Location: Cincinnati, OH
CHESTNUT RULES CINCINNATI WITH DOMINANT BRAT DISPLAY!
Nothing is a forgone conclusion. On any given Sunday. One bird safely in the hand is better than multiple birds in the bush. Don't write checks you can't cash and too many cooks ruin perfectly good soups, even a basic chicken barley, even though many hands make light work, which is contradictory but still makes sense. As we've always held firm at MLE HQ: It all depends on the cook. Always has. Always will.
And the Master Chef, to continue the culinary metaphor even though it's long outrun its context and usefulness, at the 2015 Oktoberfest Zinzinnati World Bratwurst-Eating Championship was none other than Joey Chestnut. On any given Sunday? Not on this Sunday. This was the Patriots given the full surveillance arsenal of the NSA on a bye week to prepare for their opponent. Which is not to say that Joey Chestnut did anything untoward or otherwise Patriots-like, it's just that he had the unfair advantage in this contest of being bigger, tougher, stronger, faster and flat-out better than anyone to his left and right. This was, as much as these things can be, in the bag from the outset.
The Cincinnati faithful were there in droves, having enjoyed Goodell's NFL undercard at the nearby Paul Brown Stadium earlier in the day. But this event was the sporting high they were looking for, chanting two names all afternoon long, either "Joey," or "Chestnut." The variety was enjoyable.
Chestnut started strong, middled strong and finished strong, even though in post-match comments he mentioned he felt his performance was slow. Pish-tosh: 45 brats is 45 brats and win is a win. Chestnut, quiet your mind and enjoy your glory. It is yours and you have earned it.
Gideon Oji continued his impressive rookie season, tying for second with the muscular Scott Thomas, who is both physically strong and a resident of Strongsville, OH. They ate 31 brats in 10 minutes. Wild Bill Myers enjoyed 20 brats and came fourth.
Full results below.
FULL RESULTS! 1st - Joey Chestnut, 45 Brats in 10 Minutes 2nd - Gideon Oji and Scott Thomas, 31 4th - Wild Bill Myers, 20 5th - Matt "Sweet Tooth" Cohen, 19 6th - Matthew Raible 16 7th - Andrew "The Bear" Kogutkiewicz, 14.75 8th - Liz McClurg, 10 9th - Bart Liguori, 8 10th Michelle Macchione, who outdid her low expectations, 3.75
This contest took place at 5pm Eastern, on Sunday September 20, 2015 at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, at the corner of 5th St and Broadway—Fifth in the Christian Moerlein Glockenspiel Beer Garden—in downtown Cincinnati, OH!
Oktoberfest Zinzinnati! Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is the largest Oktoberfest celebration in North America with more than half a million people attending each year, second in the world only to Munich's classic festival. First held in 1976, Oktoberfest Zinzinnati showcases the rich German heritage of Southwest Ohio, complete with German music, strudel, bratwurst, and more than sixty kinds of beer.
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*All applicants must be 18 years of age or older and fully acknowledge and understand the inherent dangers and risks associated with participating in an eating contest. The applicant further acknowledges and understands that the MLE/IFOCE coordinates with event sponsor(s) to select and approve eligible participants, and that the MLE/IFOCE shall decide, at its sole discretion, whether an applicant is eligible to participate in any eating event, and/or related activities. The MLE/IFOCE may revoke an applicant's eligibility to participate in the eating contest, or related activities, at any time, for any reason, at its sole discretion. The MLE/IFOCE and the event sponsors reserve the right, at any time, to change any and all details concerning the event, including, e.g., time, duration, location and prize structure.