Competitive Eating Emcee George Shea Sometimes Shakes During Competitions — Why?

One of the biggest and most famous competitions in the U.S. takes place every Independence Day. The annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest gathers big eaters from all over the world to do exactly what you think they'll be doing: eating more hot dogs than most people can literally stomach. With an eating competition of this magnitude, some big names in the competitive eating scene make regular appearances.

2024 sees some notable absences from the competition. Longtime reigning champ Joey Chestnut was banned from competing this year based on a bizarre legal technicality. Eating contest champion Takeru Kobayashi is looking to retire after a Labor Day showdown, but will otherwise sit out of major competitive eating.

But while some of the biggest names in Major League Eating won't be present, you can bet that George Shea will provide his bombastic commentary at every competition he attends.

Though you won't necessarily find him on the benches shoveling competitive-grade hot dogs into his gullet, George Shea brings plenty of enthusiasm to the competition as a regular emcee. George is one of the co-founders of the Major League Eating organization, having developed it alongside his brother Richard. George and Richard serve as chairman and president of MLE, respectively.

Aside from his more business-oriented duties, George is also a beloved emcee for several eating competitions every year.

He commentates for the Nathan's hot dog contest every year, but you'll often see him floating around other competitions for chicken wings and the like. Fans have come to know him for his theatrical flare and pointedly absurdist commentary on competitive eating. In the past, he's likened MLE champs to the kings of Egypt and has even rapped on occasion to hype up the crowd for the competition.

In an interview with Morning Brew, he claims have over 20 to 30 pages of material he works with leading up to competitions.

"They say competitive eating is the battleground upon which God and Lucifer wage war for men's souls," he's previously boasted during one competition.

With epic commentary like that, it's no stretch to say that he stands in equal repute with the actual eaters. He's become a legend in his own right by turning each competition he emcees for into an epic battle of grit and guts.

To some extent, fans have also noticed that his hand shakes a little bit when holding the mic. In case you're at all curious about that, there's never been an explicit reason for why he does that during competition. But with the goosebumps he so often delivers at every MLE event he hosts, we'd be shaking too.

So when gods and titans clash on the battlefield of meats, George Shea will be there to herald their conflict and declare a victor for all ages.