Kobayashi Egg-Eating Video Shows The Competitive Eater Downing 32 In A Minute

Takeru Kobayashi's record as a champion competitive eater was tarnished this summer, when it was revealed that his alleged world record for the most hot dogs eaten wasn't as ironclad as he'd made it seem. The record had been, in the first place problematic. Because of contract disputes, he'd been barred from attending the summer's famous hot dog eating contest in Coney's Island, where his rival Joey Chestnut was scarfing down meat, so he set the record on his own, in Manhattan.

But any doubts as to Kobayashi's prowess as an eater were put to rest earlier this month, when the 33-year-old visited the Sports Illustrated Offices for a new challenge. He was asked to eat 32 eggs, and then a gallon of milk, in a minute each. Even though it was his first egg-eating challenge, he performed admirably. Here's a video of the titanic feat:

Really, the only possibly analogy we have to this spectacle is the wondrous scene in Cool Hand Luke in which the titular protagonist, played by Paul Newman, is challenged to eat 50 eggs in an hour. Luke hits a wall when he reaches the 32-egg mark. Could that have been the inspiration for SI's challenge, or was it just a coincidence? Either way, it's hard to say who'd win in an eating competition between Kobayashi and Cool Hand Luke. True, Kobayashi did what Luke did in far less time -- but doesn't the latter get some extra points for his perfect cheekbones and ice-blue eyes?