NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Mar 9, 2012) - Today DietBet.com, an online social dieting game that gives players the opportunity to compete to lose weight, announced the winner of its "last supper" competitive eating contest of gigantic pizza slices at the Ripley's Believe It or Not! Times Square Odditorium, located at 234 West 42nd Street.
Crowds cheered on the three members of All Pro Eating who bulked up on 32" Koronet pizzas before pulling a dietary 180 and weighing in for the start of their four-week long weight loss competition. The winner, Will "The Champ" Millender, not only scarfed down the most slices, but was also the heaviest of the bunch, tipping the scales at a whopping 446 pounds. Joel "The Cannon" Podelsky weighed in at 271.5 pounds and Mike "Sisco-Kid" Sisco weighed in at 268 pounds.
Players who reach their goal of dropping four percent of their starting weight in four weeks will split a $1,000 pot. Trained to do nothing but consume everything in front of them as quickly as possible, these men-turned-eating-machines will think twice before competing over the next month in wing-offs, ravioli races, taco triathlons, and milkshake marathons.
Members of All Pro Eating participating in the competition include:
- Will "The Champ" Millender -- Brooklyn resident; four time and current New York Stinky Cheese Eating Champion; featured on Discovery Channel, MTV, and National Geographic
- Joel "The Cannon" Podelsky -- from Laurence Harbor, NJ, once ate a pumpkin pie in 70 seconds; is the current National Bun & Cheese Eating Champion; was featured on "America's Got Talent"
- Mike "Sisco-Kid" Sisco -- hails from Brooklyn; known as the Velvet Voice of Competitive Eating
- Eric "Silo" Dahl -- a college junior from Delano, MN, is the #1 Ranked All Pro Eating and #1 Ranked Collegiate Competitive Eater; is the World Hands-Free Pumpkin Pie Eating Champion and National Pulled Pork Eating Champion
- Todd "The Hungry Genius" Greenwald -- from Madison, Wisconsin, is the All Pro Eating Promotions partner/chairman
- Jammin' Joseph Larue -- hails from Kentucky and is the National Food Court Eating Champion
The Champ, The Cannon, and Sisco-Kid competed live at Ripley's Odditorium on 42nd Street, while the others weighed in remotely. Ripley's Believe It or Not! Times Square's own Greg Dubin, known as the "Great Dubini" emceed the fattening festivities. Amazingly, all three eaters continued to munch on cheesy pizza well after time ran out on the clock.
"These slices of pizza were bigger than the contestants' heads ... and the crowd couldn't believe how quickly the pro-eaters swallowed them down," said Michael Hirsch, president/general manager of Ripley's Believe It or Not! Times Square. "In true Ripley's style, the event showcased a Believe It or Not! twist."
"Maybe that is why I got into competitive eating -- I would never turn down a free lunch," said Joel "The Cannon" Podelsky.
DietBet injects fun, competition, and social collaboration into Americans' seemingly never-ending quest to shed extra weight. Players use the DietBet message boards to offer both encouragement and trash talk. Getting into the spirit, Will "The Champ" Millender already shipped a case of Twinkies to Todd "The Hungry Genius" Greenwald.
"I've been in all kinds of eating competitions and this is one of the most unusual," said Jammin' Joseph Larue. "Getting professional eaters to lose weight ... it's like asking fish to walk or librarians to scream."
"We relish the opportunity to watch these expert eaters tackle a different kind of food-related competition. We're curious to see what they do to fill the time. Maybe Joel 'The Cannon' will get into Words With Friends," said Jamie Rosen, DietBet's founder.
About DietBet
DietBet is an online social dieting game that gives players the opportunity to win money through weight-loss competitions. Dietbetters play with friends and co-workers and put money into a pot; whoever reaches the goal by the end of four weeks wins the pot (or splits it). It's motivation through friendly competition, with real rewards. Founded by Jamie Rosen and launched in December of 2011, DietBet makes losing weight fun. Find DietBet on Facebook and Twitter.
About Ripley's Believe It or Not! Times Square
Located in Times Square in the heart of New York City, Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium brings people of all ages face-to-face with the world's most unbelievable curiosities. With 18,000 square feet of astonishing artifacts, exclusive oddities, exciting interactive exhibits and heart-stopping sideshow performers, this one-of-a-kind attraction welcomes visitors to experience the unusual and unexpected, where the entire family will rediscover wonder around every corner. Ripley's Believe It or Not! Times Square is open from 9:00am - 1:00am. For further information visit www.ripleysnewyork.com. Follow us on Twitter and tell us your most unusual stories and like us on Facebook.
About All Pro Eating Promotions
Founded in 2004, All Pro Eating Promotions has sanctioned over 170 major Competitive Eating Championships, contests and events throughout the world that showcase "Picnic Style Rules" which were created and developed by All Pro Eating. All Pro Eating Promotions' "Eatertainers" (event participants) along with their events and contests have been featured in all forms of major worldwide media. All Pro Eating Promotions is also home to the Nation's only Collegiate Competitive Eating sanctioning body - The National Collegiate Competitive Eating Association ("The NCCEA"). More information can be found at http://www.CompetitiveEaters.com and http://www.TheNCCEA.com.
