Competitive eating catches on

PHOENIX, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- The unique pastime known as competitive eating has turned, over the years, into something of a sport, the Arizona Republic reported.

This year saw the world's first Sky City Casino World Fry Bread Eating Championship at the Arizona State Fair. The event attracted professional competitive eaters like Rich "The Locust" Lefevre, Jeremiah "El Toro" Jimenez and Jason "The Erbivore" Erb.

Competitors were given 10 pieces of Frisbee-sized fry bread and eight minutes to consume as much of it as possible.

Such competitions, the Republic reported, are springing up more and more, many offering sizable cash prizes -- and even an opportunity to show off one's skills on ESPN in events overseen by the International Federation of Competitive Eating.

Japan's Takeru Kobayashi is considered the world's greatest eating champion, with a record of eating 95 slider-style hamburgers in eight minutes live on ESPN.