WEBVTT - The Commissioner 0:00:00.680 --> 0:00:05.320 Ka boom. If you thought four hours a day, minutes 0:00:05.360 --> 0:00:09.120 a week was enough, think again. He's the last remnants 0:00:09.160 --> 0:00:12.440 of the old republic, a sole fashion of fairness. He 0:00:12.520 --> 0:00:15.440 treats crackheads in the ghetto cutter the same as the 0:00:15.560 --> 0:00:20.200 rich pill poppers in the penthouse, to clearinghouse of hot takes, 0:00:20.280 --> 0:00:24.080 break free for something special. The Fifth Hour with Ben 0:00:24.120 --> 0:00:31.600 Maller starts right now, nine nine nine in the air everywhere. 0:00:31.640 --> 0:00:34.959 We are back at it again, Happy Friday, Friday Friday. 0:00:35.000 --> 0:00:39.120 The weekend does not begin until you have downloaded and 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:43.240 begun listening to the Fifth Hour with Ben Malloy. That 0:00:43.240 --> 0:00:47.120 would be me and flying solo by the edge of 0:00:47.159 --> 0:00:49.280 my seat this weekend. No West of the four or 0:00:49.320 --> 0:00:53.080 five to Sully. The podcast eight days a week. Remember, 0:00:53.240 --> 0:00:55.600 tell a friend, Tell a friends. All we ask you 0:00:55.400 --> 0:00:56.920 to do, you don't have. We don't charge for this. 0:00:57.200 --> 0:01:01.360 There's limited commercial interruption. But just spread the gospel. Spread 0:01:01.400 --> 0:01:08.759 the word friends, enemies, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, whoever might 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:12.240 be interested, and and have them subscribe to the podcast 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:15.880 and they'll get it automatically. Every single day that the 0:01:15.959 --> 0:01:19.640 Fifth Hour comes out and is available, which is three 0:01:19.720 --> 0:01:23.920 days a week, so normally on Friday, we do something 0:01:23.959 --> 0:01:26.560 a little different. We have a conversation. We typically will 0:01:26.640 --> 0:01:31.240 drag into the Magic Podcast studio someone that we know 0:01:31.319 --> 0:01:33.280 a lot of radio people because I've worked in my 0:01:33.440 --> 0:01:35.480 in my business and radio over the years, so I 0:01:35.520 --> 0:01:37.959 know mostly radio people. But we have athletes in here 0:01:38.520 --> 0:01:42.840 and whoever strikes our fancy. We've had political figures, political 0:01:42.959 --> 0:01:46.920 pundit's uh fire brands have come in here, everyone from 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:49.960 Lenny dike Stra to Tony Bruno and everyone in between. 0:01:50.800 --> 0:01:54.240 But this week we are very excited to have our 0:01:54.280 --> 0:02:00.720 first commissioner, our first commissioner. Now, is it Adam Silver? 0:02:01.000 --> 0:02:05.560 Is Adam Silver coming on today's podcast? Is it Gary Bettman, 0:02:06.400 --> 0:02:12.520 the NHL commission Roger Goodell, Roger the Dodger from the NFL, 0:02:12.720 --> 0:02:17.120 or Rob Manfred or none of the above? The answer 0:02:18.760 --> 0:02:20.720 is none of the above. But I'm actually more excited 0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:24.840 to talk to this particular commissioner, the commissioner of Major 0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:28.639 League Eating. I admit it's a guilty pleasure. But you watched, 0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:31.360 I know you watched. You watched it on the fourth 0:02:31.400 --> 0:02:35.400 of July weekend. You did. The man who is the 0:02:35.480 --> 0:02:39.160 master of ceremonies. If you've ever watched the hot Dog Contest, 0:02:39.200 --> 0:02:41.440 the Nathan so Hot Dog Contest. You know, the guy 0:02:41.480 --> 0:02:44.000 with the funny hat that does the introductions every year 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:48.200 with whittie commentary, old school carnival barking. He's got the wardrobe, 0:02:48.240 --> 0:02:51.400 the whole thing. His name is George Say. He is 0:02:51.440 --> 0:02:56.240 a throwback at this event to a much simpler time. Uh, 0:02:56.280 --> 0:03:05.280 the master of ceremonies with pauz as and razmatazz. Very verbose, outlandish, 0:03:05.320 --> 0:03:10.320 over the top, brilliant, absolutely brilliant. The way that he 0:03:10.480 --> 0:03:17.399 is able to seemingly memorize those really long winded scripts. 0:03:17.440 --> 0:03:21.080 My goodness, man oh man, I am jealous of his 0:03:21.160 --> 0:03:27.200 ability to retain information and his delivery. So, without further ado, 0:03:27.760 --> 0:03:32.040 the Commissioner of Major League Eating, we welcome into the 0:03:32.120 --> 0:03:36.520 Fifth Hour with Ben Maller, George Shay, and George. I 0:03:36.840 --> 0:03:39.040 know it's been a few days now since the Super 0:03:39.080 --> 0:03:43.040 Bowl of Competitive Eating, and even though you clearly are 0:03:43.080 --> 0:03:46.400 not one of the contestants, you're not scarfing down a 0:03:46.400 --> 0:03:49.760 bunch of hot dogs here. How long does it take you, George, 0:03:49.920 --> 0:03:55.600 to recover from the big hot Dog eating Contest weekend? Well, look, 0:03:55.880 --> 0:03:57.920 I I put a lot of energy into it. Because 0:03:57.960 --> 0:04:00.160 we do. We manage all the media, and then I 0:04:00.240 --> 0:04:03.120 hosted and the Truth be told. It takes all of 0:04:03.160 --> 0:04:05.840 this week for me to shift gears and get back 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:09.040 into regular because mostly what I do is regular, you know, 0:04:09.080 --> 0:04:11.920 public relations. And it's kind of wrenching because you're up 0:04:11.960 --> 0:04:15.560 there in the draw hat yelling and screaming and of course, 0:04:15.680 --> 0:04:18.359 you know, participating in history, and then you have to 0:04:18.440 --> 0:04:20.960 then you have to shift gears. But I'm sort of 0:04:20.960 --> 0:04:23.520 back at it. In fact, I've had a few client 0:04:23.560 --> 0:04:27.560 emergencies today, so that that's brought me back to the ground. Yeah, 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:29.400 and it was a little different. I watched this thing 0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:32.400 every year. I'm a fan, and it was at a 0:04:32.480 --> 0:04:35.039 minor league ballpark because you know, they're still coming out 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:37.040 of the COVID and how would you grade this year 0:04:37.160 --> 0:04:42.680 compared to years past. Um, you know, it's so funny. 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:44.480 I thought it was going to be horrible to do 0:04:44.520 --> 0:04:48.600 it in the ballpark and lack any character. Um, And 0:04:48.640 --> 0:04:53.560 we got almost universal universal approval and praise for it, 0:04:54.160 --> 0:04:57.599 and um, you know a lot of people really liked 0:04:57.600 --> 0:05:00.479 it and it and it just worked out white well. 0:05:00.760 --> 0:05:04.720 We were also the beneficiaries of a truly beautiful day so, 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:07.400 you know, but it was, it was it was really spectacular. 0:05:07.480 --> 0:05:10.640 I thought it was. It was just a really good event. Yeah. 0:05:10.720 --> 0:05:13.039 And of course you are known for those that maybe 0:05:13.040 --> 0:05:17.160 don't watch the event or I mean you your viral 0:05:17.480 --> 0:05:20.800 every year. Your introductions go viral on on the on 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:24.200 the internet. You have the hat, the whole thing. Uh. 0:05:24.240 --> 0:05:28.599 And you don't appear to have any notes. Uh do 0:05:28.600 --> 0:05:31.320 you have a photographic memory? Here? How do you remember 0:05:31.360 --> 0:05:35.040 all that stuff? Well, So, the way I do it 0:05:35.080 --> 0:05:38.320 is I write these introductions and then I memorize them, 0:05:38.480 --> 0:05:41.599 and um, and the you know, it's funny, the longer 0:05:41.680 --> 0:05:44.240 ones that have a narrative component to it are much 0:05:44.320 --> 0:05:47.159 easier to remember than all of the you know, someone 0:05:47.320 --> 0:05:50.080 is six ft four inches tall, two fifteen pounds from 0:05:50.400 --> 0:05:53.720 Las Vegas, Nevada or something. You know. Yeah, but I 0:05:53.839 --> 0:05:57.200 memorize them all and then I just have, um, um, 0:05:57.960 --> 0:06:00.680 one of my team holds up a car hard that 0:06:00.800 --> 0:06:03.880 has the order so that I don't get out of order, right, 0:06:04.080 --> 0:06:07.040 And then if you know that, maybe a word like 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:09.719 the first word of the sentence, and then I will 0:06:09.760 --> 0:06:12.039 remember it. But I spent some time. I spent some time, 0:06:12.480 --> 0:06:14.640 and and then I'm very frustrated with myself if I 0:06:14.720 --> 0:06:19.200 don't deliver the correct you know, intonation that I wanted 0:06:19.279 --> 0:06:21.480 on a certain word. But I will say this, I 0:06:21.640 --> 0:06:25.479 thought that, um, you know, Joey's introduction, which is always 0:06:25.520 --> 0:06:27.640 the one I spend the most time on, was very 0:06:27.680 --> 0:06:30.400 well received this year's It's to be honest, it's it's 0:06:30.480 --> 0:06:32.800 very gratifying. People really enjoyed it and it seemed to 0:06:32.880 --> 0:06:35.440 hit the hit the mark. No, it's tremendous. Who do 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:39.720 you patting yourself after this? Like old school, like Coney 0:06:39.800 --> 0:06:42.440 Island back in the day. Is there anyone in particular. 0:06:42.800 --> 0:06:44.480 You've done this for years, so it's not like it's 0:06:44.560 --> 0:06:46.120 it's new to you, but is there someone that you 0:06:46.920 --> 0:06:52.200 you use as a template to kind of model yourself after. No, 0:06:52.520 --> 0:06:55.160 you know, the weird thing about this is is it 0:06:55.400 --> 0:06:59.040 it definitely has a Coney Island barker, you know, the 0:06:59.120 --> 0:07:01.560 hat and there's a little bit in some of the 0:07:01.800 --> 0:07:03.920 little bit of sports commentary and when you're when you're 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:06.920 doing the actual event. But really what I'm doing is 0:07:07.000 --> 0:07:12.480 trying to go like you know, without getting to you know, 0:07:12.760 --> 0:07:15.760 academic about it. But like you know, to me, it's 0:07:15.800 --> 0:07:20.680 just that people are they are unable to not react 0:07:21.040 --> 0:07:23.480 to a narrative. And that is true of all sports 0:07:23.520 --> 0:07:26.320 and all even business media. Right there's a narrative someone 0:07:26.400 --> 0:07:28.160 is telling a story may or may not be true. 0:07:28.480 --> 0:07:30.440 In fact, if there are all these stories out there, 0:07:30.840 --> 0:07:32.480 you know, there's always a bad guy, there's always a 0:07:32.520 --> 0:07:34.640 good guy. So many of the times it's not true. 0:07:34.680 --> 0:07:36.840 It's just that that's how we tell stories. But so 0:07:37.160 --> 0:07:40.320 so that is always fascinating me, this idea that people 0:07:40.520 --> 0:07:43.080 really react to it. You see it in wrestling, you 0:07:43.120 --> 0:07:46.440 see it obviously in sports, same soap opera, drama, and 0:07:46.560 --> 0:07:48.840 so you know, that's what I'm touching on right in. 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:51.480 Some of them are epic, some of them are comedic, 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:53.760 some of them you know, you're, you're, you're just sort 0:07:53.800 --> 0:07:56.840 of like playing with this this sort of power of narrative. 0:07:56.880 --> 0:07:59.520 And that's really what Joey's about, writes you, he is 0:07:59.600 --> 0:08:02.360 epic because you make him his epic. But he's epic 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:05.080 because you make him epic. And and so that's really 0:08:05.600 --> 0:08:07.880 all of that is my own, you know, just my 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:09.840 own interest. But you know, I'm the kind of kid 0:08:09.880 --> 0:08:11.920 who read a ton of site sci fi when he 0:08:12.000 --> 0:08:13.960 was young, and so all of this kind of like, 0:08:14.640 --> 0:08:17.120 you know, he is pure evil kind of like stuff 0:08:17.240 --> 0:08:20.320 is sort of like hearkens back to the garbage I 0:08:20.440 --> 0:08:22.400 used to read when I was young. Yeah, I see 0:08:22.560 --> 0:08:24.720 it benefits when you get older, see all that crap 0:08:24.840 --> 0:08:26.680 we read his kids. I'm the same way like I 0:08:27.040 --> 0:08:30.080 do an Overnight show, and there's stuff like weird stuff 0:08:30.080 --> 0:08:31.280 that I read when I was in school. I was 0:08:31.280 --> 0:08:34.040 a terrible student, but I remember like random things I 0:08:34.080 --> 0:08:36.280 would read and then it would kind of stick with me. 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:39.520 And I still like phrases and whatnot that I'll use 0:08:39.880 --> 0:08:41.480 this day. I gotta bring up the rap battle and 0:08:41.559 --> 0:08:43.959 that was a few years ago, but I still laughed 0:08:44.000 --> 0:08:47.079 my ass. I. I was getting ready to talk to you, George, 0:08:47.120 --> 0:08:48.680 and I was going through some of the old videos 0:08:48.720 --> 0:08:53.400 from years past, and you had a rap battle Royal before. 0:08:53.640 --> 0:08:57.000 I think this was like it was a few years ago. 0:08:57.720 --> 0:09:00.440 But what what was the origin that it was out standing? 0:09:00.679 --> 0:09:04.920 Back and forth, back and forth? What was behind that one? Well, 0:09:05.040 --> 0:09:08.439 you know, my favorite guy in the whole world is 0:09:08.559 --> 0:09:12.120 bad Lands book or write, a veteran eater from started 0:09:12.160 --> 0:09:15.360 in nineties seven. He's now the chugging Champion of the World. 0:09:15.400 --> 0:09:19.120 We had him on for a chug on ESPN and 0:09:19.200 --> 0:09:22.360 he won his three million followers on YouTube. It's bad 0:09:22.440 --> 0:09:26.280 Lands Chugs. He's like, he's irresistible, he's visually like you 0:09:26.480 --> 0:09:29.199 just can't beat him. He's just so so great, right, 0:09:29.520 --> 0:09:31.160 and as a result he has a ton of followers. 0:09:31.200 --> 0:09:34.120 But like, I just think he's terrific, and so he 0:09:34.600 --> 0:09:37.840 I would. He's a rapper as well. Now let's be clear, 0:09:38.000 --> 0:09:40.720 I am not a rapper, and so obviously I'm an 0:09:40.760 --> 0:09:44.000 old man and in a straw hat, in a blueblazer. 0:09:44.120 --> 0:09:47.040 So so that the the one year I just used 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:50.719 some of his lyrics to introduce him, and then when 0:09:50.760 --> 0:09:53.280 he came on to stage, he was mouthing the lyrics 0:09:53.559 --> 0:09:56.120 as I was saying to them, and it really caught fire. 0:09:56.200 --> 0:09:58.200 People like that. So then the next year I wrote 0:09:58.280 --> 0:10:00.960 a rap and did it with him, and then ever since, 0:10:01.000 --> 0:10:03.880 I've written these rops and then he and I will 0:10:03.960 --> 0:10:07.360 do them, and it's really one of my singular pleasures 0:10:08.120 --> 0:10:10.559 to do that. He's really dynamite and I sort of like, 0:10:11.400 --> 0:10:14.360 you know, I get through. But on the rap battle, 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:16.720 you know, we go out and we do a lot 0:10:16.760 --> 0:10:19.200 of these events, these live events, and you're messing around 0:10:19.280 --> 0:10:21.680 before right, there's like a show and so we always 0:10:21.720 --> 0:10:24.959 do this rap battle to the death and uh and 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:29.240 uh he always wins. But but I I have a 0:10:29.480 --> 0:10:32.319 rapid fire list of about thirty five foods that I 0:10:32.440 --> 0:10:34.719 throw out. Be sure to catch live editions of The 0:10:34.800 --> 0:10:37.920 Ben Maller Show weekdays at two am Eastern eleven pm 0:10:38.000 --> 0:10:41.920 paciffect on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart Radio app. 0:10:42.160 --> 0:10:44.160 And I was thinking, and I don't know if this 0:10:44.360 --> 0:10:46.400 is You're the commissioner of Major League Eating, so you're 0:10:46.400 --> 0:10:47.959 the perfect guy to bring this upside. How about the 0:10:48.200 --> 0:10:52.840 Grand Slam of eating towards You've got the the Mecca, 0:10:53.240 --> 0:10:55.360 which is the hot Dog Contest in New York, but 0:10:55.960 --> 0:10:58.200 you know the ten Is Golf, they've got the Grand 0:10:58.240 --> 0:11:01.720 So I think Major League Eating needs a a Grand Slam. 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:04.679 We got to come up with three other events that 0:11:05.000 --> 0:11:07.840 you could tie in as like the Big the Big Four, 0:11:08.160 --> 0:11:11.840 like the Centerpiece. What do you think? Yeah? Yeah, so look, 0:11:12.040 --> 0:11:15.480 definitely Chicken Wings would be in it. Um. I think, Look, 0:11:15.559 --> 0:11:19.880 we've done DraftKings is a uh one of our partners 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:22.560 and sponsors, and they did three events for this past 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:25.520 year over covid um. We did one of Miami, two 0:11:25.559 --> 0:11:28.920 in Las Vegas, so definitely one of those would be 0:11:29.080 --> 0:11:33.040 in there. And and but definitely Chicken Wings to um 0:11:33.240 --> 0:11:35.079 and and that's a lot of fun. You know, we've 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:37.520 done some other in down South. We did a series 0:11:37.600 --> 0:11:41.199 for many years with Crystal Hamburgers. Um. You know, we've 0:11:41.240 --> 0:11:43.439 done a lot, right, like of different you know, we've 0:11:43.480 --> 0:11:46.480 done you know, Pizza Hut and all these different brands. 0:11:46.559 --> 0:11:49.360 But but I would say that you know, Act me 0:11:49.520 --> 0:11:52.439 Oysters could be one of those that you know, major 0:11:52.600 --> 0:11:56.160 major oyster festival in Orleans and the actne Oyster houses 0:11:56.160 --> 0:11:58.280 a restaurant down then we do it and that is 0:11:58.600 --> 0:12:02.200 very very um uh you know popular. How how does 0:12:02.240 --> 0:12:04.480 this play? George? You know, I have we have listeners 0:12:04.520 --> 0:12:08.240 around the most of in the United States, but people 0:12:08.280 --> 0:12:10.679 in Europe and whatnot. And when I do a model 0:12:10.720 --> 0:12:12.880 at least one a year on Major League Eating, and 0:12:12.960 --> 0:12:15.959 I typically will get someone to be like, oh this 0:12:16.200 --> 0:12:20.040 you're disgusting Americans. Is there a market for for what 0:12:20.240 --> 0:12:23.000 you do in other countries? There is this mostly just 0:12:23.160 --> 0:12:29.960 an American persuasion here. Yeah, you know that we get 0:12:30.000 --> 0:12:32.959 that reaction, but much less, I think than you'd think. 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:37.959 But nonetheless, I think some cultures would be not not 0:12:38.559 --> 0:12:42.319 um poised to to embrace this. Uh, you know, I 0:12:42.360 --> 0:12:45.439 don't think you're gonna do well in France, very it's 0:12:45.520 --> 0:12:50.080 very big in Japan and in Asia, right, So we've 0:12:50.160 --> 0:12:53.359 done a ton of contests on the Pacific, Rim, Singapore, 0:12:54.240 --> 0:12:57.439 in China um and other places. We had a group 0:12:57.520 --> 0:12:59.360 come to us wanted us to do a hundred and 0:12:59.480 --> 0:13:04.079 twenty events in China Um but the but the yeah, but, 0:13:04.400 --> 0:13:07.000 which would have been like an extraordinary opportunity, but we 0:13:07.080 --> 0:13:10.719 would have done it given the economics we would have 0:13:10.760 --> 0:13:13.240 done it with no Essentially it would have been a 0:13:13.320 --> 0:13:15.640 wash for us, and like in the sense of there 0:13:15.640 --> 0:13:17.640 would have been no money and that's a lot of work. 0:13:17.760 --> 0:13:21.600 So we didn't pursue that. But so China, Asia, they're 0:13:21.640 --> 0:13:24.280 definitely a place for that. So one thing is, though 0:13:25.080 --> 0:13:30.360 you you lose culturally, part of the appeal to this 0:13:30.720 --> 0:13:34.800 is the hosting and the whole bombast and the joke 0:13:35.040 --> 0:13:37.840 and the and the you know, the humor, but also 0:13:38.120 --> 0:13:40.920 the energy and the boost bumps that you can get. 0:13:41.280 --> 0:13:44.559 And I don't know that we could reproduce that in 0:13:44.600 --> 0:13:47.800 a country that doesn't speak English, you know. So um, 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:50.000 you know, we've done it. We've done stuff in Australia 0:13:50.640 --> 0:13:53.319 and uh and stuff and in Germany. But you know, 0:13:53.400 --> 0:13:56.880 I don't think I think some of those you have 0:13:56.960 --> 0:14:00.960 it'd be a barrier with a different language. Yeah, and George, 0:14:01.000 --> 0:14:04.120 I mean you've been doing this forever. Anybody's surprised you 0:14:04.240 --> 0:14:08.120 that's a fan of of competitive eating here, Any celebrities 0:14:08.200 --> 0:14:10.559 or anyone you didn't suspect would actually be into this 0:14:10.760 --> 0:14:12.880 that has said, Hey, I love it, I love what 0:14:13.000 --> 0:14:15.079 you do. Anybody come to mind here? Well, you know, 0:14:15.200 --> 0:14:17.720 we get we get a lot of get a lot 0:14:17.800 --> 0:14:20.560 of comments, and a lot of stuff on social media. 0:14:20.680 --> 0:14:23.480 You'll hear someone do something. But one oh, and there 0:14:23.560 --> 0:14:27.280 was some big, really big music guy and I forget 0:14:27.600 --> 0:14:30.720 and and then I just forget who it was. But 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:35.400 but um who I liked. Also in the music world, 0:14:35.760 --> 0:14:41.480 Snoop Dogg like was watching was watching the contest one 0:14:41.600 --> 0:14:45.640 year and he's going, He's going, I forget the exact words, 0:14:45.680 --> 0:14:48.000 but he goes he posts on it, and he posted 0:14:48.000 --> 0:14:51.840 a video and he goes gets his own stone cold 0:14:52.560 --> 0:14:54.680 intro zone like that. Whatever it was, it was like 0:14:54.720 --> 0:14:56.680 it's so Snoop and it was like it was so 0:14:57.400 --> 0:15:03.840 gratifying but also during the U during the two thousand 0:15:03.920 --> 0:15:11.000 and sixteen campaign with um Obama Um he there's a big, 0:15:11.160 --> 0:15:14.520 huge double truck like a double two page spread of 0:15:14.640 --> 0:15:19.800 Obama watching the Fourth of July contest with his family 0:15:20.600 --> 0:15:23.920 in the in the bus the that that drove around 0:15:24.000 --> 0:15:26.400 for their campaign, right, And I thought that was like 0:15:26.560 --> 0:15:29.720 they go, Obama and his family take a break to 0:15:29.760 --> 0:15:32.240 watch the fourth of July Hushdown contest, which I thought 0:15:32.280 --> 0:15:35.120 was like a personal like like very very you know, 0:15:35.240 --> 0:15:39.440 great milestone. But Obama was like watching and then his 0:15:39.560 --> 0:15:42.520 wife and his daughters had the look of horror. They 0:15:42.600 --> 0:15:45.760 were just completely disgusted, which I think may be the 0:15:46.440 --> 0:15:49.280 breakdown in in in our fan base, you know, in 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:53.360 a picture. Yeah, yeah, that's just imagine George at the Pentagon. 0:15:53.480 --> 0:15:56.680 They're taking breaks to watch likely what you're what you're 0:15:56.720 --> 0:16:00.520 doing here? It's insane, I mean, and you're I love 0:16:00.560 --> 0:16:03.280 it the the over the top of me. You've I've 0:16:03.360 --> 0:16:06.160 read interviews, you've done. I mean, you you know that 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:09.120 this is uh, this is out there. I mean, this 0:16:09.280 --> 0:16:11.040 is and I love it too. I think it's great. 0:16:11.400 --> 0:16:13.960 But it's the most relatable sport to everyone has to 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:15.840 eat George, Right, we all have to eat at one 0:16:15.880 --> 0:16:18.560 point or another, so you unlike nobody has to play 0:16:18.600 --> 0:16:21.320 baseball or basketball or football. You know, you don't have 0:16:21.480 --> 0:16:23.600 to do that, but everyone's gotta eat, so you're very 0:16:23.880 --> 0:16:27.720 it's a very relatable sport. You know. I've said the 0:16:27.800 --> 0:16:30.240 same thing myself. If you think about it, you could 0:16:30.280 --> 0:16:33.400 eat three hard boiled eggs or something like that. If 0:16:33.720 --> 0:16:36.560 Joey eats a hundred and forty four in eight minutes, 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:40.160 you get it right, like so um. But you know, 0:16:40.240 --> 0:16:43.480 there's also there's also an element of this which is 0:16:44.000 --> 0:16:47.160 somehow people It's not somehow. People are obsessed with food, right. 0:16:47.240 --> 0:16:50.000 I mean how many people take a picture of every 0:16:50.080 --> 0:16:52.880 meal they get and put it on Instagram? I mean 0:16:52.960 --> 0:16:56.760 how many millions and trillions of like, oh this is 0:16:56.840 --> 0:16:58.880 what I had for lunch. People are obsessed with food, 0:16:58.960 --> 0:17:03.240 and um. There's also an element um of if mom 0:17:03.320 --> 0:17:05.359 doesn't like it, it's got to be fun, right, So 0:17:05.480 --> 0:17:08.360 there's you know, we live in a culture. I mean, look, 0:17:08.440 --> 0:17:11.040 this isn't me getting political where you have to be 0:17:11.160 --> 0:17:14.399 so sensitive. Everything is trouble, right, you can't do anything right. 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:16.480 I mean, there's just a reality to that. It there's 0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:19.440 a buzz saw in general going on not not right, 0:17:19.560 --> 0:17:22.920 not left, just in general. And and so this this, 0:17:23.280 --> 0:17:25.720 I think, I think it does appeal to people in 0:17:25.840 --> 0:17:29.520 the sense of, you know, this is this is outrageous. 0:17:29.960 --> 0:17:32.160 I like it. You know, it's it's there's a little 0:17:32.200 --> 0:17:35.800 bit of a twinge thereof um, you know, maybe you 0:17:35.880 --> 0:17:38.320 know that there shouldn't be you know, Mom wouldn't like 0:17:38.400 --> 0:17:41.440 it that kind of thing. Yeah, no, absolutely, it's it's 0:17:41.680 --> 0:17:45.080 a little taboo, but it's a it's acceptable taboo. And 0:17:45.160 --> 0:17:49.040 you you bring up Joey Joey Chestnut, the greatest eater 0:17:49.160 --> 0:17:52.159 of all time. I did see he popped up on 0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:54.720 TMZ after the contest, and you know it was hitting 0:17:54.760 --> 0:17:58.200 about maybe getting too old? Are you Are you concerned, George, 0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:01.280 that that Joey Chestnut might be coming to an end? Here? 0:18:01.320 --> 0:18:05.639 He's gonna retire soon. You know, I'll leave that up 0:18:05.720 --> 0:18:09.360 to him. I think, you know, he's an epic hero 0:18:09.800 --> 0:18:14.080 and I just don't see anyone ever approaching his numbers. 0:18:14.520 --> 0:18:16.440 But you know, there, you know, and nor do I 0:18:16.560 --> 0:18:18.359 want him to retire. And he's a great guy and 0:18:18.480 --> 0:18:22.080 a great champion. Um. But on the other hand, you know, 0:18:23.080 --> 0:18:24.840 so I'd like him to stay as long as he'd like. 0:18:25.200 --> 0:18:27.920 But you know, these things change, you know, and and 0:18:28.320 --> 0:18:31.960 and um, so I will let him determine his his 0:18:32.040 --> 0:18:34.639 own longevity. I think, you know, in a way that 0:18:34.800 --> 0:18:39.040 he's established a legacy that is impenetrable, right, I don't 0:18:39.080 --> 0:18:41.720 even know it's you know, in our world he is 0:18:42.040 --> 0:18:46.760 Jordan Lebron, James Um, Kobe Bryant, everybody all wrapped into one, 0:18:46.840 --> 0:18:49.760 Tom Brady, throw in whoever you want, and and and 0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:52.200 you know it's that much his statue is that much 0:18:52.560 --> 0:18:55.840 higher than everybody. So he certainly has a legacy that 0:18:55.920 --> 0:18:58.080 he can live on. But you know, the other thing 0:18:58.200 --> 0:19:01.040 is he's a competitive leader. So this is what he does. 0:19:01.520 --> 0:19:05.680 And I also think not him necessarily, but but you know, 0:19:05.840 --> 0:19:10.320 these there's a very very powerful positive feedback that you 0:19:10.480 --> 0:19:13.320 get from the attention and stuff like that that's hard 0:19:13.359 --> 0:19:16.480 to give up to. You see that with lots of folks, 0:19:16.520 --> 0:19:20.800 whether they're a rock star or sports uh you know hero, 0:19:20.960 --> 0:19:24.040 it's it's hard to hard to step out of the spotlight. Yeah, 0:19:24.280 --> 0:19:26.959 So would he like end up working for you as 0:19:27.000 --> 0:19:29.639 like a broadcaster or something if when he does eventually 0:19:29.680 --> 0:19:32.200 retire down the line, is that something you guys have thought. 0:19:33.040 --> 0:19:36.120 You know, we haven't even discussed it. Although certainly that's 0:19:36.240 --> 0:19:38.919 that's a good thought. You know, Mickey Sudo who as 0:19:38.960 --> 0:19:42.359 a female champion and is expecting a child, couldn't compete 0:19:42.400 --> 0:19:45.600 this year because of that. But she um, she was 0:19:45.680 --> 0:19:50.480 a she was an on air um talent on the 0:19:50.800 --> 0:19:53.800 ESPN show. So certainly there's room for that. Although as 0:19:53.840 --> 0:19:57.600 I said, we haven't even we haven't even contemplated his retirement. No, no, 0:19:57.720 --> 0:19:59.840 I I don't want to do to retire it. Also, 0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:03.720 what's what's it like backstage after this? I I've heard 0:20:03.840 --> 0:20:07.159 stories from from people that it's pretty crazy with you know, 0:20:07.240 --> 0:20:10.280 the reaction in the human body when you eat thirty 0:20:10.359 --> 0:20:12.240 or more hot dogs or twenty or more hot dogs 0:20:12.320 --> 0:20:15.120 in ten minutes. But you're you're there, I mean, kind 0:20:15.119 --> 0:20:17.800 of paint the picture. What are we looking at fifteen 0:20:17.880 --> 0:20:23.000 twenty minutes after this thing ends? So what's it like backstage? George? Well, 0:20:23.160 --> 0:20:26.920 I mean, Joey is just exhausted, and and to tell 0:20:26.920 --> 0:20:30.000 you the truth, I am exhausted because there's as I mentioned, 0:20:30.400 --> 0:20:32.320 you know, there's a lot of work that goes into this, 0:20:32.400 --> 0:20:35.159 and anybody who's ever running event or hosted an event, right, 0:20:35.200 --> 0:20:38.119 you know, it's just exhausting. But and and compared to me, 0:20:38.240 --> 0:20:41.480 Joey's three times as an exhausted right, so there's it's 0:20:41.480 --> 0:20:43.280 a little bit of a wipeout. You have to do 0:20:43.400 --> 0:20:46.080 a lot of media and you can't just you can't 0:20:46.119 --> 0:20:48.240 just quit on the media because this is an event 0:20:48.359 --> 0:20:52.359 for media. So following the event, we we accommodate all 0:20:52.400 --> 0:20:55.480 the media who want a specific photo or a or 0:20:55.640 --> 0:21:00.640 a an interview equipped SoundBite. Um, and that probably takes 0:21:00.680 --> 0:21:04.240 twenty minutes, and then Joey generally goes and just you know, 0:21:04.440 --> 0:21:08.879 rest and relaxes for a bit and the the the 0:21:09.760 --> 0:21:13.600 this year, we had a separate live zoom interview that 0:21:13.680 --> 0:21:15.760 a that a good friend of mine who's a journalist, 0:21:15.840 --> 0:21:17.359 you know, it's become a good friend, wanted to do. 0:21:17.480 --> 0:21:20.520 So Joey accommodated us with that. But then what happens 0:21:20.640 --> 0:21:23.440 is Joey gets his second wind and they all go 0:21:23.560 --> 0:21:26.480 out to a party at this bar called Professor Tom's 0:21:27.359 --> 0:21:30.520 or in in Coney Island at a bar called Rubies 0:21:30.640 --> 0:21:33.560 on the Boardwalk, and uh, and I don't drink, so 0:21:33.640 --> 0:21:35.919 I don't I don't go to the party's Also, I'm 0:21:36.040 --> 0:21:39.920 very boring in real life and so but but there's 0:21:39.920 --> 0:21:41.840 a big party that goes on all that night, and 0:21:41.920 --> 0:21:44.320 then and then the next morning. We always have the 0:21:44.400 --> 0:21:47.800 Today Show, So Joey's gotta you Know rally for the 0:21:47.880 --> 0:21:50.280 Today Show at eight am. Be sure to catch live 0:21:50.440 --> 0:21:53.000 editions of The Ben Maller Show weekdays at two am 0:21:53.040 --> 0:21:56.760 Eastern eleven p m. Pacific. What's up, everyone, It's me 0:21:57.200 --> 0:22:00.240 three times in fl all pro Schmber and I have 0:22:00.359 --> 0:22:03.359 a new sports podcast called The lights Out Podcast with 0:22:03.520 --> 0:22:06.240 Sean Maradier. This podcast especial to me is I get 0:22:06.280 --> 0:22:07.840 a chance to talk to some of the best we've 0:22:07.880 --> 0:22:10.240