, while the other swallowed. The contestants won some few hundred dollars but were forced to pay court fines of over a thousand.
Butter and Mayo Eating Contest
Coney Island Fourth of July at Coney Island in Brooklyn,New York City
At Nathan's Famous World Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island, held every July the 4th, you'll observe more than just the famous eating contest in the world, but a display of eating that Homer Simpson would be proud of.
Meet Oleg Zhornitskiy, 36 years old and 165 pounds who consumed 4x32-ounce jars of mayonnaise in 8 minutes. Thought that was bad? What about Don Lerman, who holds the record for eating 7 quarter-pound sticks of salted butter in 5 minutes - as well as eating 6 pounds of baked beans in 1 minute. Congrats on winning the prize money, clogged arteries and a heart attack.
Crocodile Egg Eating Competition
Pattaya Crocodile Farm in Pattaya, Thailand
At the Pattaya Crocodile Farm, you'd think it would be bad for business - to eat the eggs of your crocodiles. The competition takes place every May 1st, which is also Thai Labor Day. The first person to finish consuming 10 boiled crocodile eggs wins 10,000 Baht. Both foreigners and Thai are welcome to participate and the celebrations are often presided over by the Minister of Health. Crocodile eggs have been considered a delicacy in Thailand's eastern region for hundreds of years.
