Ton of Tamales

In the just-released Eat This Book, journalist Ryan Nerz says the fastest-growing sport in the country today is…competitive eating. And while these gluttonous games seem to speak to everything that is wasteful about Americans, these "athletes" will tell you (when their mouths aren't full) that they train just as intensely as their ball-tossing counterparts. Come see faces get stuffed as Berryhill Baja Grill hosts the World Tamale-Eating Contest. Expected to last 12 minutes, the competition should include enough tamales to feed a whole village for an entire summer.

The prize? A grande $4,000 total: $2,500 for first place, $1,000 for second place, and $500 for third. It also costs 25 bucks to get in, but all that goes to the Mercy Foundation, a Mexican aid organization. Contestants from all over the country are coming down to Houston for this contest. Will current record-holder Levi "The Prophet" Oliver retain his tasty title? More important, can all the competitors manage to keep the delicacies based on Walter Berryhill's original recipe from coming back up? Just be careful if you're watching from the front row.
Sat., May 6, 2 p.m.