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Wichita Falls native wins Texas qualifying for Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest (DMN - Video/editing: Ron Baselice)

06/21/2008

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But frankly speaking, there was nothing breezy about Texas' qualifying round for the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest in Plano on Saturday.

"Nasty" Nathan Biller had hot dog debris hanging from his eyebrows and lashes. His cheeks billowed with each bite. He clamped a hand over stretched lips to force another swallow. His eyes squeezed shut in agony.

Next to him, Kevin Ross gobbled two wieners at a time. His fingers were stained the shade of the fruit punch he used as dipping sauce. He kept a strong pace. But then his face grew pale, and his mind went dizzy.

"You need experience to learn how to not get really nauseous," said Mr. Ross, a Southern California native.

The 26-year-old, who is normally a vegetarian, has sucked down raw oysters, blueberry pies, french fries and deep-fried asparagus in previous eating contests.

"I think hot dogs are the hardest," Mr. Ross said.

He started Saturday's match with an empty gut.

Chris Floyd, a former Plano resident and the crowd favorite, snacked on cantaloupe for breakfast. Dinner the night before was green beans and a biscuit.

"I drink lots of water," Mr. Floyd said. "It helps stretch the stomach and keep the system clean."

Mr. Floyd now lives in Austin, where he works as a hospital administrator.

His pre-contest regimen included eating 15 hot dogs in one sitting several times a week.

He has been top dog in four other eating contests. Saturday's winner will go to the championship at Coney Island, N.Y.

"This is my first chance at the big stage," Mr. Floyd said as he mapped his strategy. "I'm going to start off fast and go as fast and as long as I can and push strong in the final minutes."

Before the battle, runners stacked five HDBs – competitive-eating lingo for "hot dogs in buns" – on each plate. Each participant had two plates to start and water to help smooth the way down.

Personal condiments and beverages were allowed in the 10-minute race.

One stout fellow calmly striped each dog with his own honey mustard and dined at a leisurely pace.

Others tore the wieners in half and crammed water-soaked segments into their gullets.

Mr. Biller's plan was to consume two dogs a minute.

He recently moved from Wichita Falls to Queens, N.Y., but felt compelled to return to his home state for the showdown.

He thinks it helped to be stationed next to his toughest adversary, Mr. Ross.

"I was watching him most of the time," Mr. Biller said. "I was doing good, but I kind of felt like I hit a wall right there at the end."

Still, Mr. Biller shoveled in an entire dog in two seconds as the 10-second countdown wound down.

Each man had to finish swallowing before the tally was taken.

Mr. Floyd tied for fourth place with 15 dogs consumed. A Florida man placed third after gobbling 17 franks.

Mr. Biller and Mr. Ross were tied with 20 hot dogs each.

Then came the brutal part: a two-minute eat-off. Fresh plates of franks were stacked in front of the men. Overstretched stomachs would have to endure more.

Mr. Ross felt woozy but wasn't backing down. He plowed through two wieners and stuffed in two more.

But when time was called, Mr. Ross realized he was still one dog down. He pulled a slimy pink mass from his mouth, spit out some more and walked away.

The crowd groaned in disgust.

"I feel awful," Mr. Ross said after the duel. "I ate more than I've ever eaten before. I feel really disoriented."

Mr. Biller was in pain but glowing with victory.

"It feels great to win," he said.

His goal was to keep the 25 wieners down for the rest of the day.

"If you allow it to come back up, it trains your body to react that way during a contest," he said. "I've been lucky so far."

Watching from the crowd, Melissa Miles of Dallas shuddered.

"I highly doubt I'll ever eat another hot dog again," she said.