The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual event that happens on the 4th of July. This year it’s on Thursday, July 4, 2024. The contest has been going on since 1916. Every year people gather outside Nathan’s flagship location in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York to watch this spectacle.
Schedule
The contest has separate men’s and women’s competitions. The women’s competition starts at 10:45 AM ET on ESPN3. The men’s competition starts at 12 PM ET on ESPN2. And Geoffrey Esper’s dedicated camera starts at 12:30 PM ET on ESPN3.
Prizes
The winners get cash. 1st place is $10,000. 2nd place is $5,000. 3rd place is $2,500. 4th and 5th place gets $1,500 and $1,000 respectively. Besides the cash, the top male gets a mustard yellow belt and the top female gets a pink belt.
History of the Contest
Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest has been an annual event since 1916. It didn’t become widely known until the mid-2000s with Takeru “The Tsunami” Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut. Kobayashi changed the contest in 2001 by eating 50 hot dogs, which was a huge jump from the previous record of 25.5. Joey Chestnut is the defending men’s champion, he ate 62 hot dogs in 2023. Miki Sudo is the defending women’s champion, she ate 39.5 hot dogs in 2023.
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Rules
The contest is sanctioned by Major League Eating (MLE) and the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE). Only MLE-contracted competitors can participate. The field is usually 20 people. This includes past champions, regional winners, wildcards and special invites from MLE. Contestants stand on a raised platform with drinks and Nathan’s Famous hot dogs in buns. The goal is to eat the most hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. If there’s a tie, a 5 hot dog eat-off decides the winner.
Competitors for 2024
Men’s Competition:
- Geoffrey Esper, 49, Oxford, Massachusetts
- Nicholas Wehry, 35, Tampa, Florida
- James Webb, 35, Sydney, Australia
- Gideon Oji, 32, Morrow, Georgia
- Patrick Bertoletti, 39, Chicago, Illinois
- Max Stanford, 36, Brixton, England
- Darrien Thomas, 25, Orillia, Ontario
- Ricardo Corbucci, 37, Brasilia, Brazil
- Radim “Steel Rod” Dvořáček, 33, Ostrava, Czech Republic
- King Yamamoto, 40, Osaka, Japan
- George Chiger, 45, Pocono Pines, Pennsylvania
- Derek “Heavy D” Hendrickson, 36, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Sean Yeager, 32, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
- William Claude Lyon IV, 36, North Augusta, South Carolina
Women’s Competition:
- Miki Sudo, 38, Tampa, Florida
- Mayoi “Ebimayo” Ebihara, 28, Tokyo, Japan
- Michelle “Cardboard Shell” Lesco, 40, Tucson, Arizona
- Larell Marie Mele, 60, Long Pond, Pennsylvania
- Katie Prettyman, 41, Marysville, Washington
- Mary Bowers, Seoul, South Korea
- Cherish Brown, 35, Edon, Ohio
- Jocelyn Young, 43, Sherman, Texas
- Julie Goldberg, 38, Astoria, Queens
- Tandra Childress, 38, San Francisco, California
- Ellen Straub, 29, Palm Bay, Florida
- Crystal “Crystal Pistol” Ocampo, 28, Vallejo, California
- Elizabeth “Glizzy Lizzy” Salgado, 32, Kern County, California
- Rubianne Garcia, 32, San Antonio, Texas
Past and Present
In the late 90s and early 2000s, Japanese competitors dominated the contest. Kobayashi set a new standard in 2001 by eating 50 hot dogs. The contest has since grown into a big event with color commentators, public weigh-ins and a big stage. It draws big crowds and media every year.
Recent Changes and Controversies
The contest has had some changes and controversy in recent years. In 2020 the contest was held indoors with no spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year Joey Chestnut was banned from the 2024 contest after signing with Impossible Foods and was subsequently cut by Major League Eating. Despite all this, the contest is still a big draw for people all around the world.
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