The Ultimate Competitive Eating Quiz

Since 1916, Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs has held a hot dog-eating contest every Fourth of July on New York City's Coney Island, known by many in competitive eating circles as the \"Super Bowl\" of competitive eating.

The IFOCE, formed in 1997, determines the winner of its eating competitions by the amount eaten within a set period of time, traditionally 10 or 12 minutes.

Competitive eaters must be at least 18 years old and are strongly advised not to train or practice at home, as the IFOCE doesn't believe competitive eating is a safe activity unless it's conducted in a controlled environment.

Vomiting in competitive eating is known as a Roman incident. If the product of a Roman incident touches the plate or table during the competition, the eater is disqualified.

In the Solomon Technique, the eater breaks the hot dog in half and shoves both into the mouth at the same time. This is also known as Japanesing.

Water training requires eaters to drink a gallon of water in an astounding 30 seconds. This supposedly stretches out the stomach and makes it easier to eat more food at a faster rate. It should be noted that this method of training is extremely dangerous and potentially fatal.

Conti, a New York City native known for his trademark dreadlocks, is a champion oyster eater. He was the subject of a documentary called \"Crazy Legs Conti: Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating.\"

Sonya Thomas, who weighs all of 100 pounds, ate 44 Maine Lobsters from the shell in 12 minutes on Aug. 12, 2005. That translates to over 11 pounds of lobster meat.

When Kobayashi eats 50 dogs in 12 minutes, he's consuming a whopping 12,500 calories. Needless to say, this is more than the USDA recommended caloric intake for an adult male, which registers at about 2,300 calories.

While organized eating contests have been around for decades and perhaps even centuries, the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE) wasn't founded until 1997. The IFOCE has established eating methods and safety standards for contests.