The Fourth of July brings with it many traditions: fireworks, beach trips, cookouts, terrified dogs and, of course, the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.
As usual, the competition will be held on July Fourth at the original Nathan’s Famous location on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.
Following a ban last year, 16-time Nathan’s hot dog eating champion and world-record holder Joey Chestnut is back this year to compete for the Mustard Belt and the $10,000 grand prize. He’ll face off against defending champion Patrick Bertoletti and 13 other competitors. On the women’s side, world record holder Miki Sudo will look to defend her title for a fourth straight year.
What time does Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest start and end?
Coverage of the contest begins at 10:45 a.m. ET with the women’s competition, which will likely kick off around 11 a.m. Coverage of the men’s contest begins at noon ET, with the contest itself beginning around 12:30 p.m. ET.
The contest will end around 1 p.m. ET.
How can you watch the hot dog eating contest on cable?
The Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest will air exclusively on ESPN stations. Check your local listings for the specific channel. Coverage will begin at noon ET on ESPN2 and will feature a recap of the women’s competition and a live airing of the men’s contest.
The contest will also re-air on ESPN at 5 p.m. ET and at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
How can you stream the hot dog eating contest without cable?
The competition will also be available on ESPN3, the sports broadcaster’s online streaming platform. Those without cable can sign up for an ESPN+ account or a Disney bundle that includes ESPN.
The women’s competition will air live on ESPN3 before the cable coverage begins. This year, ESPN3 will also offer isolated shots of Chestnut and Sudo during their competitions.
Are there any other ways to watch the hot dog contest on the Fourth of July?
Those with subscriptions to online TV streaming services that include ESPN, such as YouTube TV, will also be able to watch.
Who will be competing in the hot dog eating contest?
The competitors on the women’s side in this year’s Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest are:
- Miki Sudo: 39 years old, 5’7″ — Tampa, Florida
- Michelle “Cardboard Shell” Lesco: 41, 5’4″ — Tucson, Arizona
- Domenica Dee: 33, 5 feet — Westchester, New York
- Tandra Childress: 39, 5’5″ — San Francisco, California
- Katie Prettyman: 42, 5’5″ — Marysville, Washington
- Larell Marie Mele: 55, 5’6″ — Long Pond, Pennsylvania
- Isabeau Prettyman: 18, 5’5″ — Marysville, Washington
- Jocelyn Young: 44, 5’9″ — Sherman, Texas
- Kelly Lewis: 32 — Overland Park, Kansas
- Elizabeth “Glizzy Lizzy” Salgado: 33 — Kern County, California
- Cherish Brown: 36, 5’3″ — Edon, Ohio
- Madison Barone: 24, 5’9″ — Manville, New Jersey
- Laura Beitler: 30, 5’7″ — Batavia, Illinois
- Camille O’Brien: 38, 5’5″ — Jeffersonville, New York
Sudo has won three straight contests in a row. Prior to that, she had won seven in a row from 2015 to 2020.
The men’s competitors are:
- Joey Chestnut: 41 years old, 6’1″ — Westfield, Indiana
- Patrick Bertoletti: 40, 6’2″ — Chicago, Illinois
- James Webb: 36, 6’1″ — Sydney, Australia
- Nick Wehry: 35, 5’10” — Tampa, Florida
- Geoffrey Esper: 50, 5’7″ — Oxford, Massachusetts
- Max Stanford: 37, 6’1″ — Brixton, England
- Derek Hendrickson: 37, 6’3″ — Las Vegas, Nevada
- George Chiger: 46, 6’6″ — Pocono Pines, Pennsylvania
- Ricardo Corbucci: 38, 5’9″ — Brasilia, Brazil
- Gideon Oji: 33, 6’9″ — Morrow, Georgia
- Adrian Morgan: 42, 6’1″ — Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Radim Dvořáček: 34, 5’9″ — Ostrava, Czech Republic
- Darrien Thomas: 26, 5’8″ — Ontario, Canada
- Cameron Meade: 21, 5’8″ — Valparaiso, Indiana
- Jerome Burns: 33, 5’6″ — Danbury, Connecticut
Chestnut will look to win his 17th Mustard Belt while Beroletti will try to defend his first and only title at the contest.
Why didn’t Joey Chestnut compete last year?
Chestnut was banned from the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2024 because of a sponsorship deal he signed with Impossible Foods, which sells plant-based meat substitutes, including hot dogs.
“MLE [Major League Eating] and Nathan’s went to great lengths in recent months to accommodate Joey and his management team, agreeing to the appearance fee and allowing Joey to compete in a rival unbranded hot dog eating contest on Labor Day,” Major League Eating, which sanctions the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, said in a statement at the time. “For nearly two decades, we have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provisions. However, it seems that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with a different hot dog brand over our longtime relationship.”
Chestnut ended up competing against his old rival, Takeru Kobayashi, in a hot dog eating competition that streamed on Netflix on Labor Day last year. Chestnut ended up winning that contest, which followed the same rules as the Nathan’s competition.
Chestnut has agreed to only endorse Nathan’s hot dogs going forward, so he was allowed to return this year.
Who is expected to win the hot dog eating contest?
Chestnut and Sudo are far and away the favorites to win the men’s and women’s contests, respectively. Chestnut comes in at an enormous -2000 favorite. Bertoletti is +1200, but comes in at +155 in the Winner Without Chestnut market, according to CBS Sports.
Many sportsbooks aren’t even offering odds on the women’s side due to Sudo’s dominance, according to CBS Sports. However, betting expert Matt Severance told CBS Sports the Under 45.5 for Sudo at -105 could be a worthwhile wager.
Check out CBS Sports for a more detailed breakdown of the hot dog eating contest’s odds and predictions.
What is the record amount of hot dogs eaten at a hot dog eating contest?
Chestnut holds both the official and unofficial world records for most hot dogs eaten in a competition. He downed 83 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes during his Labor Day competition against Kobayashi, but since that event wasn’t sanctioned by Major League Eating, it’s not considered official.
The official world record is 76, also set by Chestnut during the 2021 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.
What are the rules for Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest?
The rules for the hot dog eating contest are fairly simple. Competitors have 10 minutes to eat as many hot dogs and buns as possible. They can break the hot dogs up with their hands and separate them from the buns, but the entire thing, hot dog and bun, has to be swallowed for it to count.
Utensils and condiments are prohibited.
Water is provided, but contestants can bring other non-alcoholic beverages if they want. Contestants can dunk the buns in the water or their beverage, but only for a maximum of five seconds.
If a contestant throws up, they’re disqualified.
Whoever downs the most hot dogs and buns in the 10-minute time period is the winner.
