Joey Chestnut and Tim Janus, who have combined to win the World Tamale Eating Championship five times and have traded the world record four times, have signed up for a rematch at the ninth annual event scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28, during the Western Days festival in Old Town Lewisville.
Chestnut currently is ranked first in the world by Major League Eating (MLE), and Janus is ranked second.
Joining them in the field will be four other eaters ranked among the top 50 by MLE, including one of the most successful female competitive eaters of 2013; the top Texan finisher in the history of the tamale event; and the winner of this week’s city employee contest.
The World Tamale Eating Championship, organized by the Lewisville Convention and Visitors Bureau and officially sanctioned by Major League Eating, will pay a total purse of $3,500 to the top six finishers. The contest will start at 1:15 p.m. on the front steps of Lewisville City Hall, 151 W. Church Street. Tamales are provided by Dat’s Good BBQ of Lewisville.
Chestnut, known as “Jaws” by his many fans, has dominated the nationally televised Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Championship for the past six years and holds more than 20 MLE world records. He made his first appearance in Lewisville last year, claiming the title and reclaiming the world record by eating 102 tamales in 12 minutes.
Janus, called “Eater X” because of the distinctive face paint he wears during competitions, won the World Tamale Eating Championship four times in the event’s first seven years and twice set the world record at the Lewisville event. He placed second to Chestnut last year with a total of 87 tamales that shattered his previous world record and stands as the second-highest total ever.
Overall, the 12 competitors in the 2012 event consumed 555 tamales, totaling roughly 87 pounds of food – more than seven pounds per person.
New to the field this year is Miki Sudo, competing in her first full season of MLE events and already ranked seventh in the world with 11 first-place finishes this year. The Las Vegas resident set an event record to win the Buffalo Buffet Bowl last month against a field that included Chestnut, and placed ahead of Janus in a pepperoni roll contest in May. She will attempt to become only the second woman to win the World Tamale Eating Championship (after Juliet Lee in 2009).
Other ranked eaters registered for Saturday’s contest are Michelle Lesco of Tuscon (#14), Jeff Butler of Phoenix (#16) and Bam Martinez of Dallas (#46). Martinez has appeared in Lewisville three times with a best finish of eighth place in 2011.
Not ranked, but certainly someone to watch, is Nathan Biller of Wichita Falls. Biller has competed in Lewisville six times and placed in the top six each time, with a best finish of second in 2009. He holds the record for a Texas eater, set when he downed 50.5 tamales to place fifth in 2012.
Also unranked is Wade Peck, who won the annual city employee contest held on Wednesday. Peck, who works for the Parks and Leisure Services Department, consumed 17 tamales in the two-minute sprint to earn a spot at the table against the world’s best competitive eaters. The top finish for a city employee champion at the main event has been ninth place in both 2009 and 2012.
MLE is the governing body of all stomach-centric sports, conducting more than 70 events annually including the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, N.Y. The competitive eating community, which numbers more than 3,000 veteran and rookie athletes, travels the nation in search of top titles and the glory that they provide.
The World Tamale Eating Championship is part of a full two-day schedule of activities planned for Western Days 2013, designed to showcase Lewisville’s rich history. Other offerings include headliners Randy Rogers and Casey Donahew, the best of Texas country music and local performers on four live stages, arts and crafts vendors, gunfight re-enactments, trick ropers, professional cooking demonstrations, craft beer tasting, car show, children’s fishing area, a stickhorse rodeo for kids, the Stonecutter 5K run, and a special exhibit of Western artifacts at the MCL Grand.
The festival is free, but a ticket is required. Free tickets are available at the festival website, www.LewisvilleWesternDays.com, and through entertainment sponsor 99.5 The Wolf. Festival schedule is 7-11:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, and 10 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28.
Sponsors for Western Days 2013 include City of Lewisville, Lewisville Convention and Visitors Bureau, Dat’s Good BBQ, First Choice Power, Castle Hills, Denton County Transportation Authority, Huffines Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge, Market Street, Hampton Inn & Suites, Texas-New Mexico Power, The Apparel Group, JP Morgan Chase, Orthofix, Blue Lynx Media, Armfield, Star Local Media, Bud Light and 99.5 The Wolf. Community supporters include Old Town Business Association, Old Town Preservation Society, Lewisville Morning Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club of Southern Denton County, Masonic Lodge #201, and Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas.
For the latest information on Western Days 2013, visit www.LewisvilleWesternDays.com or call 972.219.3401.
