 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | George Shea |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | 1965 (age 58–59) Boston, Massachusetts |
| Alma mater | Columbia University |
| Occupation | Major League Eating Co-Founder |
George Shea is a co-founder of Major League Eating and host of the company's main eating competition, Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. [1] He is known for wearing his signature straw hat to all the hot dog competitions. [2]
George Shea was raised in Maine. He has four other siblings. [3]
Shea graduated from Columbia University in 1986 as an English major. [3] He entered the public relations field soon after. He described his early public relations work in New York City as "stunt PR", and it was what first introduced him to the Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest in Coney Island. [4] He first attended the competition in 1988 and served as a judge. [5]
In 1991, Shea took over the Coney Island hot dog eating contest. He originally had the role of a press agent and was tasked with promoting the event. Back in the '90s, Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest was reportedly small and only had a few dozen spectators. Shea became the driving force for promoting the event by creating wild introductions for the eaters. [1]
At some point early in his career, Shea created a media agency, Shea Communications. It specializes in real estate, events, and consumer-facing clients. His brother, Rich, is a partner in the company. [6]
In 1997, Shea officially founded International Federation of Competitive Eating and Major League Eating with his younger brother, Rich. [3] It allowed him to bring competitive eating to different states and countries after gaining experience hosting the hot dog contest. Today, Major League Eating hosts around 80 competitions every year. [3] Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is the league's biggest competition. [7] [ unreliable source? ]
Once Shea and his brother took full control and ownership of running the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest, he became the Master of ceremonies for the Coney Island competition. According to Shea, he writes about 20-30 pages of a script more than a month before the Hot Dog Eating Contest. However, he does not memorize this entire script and mainly uses it for direction. [8] As emcee, he has become known for his dramatic introductions as each of the competitive eaters take the stage. The Ringer (website) ranked his best introductions, labeling his 2015 speech welcoming Joey Chestnut on stage as number one: "In a world of nothing. Of barren hills and cracked earth and once-proud oceans drained to sand, there will still be a monument to our existence. Bleached by the sun, perhaps, and blunted by time, but everlasting. Because this man represents all that is eternal in the human experience. … Through the curtain of the aurora, a comet blazes to herald his arrival, and his victory shall be transcribed into every language known to history, including Klingon. The Bratwurst, and Pierogi, and Hooters Chicken Wing eating champion of the world, eight-time Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating champion of the world, the no. 1 eater in the world, I give you America itself, Joey Chestnut." [9]
His carnival-like on-stage character is just one way he has added personality to the event to generate publicity. For example, he created the Belt of fat theory and wrote a scientific paper regarding the subject. The paper was denied by The New England Journal of Medicine, but Shea says it put more eyes on competitive eating. [10] Shea also created the "Mustard Belt", a championship, weightlifter's belt colored mustard yellow that was gifted to the champion. He amplified the rivalry between the United States and Japan in the competitive eating sphere. [11] Shea also made the decision to begin referring to competitive eaters as athletes. [1] To make the competitions more official, Shea made the decision in 2011 to create co-ed divisions. Shea did this to "conform to International Olympic Committee standards." [12] Today, over 2 million people are estimated to watch the event as it airs on ESPN. [13] It is estimated that around 35,000 people come to Coney Island to see the competition live. [7]
Shea continues to host the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and has turned to social media to publicize eating competitions. Major League Eating has contracted competitors that have found success on YouTube, such as Matt Stonie, to bring eyes to the concept of competitive eating and eating challenges. Shea says Major League Eating coordinated a video where Eric Booker ate three live octopuses. [10]
Shea believes that any press is good press. [4] The Washington Post even compared Shea to Donald Trump, writing, "Carman argues neither Shea nor Trump “[seem] to care much whether his words have a toehold in reality. To them, the victory is everything." [11]
In 2024, Shea announced that 16-time hot dog winner Joey Chestnut could not longer compete in the competition after he signed a deal with a competitor hot dog company rather than Nathan's. Shea did not mention the specific brand, but said Chestnut was representing Impossible Foods, and that this was not allowed within the competition. Shea said if the contract dispute was resolved, he would be welcome to join the competition again, stating, "We love him. The fans love him. He made the choice." [14]
However, Chestnut pushed back on this claim, stating on social media, “I do not have a contract with MLE or Nathans and they are looking to change the rules from past years as it relates to other partners I can work with.” [14]
George Shea is married and has two children, a son and a daughter. [3] His wife was a former producer for soap operas and now writes for the WWE. [1] He currently lives in Brooklyn. Shea is a fan of the Brooklyn Nets. [15]
Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi is a Japanese competitive eater. Described as "the godfather of competitive eating", he is a six-time Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champion and widely credited with popularizing the sport.
A hot dog is a dish consisting of a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term hot dog can refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener or a frankfurter. The names of these sausages commonly refer to their assembled dish. Hot dog preparation and condiments vary worldwide. Typical condiments include mustard, ketchup, relish, onions in tomato sauce, and cheese sauce. Other toppings include sauerkraut, diced onions, jalapeños, chili, grated cheese, coleslaw, bacon and olives. Hot dog variants include the corn dog and pigs in a blanket. The hot dog's cultural traditions include the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
The Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition. It is held each year on July 4 at Nathan's Famous' original, and best-known, restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island, a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City.
Sonya Thomas , also known by her nickname The Black Widow, and "The Leader of the Four Horsemen of the Esophagus", is a South Korean-born American competitive eater from Alexandria, Virginia. Thomas joined the International Federation of Competitive Eating in 2003 and quickly rose to the top of the ranks, beating competitive eaters such as Eric Booker.
Competitive eating, or speed eating, is a sport in which participants compete against each other to eat large quantities of food, usually in a short time period. Contests are typically eight to ten minutes long, although some competitions can last up to thirty minutes, with the person consuming the most food being declared the winner. Competitive eating is most popular in the United States, Canada, and Japan, where organized professional eating contests often offer prizes, including cash.
David "Coondog" O'Karma is a competitive eating champion, entertainer, and writer from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He was formerly a member of the IFOCE, but is now the director of a Competitive Eating organization called the Association of Independent Competitive Eaters (AICE).
Nathan's Famous, Inc. is an American company that operates a chain of fast-food restaurants specializing in hot dogs. The original Nathan's restaurant stands at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. The company's headquarters are at One Jericho Plaza in Jericho, part of Oyster Bay, New York.
Joseph Christian Chestnut is an American competitive eater. As of 2024, he is ranked first in the world by Major League Eating.
Tim Janus is an American entertainer, media personality and retired competitive eater known in the competitive eating community as "Eater X". He was a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE). He performed in contests wearing a painted mask and once stated, "I'd eat anything. One of my goals in life is to eat everything in the world at least once. I'd eat a roll of pennies if I thought I could set a world record. Some day I hope we make contact with beings from other planets. I'd love to eat alien."
Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti is an American competitive eater from Chicago. He takes part in a variety of different eating competitions—notable wins include the 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and the first-ever world poutine eating competition in Toronto. He also holds numerous world records, including the most milk consumed in an hour.
Eric James "Badlands" Booker, also known by his online pseudonym BadlandsChugs, is an American competitive eater, rapper, and YouTuber. He holds seven Major League Eating recognized world records, three Guinness World Records, is a four-time Nathan's Lemonade Chugging Contest champion, and competed in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest every year from 1997 to 2018.
Erik "The Red" Denmark is an American competitive eater and a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating. He lives in Seattle, Washington and is nicknamed after Erik the Red, who was a Viking that founded the first Nordic settlement in Greenland. He has a master’s degree in digital communications media and works in aerospace procurement.
Michael "The Scholar" DeVito is a competitive eater and hot dog eating champion, and three-time winner of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. "Mr. DeVito ate 20 hot dogs yesterday at the annual July 4th hot dog-eating contest on Coney Island, assuring him victory for the fourth time in five years." DeVito is 6 feet 2 inches and weighs just over 200 pounds (pre-competition). He set a personal best, eating 20 hot dogs, buns included, in the standard 12-minute competition period.
Major League Eating (MLE) is an organization that oversees professional competitive eating events and television specials. The league airs its annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest on ESPN.
A slugburger is a traditional Southern food found in the area of Northeast Mississippi, particularly Corinth, New Albany, Booneville, Iuka, Tishomingo, Burnsville, West Tennessee, and north Alabama, particularly Decatur, Hartselle, Athens, Moulton, and Cullman. Consisting of a patty made from a mixture of beef or pork and an inexpensive meat extender such as soybeans, it is deep fried in oil. It is typically served on a bun with mustard, pickles, onion, and in some places with a side of French fries or onion rings.
Matthew Kai Stonie is an American competitive eater and YouTuber. Stonie won the 2015 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, dethroning 8-time defending champion Joey Chestnut. Stonie has gained fame from his YouTube channel, to which he uploads video footage of his eating challenges.
Dale Boone is an American competitive eater who holds several records for, among others, devouring pelmeni and hot dogs. Having been featured on numerous television programmes, he has proclaimed himself "Mouth of the South". Boone claims to be the great grandson of Daniel Boone.
Miki Victoria Sudo is an American competitive eater. She has been undefeated in the women's competition at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, with a ten-year winning streak since 2014, unseating Sonya Thomas, who had won the women's competition since its inception in 2011. She captured a record tenth title in 2024. She has the current women's record for the contest, with 51 hot dogs eaten in it, which she did in 2024.
Carmen Cincotti is an American competitive eater and holder of multiple records in Major League Eating, who earned $10,000 for his second-place finish in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2017 in which he ate 60 hot dogs in ten minutes, twelve fewer than repeat champion Joey Chestnut. From August 2018 to June 2019, he was ranked number two in Major League Eating.
Michelle Cristeen Lesco is an American competitive eater. She is the 2021 women's champion in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, with 30.75 hot dogs and buns consumed in 10 minutes on July 4, 2021, ending Miki Sudo's 7-year reign.