Takeru Kobayashi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Takeru Kobayashi
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| 小林 尊 | |
Takeru Kobayashi at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2009
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| Born | March 15, 1978 Nagano, Japan
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| Other names | "The Tsunami", "Kobi", "The Prince" (in Japan) |
| Alma mater | Yokkaichi University |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) |
| Spouse(s) | Maggie James |
Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi (小林 尊, born March 15, 1978) is a famous Japanese competitive eater. Many people call him "the godfather of competitive eating." He won the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest six times in a row. He is also known for making the sport of competitive eating very popular around the world.
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Takeru Kobayashi: Eating Champion
Takeru Kobayashi was born in Nagano, Japan. He first became famous in 2000. He won a Japanese TV show called TV Champion Gluttony Championship. In the final, he ate 16 bowls of ramen in just one hour!
He also competed in another popular TV show, Food Battle Club. He won many rounds and even beat his own mentor. This made him very famous in Japan and Asia before he came to the United States.
Amazing Records and Wins
Kobayashi set his first world record in the United States on July 4, 2001. He ate 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes at the Nathan's Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest. This was almost double the old record of 25 hot dogs! People were so surprised that the organizers ran out of signs to show his score. He broke his own record three more times. He won the contest six times in a row from 2001 to 2006.
Kobayashi is famous for creating the "Solomon Method." This is a special way of eating hot dogs. He separates the hot dog from the bun. Then, he eats the hot dog first. After that, he dips the bun in water to make it soft. This helps him swallow the bun quickly. This method became very popular among other eaters.
Later, there were some disagreements between Kobayashi and Major League Eating (MLE). MLE is a group that organizes eating contests. Because of these issues, Kobayashi stopped competing in the Nathan's hot dog contest. He then joined a new taco competition called The Gringo Bandito Taco Eating Challenge. This contest was sponsored by Dexter Holland from the band The Offspring. Kobayashi was the champion for nine years. His best score was 159 tacos in 10 minutes. This competition ended in 2018.
2006 Highlights
In 2006, Kobayashi ate 97 hamburgers at the Krystal Square Off contest. This was much more than his winning total in 2005. It was also 28 more than his world record from 2004.
In Hong Kong, on August 13, 2005, he ate 83 vegetarian 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. He also won the Glutton Bowl in 2002.
In 2003, on a show called Man vs. Beast, Kobayashi competed against a large Kodiak bear. He ate 31 bunless hot dogs in 2 minutes and 36 seconds. The bear ate 50. However, Kobayashi said he beat the bear in a practice round. In 2012, he broke the bear's record at the Texas state fair.
On August 5, 2006, Kobayashi set another world record. He ate 58 bratwurst sausages in 10 minutes. This was at the Johnsonville World Bratwurst Eating Championship. He broke the old record of 35 sausages. On September 23, 2006, he ate 41 Summer Shack lobster rolls in 10 minutes. Other world records he held include eating 17.7 pounds of cow brains and 20 pounds of rice balls.
2007 Challenges
On June 25, 2007, Kobayashi shared that he had hurt his jaw. He could only open his mouth a tiny bit. Still, he competed in the Nathan's contest on July 4, 2007. He ate a personal best of 63 hot dogs. But Joey Chestnut ate 66 and won.
2008 Tie-Breaker
On July 4, 2008, Kobayashi competed again at Nathan's. He ate 59 hot dogs, tying with Joey Chestnut. But he lost in a sudden-death eat-off. This was a quick five-dog challenge to decide the winner. Many people, including Kobayashi and Chestnut, thought this new rule was unfair.
2009 Victories
On May 31, 2009, Kobayashi beat Joey Chestnut in a Pizza Hut P'Zone contest. This competition was shown on Spike TV. In July 2009, he visited Puerto Rico for a Taco Bell event. He ate 64 tacos in 15 minutes to help a local charity. On July 4, 2009, he ate 64.5 hot dogs at Nathan's. Joey Chestnut won with 68. On September 27, 2009, Kobayashi beat Chestnut again. He ate 93 items (68 Krystals, 5 Big Angus Burgers) and won $20,000.
2011 and 2012 Records
On July 4, 2011, Kobayashi competed from a rooftop bar in Manhattan. He watched the Nathan's contest live on a big screen. He ate 69 hot dogs, which was one more than the official world record at that time.
On January 23, 2012, Kobayashi appeared on The Wendy Williams Show. He set a new world record by eating 14 Twinkies in one minute. On February 3, 2012, he set a new record at the Wing Bowl. He ate 337 chicken wings in his first time at that event. On August 26, 2012, he set a record at the New York State Fair. He ate 110 hot dogs in 10 minutes. In October 2012, he set another record at the State Fair of Texas. He ate 60 hot dogs in 2 minutes and 35 seconds.
On June 30, 2012, Kobayashi shared details about a contract from Major League Eating (MLE). This contract would have limited him to $40,000 and controlled his other activities. He chose not to sign it. On July 4, 2012, he competed in the Crif Dog Classic. He ate 58.5 hot dogs and buns. On October 11, 2012, he set a new record at the Gringo Bandito Taco Challenge. He ate 106 tacos in 10 minutes.
2013 and 2014 Wins
On July 21, 2013, Kobayashi won the Gringo Bandito Taco Challenge again. On October 6, 2013, he won Canada's biggest pizza eating contest, "LET 'EM EAT," for the fourth year in a row.
On August 4, 2014, Kobayashi set a new world record at "LET 'EM EAT." He ate 62 slices of pizza (which is 15 and a half pizzas) in 12 minutes.
Recent Competition
In September 2024, Kobayashi competed against Joey Chestnut in a Netflix event called "Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef." Chestnut won by eating 83 hot dogs. Kobayashi ate 66 hot dogs, which was his personal best score from the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Training and Techniques
Kobayashi trains for competitions by eating more and more food. This helps his stomach stretch. He also exercises to make sure fat does not stop his stomach from expanding. His website says he is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs about 128 pounds. He has weighed up to 192 pounds before. For the July 4, 2009, hot dog contest, he weighed 132 pounds.
Kobayashi is also known for his "Kobayashi Shake." This is a special body wiggle he uses to help food go down his throat and settle in his stomach. He uses his "Solomon Method" for hot dogs: splitting the hot dog, dipping the bun in water, and then eating both parts.
In the Japanese TV show "TV Champion," he had a special trick for eating ramen noodles. He would lift the noodles to let air cool them down before eating them.
World Records Held
- Bunless hot dogs: 110 in 10 minutes at the New York State Fair
- Bunless hot dogs: 60 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 on "Food Battle Club"
- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches: 13 in 1 minute at South by Southwest
- Buffalo wings: 337 in 30 minutes at The 20th Annual Wing Bowl on February 3, 2012
- Lobster rolls: 41 in 10 minutes at the Phantom Food Festival in Boston
- Cow brains: 57 (17.7 pounds) in 15 minutes on "Glutton Bowl"
- Hamburgers: 93 in 8 minutes at the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship (without dunking)
- Tacos: 159 in 10 minutes at the Gringo Bandito Chronic Tacos Challenge on April 8, 2017
- Pizza: 62 slices (15 and a half pizzas) in 12 minutes in Canada
- Chicken satay: 11.92 pounds at Robertson Walk, Singapore on July 27, 2008
- Cheesesteak: 1 in 24.3 seconds at The 19th Annual Wing Bowl on February 4, 2011
- Soba noodles: 21.3 pounds in 12 minutes on "TV Champion"
Other Activities
Kobayashi has appeared in many commercials. These include ads for ESPN's SportsCenter, MasterCard, Coors Light, and Western Canada Lottery Corporation. He also appeared in a magazine for men's clothing called VMAN in 2010.
In November 2010, Kobayashi competed against Donkey Kong in a banana eating contest. This was part of a launch for Nintendo's Donkey Kong Country Returns game. In 2011, he was a guest at a Hewlett-Packard event. He also appeared in a TVB commercial. In 2011, he was a model in Canada's The Block magazine.
Kobayashi is also interested in training dogs. He has six labradoodles, which he calls his "hot dogs." In June 2012, he made a special appearance at The Offspring's album release party. He even gave a taco demonstration.
In 2012, Kobayashi was in commercials for Eight O'Clock Coffee and Hofmann. He also appeared on a celebrity edition of Fear Factor. In 2013, he was in commercials for Just-Eat and Thuzio. Kobayashi has been on many TV shows, including Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He has also been featured on websites like Buzzfeed.com and CollegeHumor.com.
On July 4, 2013, Kobayashi launched his own brand of hot dogs called "Kobi Dogs." On September 16, 2014, he appeared in a YouTube video where he competed against a hamster. The video ended with him admitting defeat and putting a medal on the hamster. In 2015, Kobayashi and three other eaters ate a 40-pound goat in 13 minutes and 22 seconds. In 2015, Takeru Kobayashi ate 110 hot dogs without buns in 10 minutes. In 2019, a documentary film called The Good, The Bad, The Hungry premiered. It featured Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut.
See also
In Spanish: Takeru Kobayashi para niños
- List of competitive eaters
