Dumbo as an Eating Contest
The freak show is returning to Coney Island...
On July 4th, Joey Chestnut will attempt to beat Takeru Kobayashi for a third year in a row at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. Last year's event (which I attended front row; check out my photo at left!) ended in a thrilling tiebreaker.
But this year, we have a new tradition in Brooklyn. On July 3rd a trio of elephants will take on a trio of humans in a hot dog bun eating contest. Whichever team takes down the most buns in six minutes will be declared winner. The contest is an effort to promote the circus' tour stop at Coney Island. No doubt protesters will be out in full force.
It may seem like the elephants have an unfair advantage as pachyderms are known to pack down a loaf of bread in less than two seconds, but George Shea, the president of the International Federation of Competitive Eating, thinks humans have an advantage of their own: "Perhaps the elephants won't understand the word 'go'."
I hate to break it to him, but that didn't help Kobayashi when he took on a BEAR in a hot dog eating contest on the TV show Man vs. Beast. The bear quickly all but inhaled the dogs before the Japanese wiener muncher even ate half of what was on his plate.
