Michael "The Scholar" DeVito (born 1961) is a

competitive eater Competitive eating, or speed eating, is an activity in which participants compete against each other to eat large quantities of food, usually in a short time period. Contests are typically eight to ten minutes long, although some competitions c ...

and hot dog eating champion, and three-time winner of the

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest The Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition. It is held each year on July 4th at Nathan's Famous Corporation's original, and best-known restaurant at the corner of Surf a ...

(in 1990, 1993 and 1994). "Mr. DeVito ate 20 hot dogs yesterday at the annual July 4th hot dog-eating contest on Coney Island, assuring him victory for the fourth time in five years." DeVito is 6 feet 2 inches and weighs just over 200 pounds (pre-competition). He set a personal best, eating 20 hot dogs, buns included, in the standard 12-minute competition period. DeVito, who goes by "Mike" when not competitive eating, uses "The Scholar" moniker during competitions; he "earned his nickname because of his scholarly approach to the game of champions." DeVito is a resident of Manalapan Township, New Jersey.Strunsky, Steve
"HOT DIGGITY! DOG DIGGITY! -- FAME; Eating His Way to the Top"
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The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', May 24, 1998. Accessed June 20, 2011. "Michael DeVito, 36, of Manalapan, won five straight state championships, from 1992 to 1996, in competitions sponsored by that hallowed wiener institution, Nathan's. He is also a three-time world champion -- 1990, 1993 and 1994 -- in the contest held every Fourth of July at the Nathan's on Surf Avenue in Coney Island." He also works as an accountant.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devito, Michael 1961 births Living people American competitive eaters People from Manalapan Township, New Jersey American people of Italian descent American accountants