Takeru Kobayashi

• Broke a world record by eating 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes in 2011
• Coney Island hot dog-eating contest winner six consecutive times from 2001 to 2006
• Ate 337 buffalo chicken wings at Philadelphia's Wing Bowl XX in 2011, shattering the previous record by 80

Widely considered the world's greatest eater, Nagano, Japan-native and New York resident Takeru Kobayashi ("Kobi" to friends) brought competitive eating from the fringe to the mainstream. In doing so, he remains the barometer by which all other competitors are compared. Kobayashi holds 6 Guinness records (hot dogs, pasta, pizza, meatballs, Twinkies, hamburgers), and numerous other world records including those for eating chicken wings, turkey and cheesesteaks. Beyond eating, Kobayashi has become a pop culture icon on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. He has been featured in commercials for the likes of SportsCenter, Eight O'Clock Coffee and MasterCard; he has done numerous public and private corporate appearances; and recently signed on as a part owner of Hofmann's Hotdogs, America's oldest hot dog company that will soon begin production on a signature "Kobayashi dog." Kobi has been featured on MTV's True Life, has done original features with CollegeHumor.com and SI.com, and is a featured user on the foodie mobile and web-based app Foodspotting.