STUFF YOURSELF LIKE A PRO
Competitive eater Matt Stonie challenges fans to a hot dog eating contest at Yaamava'
While most casino patrons are on the floors trying their luck with their favorite slot machines and table games, soon a different skill and strategy involving massive hot dogs will be tested.
Competitive eater and YouTube star Matt Stonie will attempt the 3K Mega Dog Challenge, where he'll try to consume a 3,000-calorie hot dog in under 10 minutes at The 909 sports bar and restaurant at Yaamava' Resort and Casino in Highland today.
Stonie is inviting the public to eat the 22-inch dog (with crisp pork belly and barbecue pulled pork, topped with cheddar cheese sauce, barbecue sauce, pickled jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced red onion, green jalapeno sauce and white crème sauce) right alongside him. If, like Stonie, guests can finish within the time frame, they'll win $300 of free play in the casino, a photo in the Mega Dog Hall of Fame, a T-shirt and their name on a trophy inside The 909. It costs $30 to enter the contest.
“I've done challenges in my day, but it's been awhile,” Stonie said. “I kind of put it on the back burner because I was focused on contest events, but since COVID, the contests have calmed down a little bit, so I'm very excited to get back on stage.”
Stonie was inspired to get into competitive eating by watching the Travel Channel's reality TV show “Man v. Food,” where the host travels around the country to restaurants that offer a vast serving of food. In the late '00s, Stonie began uploading videos of himself eating giant food items and he was soon traveling to professional competitions to win cash.
“`Man v. Food' made it an entertainment medium, more than a contest, and YouTube was taking off, so I think the mixture of finding a niche that I was naturally good at doing, plus the creative aspect of editing, producing and launching videos, made me fall in love with the whole process,” he said. “That and eating food is not a bad gig.”
In 2015, he prevented his rival Joey “Jaws” Chestnut from winning a 10th consecutive victory at the Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Nathan's Famous on Coney Island. He's also defeated Chestnut, ranked first in the world in Major League Eating, in past competitions featuring Twinkies, poutine and gyros. Other arduous challenges and competitions for Stonie include eating 20 pounds of pumpkin pie, a 54-inch pizza and a 14-pound burger.
As a competitive eater, Stonie prepares by researching and understanding the food he will consume. His strategy includes anticipating most of the ingredients so he isn't surprised by anything, but he also focuses on his body after the event.
Competitive eaters tend to be mindful of the incoming calories, macros, carbs and proteins, but Stonie said salt could be a killer, as it is a significant dehydrator. His recovery routine in salty situations includes taking a hot shower, using a sauna or hitting the treadmill with layers to induce more sweat.
“A lot of it is also just taking it easy because you just put your body through a lot, and you're gonna be doing a good 24 hours of major digestion, so your body's got a lot to handle, and the last thing you want to do is completely tax it out,” he said. “It's a little rest and digest, but also trying to keep everything moving.”
Stonie recommends that those taking up the 3K Mega Dog Challenge alongside him start with what they enjoy, such as the link or bun, and if they're not keen on spicy foods like jalapenos, it's best to save those for last. And if you can't make it to today's event, you can still take the Mega Dog Challenge any time in The 909 as long as you're a Club Serrano member.
“I think that will help you mentally get into the rhythm of things and enjoy and destroy the hotdog,” he said.*