"The Black Widow" Sonya Thomas and "Deep Dish" Patrick Bertoletti duked it out for the Major League Eating sanctioned event.
The winner: Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti wins $2,000 at the King Cake Eating Contest held at Showboat Atlantic City on Feb. 21, 2012.
ATLANTIC CITY — It wasn't exactly N'awlins, but Atlantic City's Showboat Casino didn't waste any time celebrating Madi Gras on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
With a long table lined with countless drinks, epic introduction music and the scent of sugary sweetness creeping throughout the casino floor, Fat Tuesday truly lived up to its name at the Big Easy on the Boardwalk.
WATCH VIDEO FROM THIS EVENT: CLICK HERE
The fourth annual Fat Tuesday King Cake Eating World Championship competition kicked off at 3pm. Backstage at the House of Blues Party Pit, 12 major-league competitive eaters divulged and devoured as many thick, sticky and sugary King Cakes as humanly possible in just eight minutes.
The contestants readied themselves, pacing, taking deep breathes and clapping their hands in front of them as the cakes were brought out and placed on the trays.
The competitors included Sean “Flash” Gordon (Downingtown, Pa.), Micah “Candy Man” Collins (Drexel Hill, Pa.) — who sported an auburn overcoat, a top hat, colored contacts and a curled mustache. “Notorious Bob” Shoudt (Royersford, Pa.) took to the table strutting a giant gold-colored “B.O.B” bling around his neck.
The legendary leader of the pack elegantly graced the Showboat with her presence. Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas, the Korean-born American competitive eater from Alexandria, Va., ranked the number four eater in the world and current five-time reigning World Buffalo Wing Eating Champion, stood next to the second ranked (in the International Federation of Competitive Eating) Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti (Chicago, Ill.).
Other competitors included Crazy Legs Conti, the 20th ranked eater in the world by Major League Eating and the Beef Brisket Buffet-Eating Champion. “The Real Deal” Larell Marie Mele, 29th ranked eater by Major League Eating (having devoured 10 pepperoni rolls in 10 minutes) and many more, including "Sam" (Williamstown, N.J.), who won a chance to compete with the bigwigs, but only ended up finishing one-and-a-half king cakes.
Crowds gathered to watch the eight-minute eating contest where the 12 competitors gorged themselves in a colossal mess of sticky cake bread, juice and water.
At one point Sonya Thomas and Patrick Bertoletti were neck in neck with Sonya coming up on top until the very end when“Deep Dish” Bertoletti took down “The Black Widow” eating 10.5 king cakes in the alloted time. Thomas finished with a little over eight eaten cakes.
The triumphant but extremely messy Chicagoan was awarded $2,000 for the Major League Eating sanctioned event and crowned champion of Showboat’s fourth annual Fat Tuesday King Cake Eating World Championship.
A lot was at stake at the annual Trump Plaza Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on May 28 at 2pm, namely the title of New Jersey Hot Dog Eating Champion and the right to compete in the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, NY.
'It’s one of several themed events we have planned throughout the hotel and throughout the year, and it’s going to be a lot of fun. Seven Stone just did such a phenomenal job when they were here last [on Jan. 21 for the LIVE Bar re-branding party] that we had to bring them back.”'
Fabulous Thunderbirds with Kim Wilson perform July 11 for free in the summer Monday night music series at Kennedy Plaza.
In New Orleans, the colorful annual street festival is called Mardi Gras. In Cuba and other Latin nations, including Brazil, it is known as Carnivale. The Tropicana, in honor of its Latin-themed Quarter, presents its second annual Festival Carnivale de Tropicana on Friday, Jan. 28 from 6-10pm.
Sizzlin’ Fundraiser Sunday This Sunday, July 25, the Super Sizzlin’ Summer Concert to benefit the Community Food Bank of New Jersey will take place in the Pleasantville Music Shoppe’s piano presentation room starting 1pm. The shop is located at 13-15 East Black Horse Pike in Pleasantville, and entertainers scheduled to perform include Sacred Sword with Johnny Higbee (from approx. 1-1:45pm), Tom Hauck and the Neatles with special guest Adam Berado (2-2:45pm), and Jim Craine and the Atlantic City All-Star Band with special guest NBC-TV 40’s Michelle Dawn Mooney (3-4:30pm). Admission is free, but non-perishable foods to donate to the Community Food Bank are encouraged. “There’s a lot of people out there who are hurting, and I just thought this would be a really nice way to give back to the community,” says Craine, a Pleasantville Music Shoppe sales associate. “So many people are out of work and using the food bank — I even know some musicians who are using it — and I just wanted to help out in the best way I know how,...
Neville Brother Cyril Neville comes to Ventnor this Saturday, Feb. 27 for a special Mardi Gras celebration and fundraiser for Access One. He spoke recently to Atlantic City Weekly.
Dining Room Murder Mystery Where: Rifici's Ristorante, 308 White Horse Pike, Absecon, 272-2000 When: Saturday, May 30, dinner at 5:30pm followed by show How much: $35 per person includes dinner, ...
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1. Wilbur said... on Feb 22, 2012 at 01:42PM
“oink oink!”
2. Anonymous said... on Feb 22, 2012 at 07:31PM
“crazy!”
3. Anonymous said... on Feb 23, 2012 at 09:40PM
“Very colorful storytelling...enjoyed your story”