World-champion eater Joey Chestnut will compete again number-one-ranked female champion Miki Sudo at the World Famous St. Elmo Shrimp Cocktail Eating Championship on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015 at 3 p.m. Joey is undefeated in the St. Elmo’s Shrimp Eating Competition, however he will face fierce competition from Sudo who is an expert in the debris-food category. The event will take place at the Meijer Tail Greater Party on the west block of Georgia Street as part of the 2015 Big Ten Football Championship Game weekend.
This year will be a challenge for Chestnut as other top eaters compete for the title of Shrimp Cocktail-Eating Champion of the World in addition to a $3,000 prize purse. The current list of competitors includes:
- No. 2 ranked Joey Chestnut from San Jose, Calif.
- No. 3 ranked Miki Sudo from Las Vegas
- No. 10 ranked Yasir Salem from New York City
- No. 14 ranked Steve Hendry from Dixon, Calif.
- No. 15 ranked Gideon “The Truth” Oji from Forest Park, Ga.
- No. 30 ranked Matthew Raible from Edwards, Ill.
- No. 50 ranked Tracy Goode from Anderson, Ind.
Joey Chestnut returns to defend his title. During last year’s event, Chestnut consumed 10.42 pounds of shrimp, earning him the shrimp cocktail-eating championship title and a world record.
Craig Huse, co-proprietor of St. Elmo Steak House said of Chestnut’s feat, “Last year Joey amazingly consumed the equivalent of 28 world-famous St. Elmo Shrimp Cocktails in just 8 minutes which leads me to speculate if he can hit 30 this year,” said Craig Huse, co-proprietor of St. Elmo Steak House. “The energy and excitement of this event has continued to build every year and we look forward to our biggest contest ever.”
Eaters will again have eight minutes to consume as much shrimp cocktail as possible. However, The St. Elmo Shrimp Cocktail is not like other shrimp cocktails, the horseradish-laden sauce makes it a fiery, sinus-clearing challenge for any man or woman. Competitors may be tempted to slow down due to the heat, which was deemed the world’s spiciest food by a Travel Channel writer. Since 1902, the legendary appetizer has collected a legion of well-known fans including Neil Patrick Harris, Tony Dungy and comedian Jimmy Fallon.
“There is no shrimp cocktail on the planet like the St. Elmo Shrimp Cocktail,” said MLE emcee Sam Barclay. “The St. Elmo Shrimp Cocktail sauce is known globally as a horseradish-fueled flavor bomb, making this eight-minute battle of man vs. shellfish a right of passage that tests every eater’s true self-worth.”
Photo: Brian Groce