Well, the 4th of July weekend is almost here. Time for fireworks, parades, and all those great outdoor cookouts. But for a few hearty souls, it’s also time to loosen the old stomach muscles, in preparation for the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. Let’s warm up for the occasion with a video buffet of extreme eating competitions.

Pumpkin Pie

Independence Day doesn’t have a monopoly on eating contests. Prepare to never want another piece of pumpkin pie.

Buffalo Wings

My, the ladies can sure put away the wings. Who needs lipstick when hot sauce seems to work just as well?

Bacon

At the Des Moines Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival, you can almost hear the arteries hardening as the contestants chew the fat.

Onions

I have to admit, while searching for eating competition videos, I didn’t expect to find onions. Who gets to kiss the winner?

Jalapenos

What kind of cast iron stomach do you have to have to enter a jalapeno eating contest? And did that sign say “Puke on Me”?

Artichokes

I once found out how the “choke” part of the artichoke got its name, so these brave folks certainly have my respect.

Oysters

I’ve never had a glass of oysters, and I hope I never do. And you have to love the face painters, right? They really get into it.

Whoopie Pie

Ian “the INVADER” Hickman defends his title, while wearing some sort of electric shirt.

Nathan’s Hot Dogs

And here’s last years photo finish between Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi. U…S…A! U…S…A!