Hot Dog!

© Susana Raab

As I've mentioned before, I am a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE) and had dreams of joining the gurgitation circuit back in the day. So, you can imagine my shock when the reigning superstar of competitive eating, Takeru Kobayashi, recently announced on his blog that he'd injured his jaw while training for the Super Bowl of the sport, Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest.

A darkness fell over my world. Was Kobayashi mortal? Had the gods of cruel irony conspired to rob me of the opportunity to witness my hero defend his crown against upstart Joey "Jaws" Chestnut?

Hell no!

Just like Willis Reed, Kobayashi will be sucking it up and rising to the moment. Would you expect anything less from a champion?

Be sure to watch this footage of Kobayashi battling a grizzly bear for hot dog eating supremacy. This is perhaps the most surreal TV moment ever. Naturally, it was on Fox.