I have to be honest and say that aside from the hot dog eating contest at Coney Island, I’ve never given competitive eating much thought. In fact, I find the whole idea of it gross and nauseating. But apparently the state of North Carolina doesn’t despise this organized sport (yes, you read that right) as much as I do.
Yes, North Carolina is considered one of the best states for competitive eating. This is according to research from our friends at Betway. They analyzed “Google search data for relevant terms, the number of native MLE speakers, and the number of eating contests available across all states and Canada” to come up with these rankings.
But what exactly is competitive eating? Essentially, contestants are challenged to eat as much of a dish as they can within a certain amount of time. Whoever eats the most is the winner. Again, I’m not sure what I’m missing here, but none of this sounds like something I’d enjoy watching or participating in.
But North Carolina ranked 12th out of 50 states for competitive eating, so we’re far from the worst place if you’re into that sort of thing. North Carolina ranks 12th with 163 eating contest venues.
The 15 best states for competitive eating:
- Georgia
- Texas
- Florida
- Missouri
- Pennsylvania
- new York
- Illinois
- Indiana
- California
- Michigan
- Washington
- North Carolina
- Arizona
- Ohio
- Louisiana
Thanks to our friends at Betway for sharing their research with us. You can read the full study and methodology here.
Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in digital and advertising. Melanie writes about a wide range of topics, but her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college sports. When she’s not working, you can find her at a country music concert or an NC State sporting event.
