Chow, baby: International eating contest served up in Vegas

Kirk Baird

Thursday, Jan. 9, 2003 | 8:18 a.m.

Some records were never meant to be broken. Or set, for that matter.

Such as eating 1 1/2 gallons of chili in 10 minutes. Or 49 glazed doughnuts in eight minutes. And how about 38 hard-boiled eggs in 10 minutes, or four 32-ounce bowls of mayonnaise in eight minutes?

And let's not get into the record for eating cow brains ... OK, it was 57 brains, or 17.7 pounds, in 15 minutes.

These stomach-stretching feats are all world records with the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE), a governing body sanctioning eating contests around the globe.

The IFOCE is to eating what "Jackass" is to stunts: twisted, funny, gross and, yes, mesmerizing.

The gluttonous organization is the brainchild of brothers George and Richard Shea.

The pair were involved in promoting Nathan's annual July 4 Hot Dog-Eating Challenge for several years in the early '90s, along with other feats-of-scarfing events Consequently, they received much attention from would-be contestants, as well as those who wanted to form contests of their own.

"By default we became a resource," Rich said in a recent interview from IFOCE headquarters in New York.

Eventually, the Sheas realized they were on to something.

So the brothers established the IFOCE as a means to "advance the sport (of competitive eating) and maintain its integrity and maintain its safety," Rich said.

There are 1,000 members in the IFOCE, 80 of whom are ranked by organization according to how well they've performed in competition: everything from such American staples as hot dogs and hamburgers to the more exotic pelemini and beef tongue.

The IFOCE, however, recently expanded its palate considerably, challenging contestants with not one food item, but a whole smorgasbord in "Vegas: Battle of the Buffets."

Taped at the Aladdin's Spice Market Buffet, the hourlong special, which airs at 10 p.m. Sunday on the Travel Channel (Cox cable channel 66), features six gluttonous gladiators inhaling plates and plates of chef-prepared delicacies.

The meals were divided into five contests:

The "Battle of the Buffet" took place over three days, with some of the contests taking place on the same day, about six hours apart, barely giving the contestants time to digest their food.

Each event was also timed 12 minutes with the contestant finishing the least amount of food in the allotted time eliminated after each round until only one gorger was left sitting.

The participants' names range from the colorful -- Edward "Cookie" Jarvis, David "Coondog" O'Karma, "Kid" Cary DeGrosa, Eric "Badlands" Booker -- to the pedestrian -- Rich and Carlene LeFevre.

But the names don't matter when it comes to eating. Nor does size, apparently.

Rich LeFevre stands all of 5 feet 7 inches and weighs 130 pounds -- pre-contest. His wife, Carlene, is 5 feet 6 inches and of average proportions.

DeGrosa is slightly taller, 5 feet 8 inches, and larger, 210 pounds.

While DeGrosa is bigger than both the LeFevres, he is a near runt when compared to Booker and Jarvis, both of whom stand more than 6 feet 5 inches tall and weigh in at more 400 pounds apiece.

Yet the LeFevres and DeGrosa, all of whom are Las Vegas residents, have each fared well in IFOCE-sanctioned events.

Rich and Carlene took first and second place, respectively, in a recent chili-eating contest in Reno. (Rich consumed nearly 21 bowls of chili and Carlene scarfed 16 bowls in 10 minutes.)

And DeGrosa is a three-time, undefeated Las Vegas hot dog-eating champion in 1998, '99 and 2001, consuming under 20 hot dogs in 12 minutes. (The world record has since been set at 50 1/2 hot dogs by Takeru Kobayashi of Japan.)

Both DeGrosa and the LeFevres consider their ability to shovel mass quantities of food into their smallish frames a genetic gift.

"Food is my field," DeGrosa said. "It's what I do best."

Consummate consumers

Competitive eating is nothing more than a pastime for the three heavy eaters: Rich is a retired accountant, Carlene a substitute grade school teacher with the Clark County School District and DeGrosa manages real estate.

"Most of the people are very nice," in the IFOCE, Carlene said. "The majority of the people don't take it that seriously. We don't take it that seriously."

Serious or not, they do consider themselves athletes:

"I don't know what it's like to run a football down the field or being punched by a boxer, that type of thing," DeGrosa said. "But your body is saying no and you're pushing yourself to a new limit. Is that a sport?

"You're testing your inside muscles. It's tough."

The three do very little preparation for the contests. While some contestants are known to use laxatives or stretch their stomaches by drinking two gallons of water or more at one time, Rich said that kind of training, and the health risks they create, aren't worth it.

Instead, he and his wife will each eat a watermelon whole from time to time.

"We've always eaten in bulk," Rich said.

While DeGrosa joked that his intestines "must look like a New York sewer by now" because of the contests and his penchant for heavy eating, the LeFevres take their health seriously. Eighty percent of their meals are small- to normal-sized portions and the food is healthy.

A typical meal, for example, might include low-fat cottage cheese, steamed vegetables, rice and pasta, and Baked Lays potato chips or pretzels for snacks.

"It's just when we're bad, we're really, really bad," Carlene said. "And when we're good we're really, really good."

All three are in their 50s -- older by IFOCE standards. The other three contestants in the "Battle of the Buffets," for example, are in their 30s.

But don't look for the trio to put away their forks just yet.

"(Competitive eating) is a young man's sport," DeGrosa said. "I thought about retiring -- hanging up my buns but not my wiener."

While DeGrosa enjoys the limelight -- he has his own website (kidcary.com) and often has two female escorts at his side for the contests called the "Bunnettes" -- the LeFevres are much more reserved about their claim to fame.

For example, Carlene doesn't enjoy the stares she and her husband often elicit in their weekly buffet trip, as the two polish off plate after plate of food.

"People are watching us," she said. "We know they're watching us. It bothers me and I'll usually say something."

In fact, few outside of family and friends even know she and her husband are competitive eaters.

"It's not something I want to be known for," she said. "I'd rather be known for being pretty or the best teacher."