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Martorano's Masters Meatball Eating Championship

Location: Las Vegas, NV
Date: 11-07-2010
Winner: Joey Chestnut

Joey “Jaws” Chestnut won the second annual Martorano’s Masters Meatball Eating Championship, beating out 12 other contenders at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino on Sunday, Nov. 7. The competition was held on the Masquerade Village stage in the middle of the casino and in front of a live audience. The No. 1-ranked eater in the world ate 43 2-ounce meatballs in 10 minutes earning himself $1,500 and a monogram “M” necklace courtesy of Cook/Owner Steve Martorano. The Major League Eating-sanctioned contest also featured a special guest host, star of “Holly’s World” and “Peepshow,” Holly Madison.

“This is an awesome event and I’m proud to be the Martroano’s champion once again,” said Chestnut. “Since the meatballs are so delicious, I’m really able to enjoy them as I’m competing. I’ll definitely be back again next year.”

The competition brought out some of the best eaters in the world, all vying to beat Chestnut. Rich “The Locust” LeFevre, a veteran eater who holds world records in Spam, chili and huevos rancheros, finished second with 37 meatballs and won $750. Weighing only 105-pounds and the only woman in the competition, “The Lovely” Juliet Lee finished third with 35 meatballs and took home $500. Coming in fourth place and taking home $250 was Erik “The Red” Denmark who ate 33.5 meatballs. Denmark finished only a half meatball ahead of fellow eaters Ron Koch and Kevin Ross.

To fully honor and respect the Martorano’s gourmet meatballs, Major League Eating strayed from conventional competition standards and issued a utensils-only rule. The stipulation proved integral as it put an added premium on technique throughout the contest.

“Now that Joey has won twice, I consider him a part of my family,” said Steve Martorano. “My meatballs are made with a lot of love and a lot of flavor and it’s great that the eaters are able to enjoy them during the competition.”

FULL RESULTS 1 - Joey Chestnut - 43 Martorano's Meatballs in 10 minutes ($1,500) 2 - Rich LeFevre - 37 ($750) 3 - Juliet Lee - 35 ($500) 4 - Erik Denmark -33.5 ($250) T5 - Kevin Ross - 33 T5 - Ron Koch - 33 7 - Chilin Peng - 29 8 - Matt Cohen - 20 9 - Jason Scarincio - 19 10 - Jason Erb - 16 11 - Guy Bertuzzi - 11 12 - Bruce Spotleson - 10 13 - Shawn Kirby - 6

About Martorano’s Steve Martorano opened the original Café Martorano in Fort Lauderdale in 1993. Seventeen years later, Café Martorano is still in its original location on Oakland Park Boulevard and has become a worldwide sensation. Steve Martorano opened his Las Vegas location at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in 2007. Then, earlier this year, he opened his newest location at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. All three locations attract a clientele that ranges from the local, sexy, hip crowd to entertainment's hottest celebrities. CLICK HERE for more information on Martorano's

About Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino offers guests a unique all-suite hotel experience. Complete with 2,563 all-suite hotel rooms, the property overlooks the famous Las Vegas Strip, and sits one block west of the famed boulevard. The resort features a variety of entertainment options including headliners Penn and Teller, the world-famous Chippendales and the Show in the Sky. Rio is home to a diverse array of dining and nightlife experiences including, the famous Voodoo Lounge, Martorano’s, McFadden’s, iBar and VooDoo Beach. CLICK HERE for more information on Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.

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