Takeru Kobayashi

About Takeru Kobayashi

Takeru Kobayashi is a Japanese competitive eater. He holds many records, including eight Guinness Records, for eating hot dogs, meatballs, Twinkies, tacos, hamburgers, pizza, ice cream and pasta.

Career Highlights:

• In the 2006 Krystal Square Off, Kobayashi's mark of 97 hamburgers was 30 better than his winning total in 2005 and 28 better than the World Record he set in 2004. At a speed-eating contest in Hong Kong on August 13, 2005, Kobayashi consumed 83 vegetarian jiaozi dumplings in 8 minutes.The next day, he ate 100 roasted pork buns in 12 minutes.Kobayashi also won the 2005 Alka-Seltzer US Open of Competitive Eating, a three-hour IFOCE elimination tournament on ESPN, as well as the Glutton Bowl, a two-hour IFOCE eating special that aired on the Fox Network in 2002.However, on Fox's 2003 show Man vs. Beast, Kobayashi lost in an eating competition against a 1089-pound Kodiak bear, when he ate 31 bunless hot dogs in 2 minutes and 36 seconds to the bear's 50.In a 2014 interview, Kobayashi claims to have beaten the bear in the rehearsal.(In October 2012, Kobayashi broke the record held by the bear at the Texas state fair.)
  
• On August 5, 2006, Kobayashi set yet another world record at the Johnsonville World Bratwurst Eating Championship in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, by downing 58 bratwurst sausages in 10 minutes, shattering the previous record of 35 set the previous year by Sonya Thomas.
  
• On September 23, 2006, Takeru Kobayashi set the world record at the Phantom Food Festival in Boston, Massachusetts, for eating 41 Summer Shack lobster rolls in 10 minutes, replacing the previous record of 22 rolls. Other world-eating records held by Kobayashi include 17.7 pounds (8.0 kg) of cow brains in 15 minutes and 20 pounds (9.1 kg) of rice balls in 30 minutes.
  
• On June 25, 2007, Kobayashi announced on his blog that he seriously injured his jaw during training. He stated that he could only open his jaw about the width of a fingertip. Kobayashi's participation in the July 4, 2007, Nathan's contest continued as scheduled. He was able to eat a personal record 63 hot dogs, though his mark was bettered by Joey Chestnut's 66.
  
• On July 4, 2008, Kobayashi once again competed in the Nathan's contest. He ate 59 hot dogs.
  
• Kobayashi went on to defeat Joey Chestnut, on May 31, 2009, in a Pizza Hut P'Zone competition at Sony Studios in Culver City, California. The competition aired on Spike TV on June 21.
  
• In July 2009, Kobayashi visited Puerto Rico in a special appearance for Taco Bell's Why Pay More Challenge, eating 64 tacos in 15 minutes for a local charity. 
  
• On July 4, 2009, he competed again in the Nathan's contest. He ate 64.5 hot dogs and buns.
  
• On September 27, 2009, Kobayashi defeated Chestnut again with a score of 93 (68 Krystals, 5 Big Angus Burgers), earning the $20,000 top prize. Chestnut was second, with 81, and Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti finished third, with 76.
  
• On July 4, 2011, Kobayashi competed on the rooftop of a Manhattan bar simultaneously with the Nathan's Contest at Coney Island via a live video simulcast of the event. Kobayashi finished 69 hot dogs, one more than the officially recognized previous world record. That world record stands as the highest ever eaten today.
  
• On January 23, 2012. Kobayashi went on The Wendy Williams Show to set the record for eating the most Twinkies in one minute, for the "Save The Twinkie" campaign, and set a new world record of 14 Twinkies.
  
• On February 3, 2012, Kobayashi set the new Wing Bowl record for eating chicken wings at Wing Bowl XX, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. His total was 337 wings in his first competition in that event.
  
• On August 26, 2012, Kobayashi set the new world record at the New York State Fair in Syracuse for eating 110 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
  
• In October 2012, Kobayashi set the new world record at the Texas State Fair for eating 60 hot dogs in 2 minutes 35 seconds.
  
• On June 30, 2012, Kobayashi revealed the Major League Eating (MLE) contract he was required to sign in order to compete in Nathan's Fourth of July hot dog eating competition. The year-long contract limited him to $40,000 and took away any rights to endorse or engage in anything outside of what MLE mandated.
  
• On July 4, 2012, Kobayashi competed in the Crif Dog Classic. He ate 58.5 hot dogs and buns.
  
• On October 11, 2012, Kobayashi set the new world record at the Gringo Bandito Taco Challenge by eating 106 tacos in 10 minutes.
  
• On July 21, 2013, Kobayashi defended his title at the Gringo Bandito Taco Challenge.
  
• On October 6, 2013, Kobayashi won "LET 'EM EAT" Canada's biggest pizza eating contest for the fourth year in a row.
  
• On August 4, 2014, Kobayashi set the new world record at "LET 'EM EAT" Canada's biggest pizza eating contest by eating 62 slices of pizza (15 and a half pizzas) in 12 minutes.
  

Takeru Kobayashi Achievements

Hot dogs: 110 bunless hot dogs in 10 minutes at the New York State Fair

Bunless hot dogs: 60 bunless hot dogs in 2 minutes and 35 seconds at the Texas State Fair on October 12, 2012

Rice Balls: 150 rice balls (20 pounds) in 30 minutes "Food Battle Club" Tokyo Broadcasting System Television

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches: 13 grilled cheese sandwiches in 1 minute at South by Southwest

Buffalo wings: 337 buffalo wings in 30 minutes at The 20th Annual Wing Bowl on February 3, 2012

Lobster Rolls: 41 lobster rolls at the Phantom Food Festival in Boston, Massachusetts, for eating in 10 minutes

Cow brains: 57 Cow Brains (17.7 pounds) in 15 minutes "Glutton Bowl" Fox

Hamburgers: 93 hamburgers in 8 minutes at the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship in Chattanooga (No Dunking World Record)

Tacos: 130 tacos in 10 minutes at Gringo Bandito Taco Challenge on September 1, 2014.

Pizza: 62 slices of pizza (15 and a half pizzas) in 12 minutes in Canada.

Chicken satay: 11.92 pounds of chicken Satay at Robertson Walk, Singapore on July 27, 2008

Lamb hot pot: 55 lamb hot pots in 24 minutes in Taichung, Taiwan

Cheesesteak: 1 cheesesteak in 24.3 seconds at The 19th Annual Wing Bowl on February 4, 2011

Soba Noodles: 21.3 pounds of soba in 12 minutes "TV Champion" TV Tokyo Corporation

roasted pork buns: 100 roasted pork buns in 12 minutes in Hong Kong on August 14, 2005.