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American Morning

Hot Dog Contestants Hope to Dethrone Two-Time Champ

Aired July 04, 2003 - 09:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


HEIDI COLLINS, ANCHOR: The stomach churning moment of truth is drawing closer at Coney Island. That is when the brave and, we presume, the hungry contestants will chow down in the famed hot dog eating contest. Michael Okwu, joining us again from Coney Island boardwalk in Brooklyn.
Hey, Michael.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

You can hear the music, the sun is also out. And of course, that means that the situation is ripe for an international hot dog eating contest.

You can see that the crowd is beginning to gather right now. We were told that at about 12, this place will be bedlam.

And also the stage here will be the stage of the international competition. About 20 competitors, all trying to dethrone Takeru Kobayashi, who the champion, the two-time champion who ate some 50 hot dogs in less than 12 minutes.

One of the people trying to dethrone him, Eric "Badlands" Booker. How are you do that, Mr. Booker?

ERIC "BADLANDS" BOOKER, HOT DOG EATING CONTESTANT: I'm going to keep focused. I'm going to keep at a method of five dog per minute routine. If I can keep at that pace, I can get to 60. But I'm going to leave a little room for error. Fifty is good enough for me, and I'll be out there -- the Japanese...

OKWU: Have you ever eaten 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes?

BOOKER: Unofficially. That's just between me and you.

But officially, I did 30 in 12 minutes.

OKWU: Now, you know, what's interesting, I think, for a lot of viewers is it's not just about hot dogs. This is a real competitive, organized thing.

BOOKER: Oh, yes. Yes.

OKWU: Where people eat all kinds of things.

BOOKER: Yes. OKWU: Now, what other competitions have you been in? What other kinds of foods. And is it any different to train for those events than it is to train for hot dogs?

BOOKER: Well, basically, any strategy, technique, you need a strong mind and you need capacity, of course. Well, basically, what I do if I'm, like, doing a food, like maybe I've got burritos to do tomorrow. I would take, like, three burritos, sit with them, you know, talk to them, say, "Hey, how can I eat you the quickest?" Develop a strategy, you know. Just get my mind focused.

But basically, the best thing, the training is particularly the same for each food. The capacity training is the same. You just got to be strong.

OKWU: Mr. Kobayashi breaks the hot dog in two and snarfs them down.

BOOKER: Right.

OKWU: Are you going to try anything like that? Or do you just take the whole thing home?

BOOKER: I'm just going to take two hot dogs at a time. Forget breaking them. I'm just going to take them down, take two buns, dip them in water and just take them down one at a time.

OKWU: The two-time champion is back in a hotel room right now meditating and you're here talking to us.

BOOKER: He can meditate all he wants. It's not going to help. I'm happy to be out here talking to you and to CNN and the USA. So let's show them that Eric "Badlands" Booker is here to conquer and here to take the title from the Japanese.

OKWU: Is there a good antacid that you usually take?

BOOKER: Oh, yes. I took a very good antacid.

OKWU: I figured that was the case.

BOOKER: Oh, yes.

OKWU: Mr. Booker, thank you.

BOOKER: Pleasure's all mine.

OKWU: I'll be watching you on the stage...

BOOKER: All right.

OKWU: ... thinking how nice it is to be just sipping water.

BOOKER: Where you go, hurrah!

OKWU: Back to you. COLLINS: Michael Okwu, I've got to ask really quickly what does Andrea Bocelli that we're hearing in the background have to do with eating hot dogs? Is this, like, motivational music?

OKWU: I have no idea. I mean, they've been playing all kinds of things all day. I mean, people come here, they snarf down hot dogs. They're drinking lemonade and beer. And it doesn't really seem to matter, Heidi. They just want to see these guys make fools of themselves.

COLLINS: Five dogs a minute, that is pretty darn ambitious. We will certainly be watching all of this. Thanks so much, Michael Okwu coming out of the boardwalk in Brooklyn. Thanks so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired July 4, 2003 - 09:48   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, ANCHOR: The stomach churning moment of truth is drawing closer at Coney Island. That is when the brave and, we presume, the hungry contestants will chow down in the famed hot dog eating contest. Michael Okwu, joining us again from Coney Island boardwalk in Brooklyn.
Hey, Michael.

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

You can hear the music, the sun is also out. And of course, that means that the situation is ripe for an international hot dog eating contest.

You can see that the crowd is beginning to gather right now. We were told that at about 12, this place will be bedlam.

And also the stage here will be the stage of the international competition. About 20 competitors, all trying to dethrone Takeru Kobayashi, who the champion, the two-time champion who ate some 50 hot dogs in less than 12 minutes.

One of the people trying to dethrone him, Eric "Badlands" Booker. How are you do that, Mr. Booker?

ERIC "BADLANDS" BOOKER, HOT DOG EATING CONTESTANT: I'm going to keep focused. I'm going to keep at a method of five dog per minute routine. If I can keep at that pace, I can get to 60. But I'm going to leave a little room for error. Fifty is good enough for me, and I'll be out there -- the Japanese...

OKWU: Have you ever eaten 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes?

BOOKER: Unofficially. That's just between me and you.

But officially, I did 30 in 12 minutes.

OKWU: Now, you know, what's interesting, I think, for a lot of viewers is it's not just about hot dogs. This is a real competitive, organized thing.

BOOKER: Oh, yes. Yes.

OKWU: Where people eat all kinds of things.

BOOKER: Yes. OKWU: Now, what other competitions have you been in? What other kinds of foods. And is it any different to train for those events than it is to train for hot dogs?

BOOKER: Well, basically, any strategy, technique, you need a strong mind and you need capacity, of course. Well, basically, what I do if I'm, like, doing a food, like maybe I've got burritos to do tomorrow. I would take, like, three burritos, sit with them, you know, talk to them, say, "Hey, how can I eat you the quickest?" Develop a strategy, you know. Just get my mind focused.

But basically, the best thing, the training is particularly the same for each food. The capacity training is the same. You just got to be strong.

OKWU: Mr. Kobayashi breaks the hot dog in two and snarfs them down.

BOOKER: Right.

OKWU: Are you going to try anything like that? Or do you just take the whole thing home?

BOOKER: I'm just going to take two hot dogs at a time. Forget breaking them. I'm just going to take them down, take two buns, dip them in water and just take them down one at a time.

OKWU: The two-time champion is back in a hotel room right now meditating and you're here talking to us.

BOOKER: He can meditate all he wants. It's not going to help. I'm happy to be out here talking to you and to CNN and the USA. So let's show them that Eric "Badlands" Booker is here to conquer and here to take the title from the Japanese.

OKWU: Is there a good antacid that you usually take?

BOOKER: Oh, yes. I took a very good antacid.

OKWU: I figured that was the case.

BOOKER: Oh, yes.

OKWU: Mr. Booker, thank you.

BOOKER: Pleasure's all mine.

OKWU: I'll be watching you on the stage...

BOOKER: All right.

OKWU: ... thinking how nice it is to be just sipping water.

BOOKER: Where you go, hurrah!

OKWU: Back to you. COLLINS: Michael Okwu, I've got to ask really quickly what does Andrea Bocelli that we're hearing in the background have to do with eating hot dogs? Is this, like, motivational music?

OKWU: I have no idea. I mean, they've been playing all kinds of things all day. I mean, people come here, they snarf down hot dogs. They're drinking lemonade and beer. And it doesn't really seem to matter, Heidi. They just want to see these guys make fools of themselves.

COLLINS: Five dogs a minute, that is pretty darn ambitious. We will certainly be watching all of this. Thanks so much, Michael Okwu coming out of the boardwalk in Brooklyn. Thanks so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com