Success in the sport requires efficiency, which is a combination of capacity — eating a lot of food — and speed-eating it fast. Contests are typically eight to 10 minutes long, with the person consuming the most food declared the winner. Current professional eating contests can offer $10,000 or more in prize money.
How much does a Professional Competitive Eater make? As of Oct 4, 2024, the average hourly pay for a Professional Competitive Eater in the United States is $18.85 an hour.
The contest is part of a circuit of events and according to Forbes, the earnings could sit between $400,000 and $500,000. For example, the Ultimate Bologna Showdown has a pot of $10,000 to split between winners, and a Strawberry Shortcake Eating Championship totals $5,000 in prizes.
Negative health effects of competitive eating include delayed stomach emptying, aspiration pneumonia, perforation of the stomach, Boerhaave syndrome, and obesity.
Normally, our stomachs enlarge like a balloon, with greater pressure as the meal goes on—and this pressure triggers a newsflash to the brain that we're full. But speed-eaters have trained with increasingly large food quantities to increase the elasticity of their stomach, so it stretches more like spider silk.
Competitive eating is becoming more and more popular. There are probably about 100 professionals. Prize money varies greatly, and there are very few people who can earn all their income from doing this – maybe two or three in the US.
Many competitive eaters fast before and after an event. In fact, being thin allows you to eat more during a contest, according to the “belt of fat” theory, which posits that belly fat restricts the stomach's ability to expand.
How do competitive eaters eat so much without dying?
"Competitive eaters have amazing abilities to stretch the stomach in response to food without feeling full and without emptying their stomachs," said Doctor Metz.
Most of his income is generated by contest earnings, paid appearances and endorsement deals, according to Chestnut, who has eaten as many as 76 hot dogs and buns during Nathan's 10-minute contest.
The idea that competitive eaters are athletes is as well accepted as the idea that hot dogs are healthy food. Take Eric "Badlands" Booker, one of the most popular figures in the history of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. He is 6-5 and weighs 420 pounds.
While Kobayashi was only able to eat 67 hot dogs, Chestnut put back 83, beating his own world record of 76 set at the 2021 Nathan's contest. "I've been trying to hit 80 hot dogs for years. Without Kobayashi, I was never able to do it.
Pan Xiaoting was attempting to eat 10kg of food when she passed away in front of her horrified fans. The 24-year-old, who is known for her competitive eating, was shovelling down food on camera when tragedy struck.
Instead, a surprisingly simple routine of big, nutrient-dense salads, lots of walking, and lifting weights helps her stay healthy, balanced, and happy even after a serious feast.
In fact, the Philadelphia researchers concluded that speed eating is “a potentially self-destructive form of behavior that over time, could lead to morbid obesity, intractable nausea and vomiting, and even the need for gastric surgery.”
Competitive eaters often consume large quantities of food during contests, and some may vomit afterward to avoid weight gain or discomfort. This practice, however, varies among individuals.
His success has translated into substantial earnings, with top competitive eaters easily raking in between $250,000 to $500,000 per year from prize money and sponsorships.
In nearly all cases, the bowel movement is no larger than what the person dumps on a normal day, but it happens several times, as the rectum can only hold so much mass. A young eater with a robust digestive system will probably have 2 or 3 good solid bowel movements the day after the competition.
Do competitive eaters throw up after? Competitive eaters often train with water to expand their stomach capacity, which helps keep all the food down. As it turns out, training can make a big difference. Vomiting isn't a traditional part of the competitive eating process for many professionals.
Cardiovascular disease: The high-calorie, high-fat diets common among competitive eaters, combined with the physical stress of the sport, may contribute to the development of clogged arteries and increased risk of heart attacks or strokes.
