VALKYRIE
A woman of norse mythology who decides who lives and who dies in battle.
A professional competitive eater from Chicago, Illinois.
Formerly known as one competitive eating’s premiere photographers and number one fans, a superfan if you will, Val “Valkyrie” Bromann is now a professional competitive eater with Major League Eating (perhaps the world’s worst competitive eater, but still.)
Since my first live contest experience in 2007 I’ve watched and photographed over 20 professional eating contests. I flew to New York four years in a row for the Nathan’s Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. Three years in a row I drove to Chattanooga, Tennessee, (a ten hour drive each way) for an eight-minute hamburger eating contest. Once I did the entire round-trip journey in under 36 hours, driving all through the night, by myself, to get there. I even watched two wonton eating contests on the other side of the world, in Bangkok, Thailand. My super-fandom even landed me a role on the reality TV show “I’m a Major League Eater.” But, alas, my part was cut (you can totally see me in the background though — I’m the crazy looking one).
In April 2011 I stepped behind the plate to make my eating debut inWaterloo, Iowa’s World Cupcake Eating Championship. I came in last place. But, whatever. I mean, who wouldn’t want to eat as many cupcakes as they could in eight minutes? In December 2013 I competed in a qualifier for the 2014 Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest and won the women’s division (by default mind you…I was the only female) and earned a place to compete at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island — the biggest eating contest of the year. Again, I came in last place. But, undeterred, I am planning a triumphant return to the table at Surf and Stillwell some Independence Day in the future, hoping to break my losing streak and find a way into the rankings.
