Charles Hardy

During the latter half of 2004 Hungry Charles displayed a quiet dominance in eating, placing second and third in major events throughout the nation. Hardy has secured victory for six consecutive years in the Civil Service qualifier for the hot dog circuit and he maintains records in sushi, shrimp and cabbage. Hardy is a legend on the IFOCE circuit, and is the former American Hot Dog Eating Champion. Charles won the 2000 Matzo Ball Eating Contest by consuming 15.5 matzo balls in 5 minutes and 25 seconds. He has competed in Japan twice, eating no less than 15 feet of sushi in one sitting. After disappointing performances in Coney Island, skeptics murmured that the elasticity was gone from the stomach of the one-time American Hot Dog Eating Champion. However, Hardy put an abrupt end to whispers with his victory at the Hibernation Cup in Alaska, which included recorded-breaking performances in shrimp (4.5 pounds in 12 minutes) and boiled cabbage (an astounding six and a half pounds in nine minutes). Hardy supplanted Ed Krachie in the late 1990s as America's most recognized competitive eater. Charles is a member of the Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT) at Rikers Island and lives with his family in Brooklyn. It is rumored that he will move to an honorary position on the IFOCE board when he retires from active competition.