HOUMA -- An orthopedic spine surgeon from Tennessee gobbled away a local man’s shot at competing in a world-famous hotdog-eating contest, but James Howell isn’t ready to throw in his napkin.
"It’s one of those things I can’t believe I did it," Howell said. "I would do it again."
Howell gulped down 10 hot dogs in 10 minutes, placing him near the middle of the pack in a regional qualifier for the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, he said.
The regional qualifier, held June 7 at Sam’s Club in Metairie, pitted the Bayou Blue resident against 14 other competitors from across the country.
Juris "Dr. Bigtime" Shibayama gobbled 28 hot dogs in 10 minutes to finish first in the Metairie qualifier, earning the surgeon a trip to Coney Island, N.Y., for the televised contest.
"He was nice. He was like just an ordinary person," Howell said of Shibayama, who is an experienced competitive eater.
Howell, 40, said he is satisfied with his effort, especially since the contestant to his left ate just five hot dogs, and the contestant to his right ate 10 or 11 but got disqualified "because he hurled them."
Howell said his regular hotdog-eating practice sessions helped, but he was surprised to find the hot dogs at the contest were much larger than those he had been using for training.
The truck driver said his favorite part of the contest came in the introduction of the contestants.
"You get to run up on stage and act crazy," he said.
Howell also has garnered some notoriety at Big Eddie’s Café in Bayou Blue, which served as his informal training site. People now recognize Howell as "the hot dog man;" one customer even photographed Howell posing with a tray of 16 hot dogs and gave him a framed copy of the picture.
With one contest under his belt, Howell said he’s looking for more. Next up could be a Krsytal burger-eating contest or a grits-eating contest, he said.
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