Famous Food

Competitive eating superstar Joey Chestnut shockingly lost a battle against newcomer Matt Stonie -- but by inhaling a few less gyoza he might actually win a war ... on heart disease.

Now serving silver linings!

Joey Chestnut -- perhaps the greatest competitive eater in the history of food -- had a giant helping of DEFEAT at the World Gyoza Eating Championships this weekend ... and TMZ was there for the whole thing.

Chestnut -- the reigning Gyoza eating champion (266 in 2012) -- was chewed up and spit out by 21-year-old eating prodigy Matt Stonie ... the #4-ranked eater on Planet Earth.

It all went down at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in L.A. ... where Chestnut stomached 251 gyozas and Stonie threw down 268!!!!

After the competition, Stonie told TMZ he plans to fart a lot this week -- "It's competitive eating. What do you expect?"

As for Chestnut -- who still holds titles in hot dogs and chicken wings -- he said, "I just didn't find my rhythm and Stonie came out hungry."

Never one to lack confidence, Chestnut added -- "I'll be back next year. I'll win it."

Less than two months after Paula Deen went on TV and proclaimed that "everyone should be treated equal" ... her husband Michael Groover was seen walking out of a Chick-fil-A restaurant.

While they do have great food (really great food), is Chick-fil-A REALLY the best place for Paula's hubby to grab a meal ... in the wake of the chef's "I'm not a bigot, please take me back America" campaign?

FYI -- it wasn't too long ago Paula appeared on TV and said, "I believe that every creature on this earth — every one of God's creatures — was created equal, no matter who you choose to go to bed at night with, no matter what church you go to pray. I believe that everyone should be treated equal and that's the way I was raised, and that's the way I live my life."

Just sayin' ...

After a lifetime of shying from social media, Prince has FINALLY joined the Twitterverse ... and instantly became "that guy" who posts photos of his food.

Dammit Prince.

The singer fired off his first tweet last night under the handle, "@3rdeyegirl -- and it read, "PRINCE'S 1ST TWEET... TESTING 1,2..."

His 2nd tweet read -- "PRINCE'S 2ND TWEET."

Followed by Tweet #3 -- a photo of his over-peppered salad, with the caption, "DID EYE ADD 2 MUCH PEPPER?"

Yes, Prince ... you did.

The Purple One polished off his first string of insightful tweets with an inaugural "selfie," a close-up shot that's barely discernible as his hair.

Rob Dyrdek is on a mission ... a greasy, stomach-filling, alcohol-absorbing mission ... to find the greatest drunk munchie chef in the country. And it's gonna be awesome.

Dyrdek was leaving Boa Steakhouse on Sunset Blvd. last night when he told us all about his upcoming MTV show "Snackdown" -- the hunt for a Wolfgang I'm-So-Pucked-Up-Right-Now.

"If you appreciate late night random drunk snacking on a gourmet level, that's what 'Snackdown' is all about."

For example -- Pizza with nachos ... throw in some chocolate syrup ... and maybe some ice cream. Boom. BRILLIANT.

In one of the most supremely ironic court decisions in a long time, a judge just threw out the racial discrimination claim filed against Paula Deen -- the very lawsuit that destroyed the famous chef.

A judge just ruled ... Lisa Jackson had no right to claim racial discrimination, BECAUSE SHE'S WHITE! Any comments that Deen or her cohorts may have made had no legal consequence to her, because she's simply not the right color.

Jackson made a tenuous argument that someone in her family was bi-racial -- something that may not be true at all. But the judge said even if it were true, she was at best an "accidental victim."

Short story -- Jackson ruined Paula with a bogus claim.

The case goes on, because Jackson also claims sexual discrimination, and so far there's not basis to doubt that she's a woman.

This video is so unbelievable we nearly can't believe it -- Steve Aoki launched a FULL CAKE from his DJ booth at a show over the weekend in Toronto ... hurling it 80 feet deep into the crowd ... and it splattered SQUARELY on some poor kid in a wheelchair.

Seriously. The throw could not have been more perfect. Drew Brees couldn't have pulled this off. Which is why our BS alarms are going off.

We can't prove it's some fake viral nonsense, so we'll let you decide. For his part, Aoki is saying it's real. He just tweeted, "i love this kid! i still cant believe i threw this cake 80 feet direct to the face! love u dawg!"

The "MasterChef" finalist who was arrested after getting into a violent, bizarre encounter with cops ... has a history of criminal behavior ... including a previous arrest.

TMZ broke the story ... Josh Marks was popped by cops in Chicago last week after he allegedly punched a cop and tried to steal his gun. It took 5 cops to finally subdue the 7-foot-2 giant, after using pepper spray and batons. Once in custody cops say Marks claimed he was God.

Marks' lawyer told TMZ afterwards, doctors are evaluating the chef for a mental illness, arguing he wasn't in his right mind when the alleged attack went down.

Now we've learned this isn't the first time Marks has had a run in with the law.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Marks was arrested in June for trespassing in a Chicago condo complex -- after allegedly sneaking in on numerous occasions and bizarrely telling residents he lived there. He DID NOT.

At the time, the building sent a WARNING to residents to be on the lookout for a "very tall" African-American man, who "enters the building by catching the door." They were told to call 911. The case is still pending.

"Naked and Afraid" star Billy Berger went all King Henry VIII on a snake ... chopping off its head without hesitation ... but it's what he discovered afterwards that's so interesting.

In the never-before-seen-clip of the show -- airing tonight -- Billy and partner Ky Furneaux try to survive in the Louisiana swamplands for 21 days, naked. Needing food, Billy goes snake hunting. Harder than it sounds.

It's pretty ridiculous ... not only does he catch the snake (which is consistently biting him) ... he chops off the serpent's head like he's cutting some breakfast sausage.

MasterChef finalist Josh Marks has just been canned by 2 of his sponsors after he was arrested earlier this week for allegedly attacking a police officer ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the "Make A Sound Project" -- an organization dedicated to helping people who suffer from depression -- tells us Marks is OUT as an official spokesperson, effective immediately.

"We appreciate what Josh has done for us but we're in the market of helping people. So, we'll keep him in our prayers ... but as of now Chef Marks will be dropped as a spokesman."

Marks has also been 86'd from an NYC cooking competition called "Culinary Fight Night" -- which had marketed Marks as a celebrity judge for an upcoming event.

The CFN people tell TMZ ... they made the decision to ax Marks from the event because they don't want to to put their fans in danger -- adding, "We won't have this man tarnish the integrity of our brand."

Alex Rodriguez will never play baseball again ... is what some people think -- just because he scarfed down 20 wings at a Hooters, just as he's supposed to be getting in game shape.

Before you dismiss the theory, please note -- A-Rod also had CURLY FRIES!! Boom.

MasterChef finalist Josh Marks wasn't in his right mind during a bizarre, violent encounter with University of Chicago cops this week -- so says Josh's lawyer, who tells TMZ, doctors are currently evaluating him to determine whether he's suffering from a mental illness.

Josh's attorney Lisa Marie Butler tells us, “We are working closely with medical professionals to determine if Josh's behavior could be related to mental health symptoms."

She adds, "The Josh that you are hearing about in police reports this morning is not the spirited Gentle Giant that we know.”

As we reported, 26-year-old 7-foot-2 Marks was arrested by University of Chicago police Monday after allegedly punching a cop and trying to grab his gun. 3 officers tried to subdue Marks with batons and pepper spray, but he broke free and took off running.

It eventually took 5 officers to chase him down and handcuff him. Once in custody, cops claim Marks blamed Gordon Ramsay for his outburst, claiming the celeb chef had possessed him and turned him into God. We're told there was no evidence of drug use.

Multiple sources close to Marks believe he suffers from bipolar disorder. Fellow "MasterChef" contestant Tali Clavijo tells us, "Josh was two different people ... He seemed to always be a party guy, but he had this other side trying to be good." He added, "He had split personalities."

With his career in jeopardy and cheating allegations swirling ... Alex Rodriguez found comfort at a Hooters in Florida this weekend ... TMZ has learned.

We've confirmed ... A-Rod and a lady friend walked in to the chicken joint in Sarasota, Florida this weekend and went to town on chicken wings.

Hooters sources ... yeah, we got those ... tell us A-Rod and his woman woofed down a total of 20 wings (medium sauce) along with an order of curly fries ... and washed it down with a soda and an unsweetened tea.

We're told A-rod left a pretty great tip and was super nice to everyone in the restaurant.

Unclear if either Alex or the chickens tested positive for growth hormones.

A top contender on "MasterChef" had a bizarre, violent encounter with cops in Chicago ... telling them Gordon Ramsay is an "asshole" who possessed his body and then transformed him into God ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... a University of Chicago cop spotted Josh Marks nearby the campus on Monday He was trying to use a University emergency phone and had obvious cuts on his face. We're told the cop asked Marks if anything was wrong, and Marks then lunged at him, striking him with a closed fist and then tried to grab his gun.

Our sources say the cop and two other officers tried to subdue the 26-year-old, 7'2" tall culinary runner-up ... to no avail. They batoned and pepper sprayed him but it had no effect. Marks broke free and started running. Five cops subdued him in a resident's backyard.

Marks was taken to the hospital to treat his injuries. We're told once in custody an officer asked him why he went off the rails, and he blamed it all on Gordon Ramsay. Shockingly, we're told there was no evidence of drug use.

We're told doctors discovered bullet fragments in Marks' face from an unrelated incident.

Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson is one step closer to getting rid of her throat-clutching ad mogul husband Charles Saatchi -- after a British judge rubberstamped their divorce petition.

According to court docs, obtained by British media, Lawson blamed the split on Saatchi's "unreasonable behavior."

Of course, it was just 7 weeks ago that Saatchi was photographed grabbing his wife by the throat outside of a London restaurant.

During the hearing, the judge granted the couple a "decree nisi" -- conditional approval -- and the divorce will most likely be finalized in 6 weeks, standard operating procedure in the U.K.

Court docs reportedly show an "order for financial relief" has been approved ... which means it's likely the two struck a private settlement deal.

Lawson and Saatchi have been married for 10 years. They have no children together.

Paula Deen has a very powerful ally ... 'cause undefeated boxing champ Laila Ali tells TMZ she's still got Deen's back, even after the n-word controversy.

Right before Deen's kingdom came crumbling down, Laila joined Deen on the Food Network show "Paula's Best Dishes" back in April to cook up some Cloverleaf Rolls, Brussels sprouts, stewed beef and cheese grits.

Since her appearance, Deen has basically been branded a racist due to the fact she admitted using the N-word in private.

So, when Laila and her husband, former NFL star Curtis Conway, rolled into Malibu yesterday, we had to ask how she felt about the disgraced chef.