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The Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual American
hot dog A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...
competitive eating Competitive eating, or speed eating, is a sport in which participants compete against each other to eat large quantities of food, usually in a short time period. Contests are typically eight to ten minutes long, although some competitions can l ...
competition. It is held each year on July 4 at Nathan's Famous' original, and best-known, restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in
Coney Island Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...
, a neighborhood of
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, New York City. The contest has gained public attention since the mid-2000s due to the stardom of Takeru "The Tsunami" Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut. The defending men's champion is Patrick Bertoletti, who ate 58 hot dogs in the 2024 contest. The defending women's champion is Miki Sudo, who ate 51 hot dogs in 2024.


Rules

Major League Eating (MLE), sanctioned by the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE), has sanctioned the event since 1997. Today, only entrants currently under contract by MLE can compete in the contest. The field of about 20 contestants typically includes the following: * any past champion; * winners of a regional qualifying contest for that season; * individuals qualifying as one of two wildcards (highest two average qualifier scores without winning a single qualifier); and * those invited by special invitation of the MLE. The competitors stand on a raised platform behind a long table with drinks and Nathan's Famous hot dogs in buns. Most contestants have water on hand, but other kinds of drinks can and have been used.
Condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...
s are allowed, but usually are not used. The hot dogs are allowed to cool slightly after grilling to prevent possible mouth burns. The contestant who consumes (and keeps down) the most hot dogs and buns (HDB) in ten minutes is declared the winner. The length of the contest has changed over the years, previously 12 minutes, and in some years, only three and a half minutes; since 2008, 10 minutes. Spectators watch and cheer on the eaters from close proximity. A designated scorekeeper is paired with each contestant, flipping a number board counting each hot dog consumed. Partially eaten hot dogs count and the
granularity Granularity (also called graininess) is the degree to which a material or system is composed of distinguishable pieces, "granules" or "grains" (metaphorically). It can either refer to the extent to which a larger entity is subdivided, or the ...
of measurement is eighths of a length. Hot dogs still in the mouth at the end of regulation count if they are subsequently swallowed. Yellow penalty cards can be issued for "messy eating", and red penalty cards can be issued for "reversal of fortune" (vomiting), which results in disqualification. If there is a tie, the contestants go to a 5-hot-dog eat-off to see who can eat that many the quickest. Further ties will result in a sudden-death eat-off of eating one more hot dog in the fastest time. After the winner is declared, a plate showing the number of hot dogs eaten by the winner is brought out for photo opportunities.


Awards

The winner of the men's competition is of the coveted international "bejeweled" mustard-yellow belt. The belt is of "unknown age and value" according to IFOCE co-founder George Shea and rests in the country of its owner. In 2011, Sonya Thomas won the inaugural women's competition and its "bejeweled" pink belt. Various other prizes have been
award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award may be d ...
ed over the years. For example, in 2004 Orbitz donated a travel package to the winner. Starting in 2007, cash prizes have been awarded to the top finishers.


History

The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest has been held at the original location on
Coney Island Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...
most years since about 1972, usually in conjunction with
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
. As Coney Island is often linked with recreational activities of the summer season, several early contests were held on other holidays associated with summer besides Independence Day; for example, multiple contests in the 1970s were scheduled on
Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It i ...
or
Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...
. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the competition was dominated by Japanese contestants, particularly Kobayashi, who won six consecutive contests from 2001 to 2006. In 2001, Kobayashi transformed the competition and the world of competitive eating by downing 50 hot dogs—smashing the previous record of 25.5. The Japanese eater introduced advanced eating and training techniques that shattered previous
competitive eating Competitive eating, or speed eating, is a sport in which participants compete against each other to eat large quantities of food, usually in a short time period. Contests are typically eight to ten minutes long, although some competitions can l ...
world records. The rise in popularity of the event coincided with the surge in popularity of the worldwide competitive eating circuit. In recent years, a considerable amount of pomp and circumstance have surrounded the days leading up to the event, which has become an annual
spectacle In general, spectacle refers to an event that is memorable for the appearance it creates. Derived in Middle English from c. 1340 as "specially prepared or arranged display" it was borrowed from Old French ''spectacle'', itself a reflection of the ...
of competitive entertainment. The event is presented on an extravagant stage complete with colorful live announcers and an overall party atmosphere. The day before the contest is a public weigh-in with the
mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...
. Some competitors don flamboyant costumes and/or makeup, while others may promote themselves with eating-related
nicknames A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
. On the morning of the event, they have a heralded arrival to Coney Island on the "bus of champions" and are called to the stage individually during introductions. In 2013, six-time defending champion Joey Chestnut was escorted to the stage in a sedan chair. The competition draws many spectators and worldwide press coverage. In 2004 a three-story-high "Hot Dog Eating Wall of Fame" was erected at the site of the annual contest. The wall lists past winners, and has a digital clock which counts down the minutes until the next contest. In 2007, an estimated 50,000 came out to witness the event. Despite substantial damage suffered at Nathan's due to
Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late ...
in October 2012, the location was repaired, reopened, and the 2013 event was held as scheduled. ESPN has long enjoyed solid ratings from its broadcast of the Hot Dog Eating Contest on Independence Day, and on July 1, 2014, the network announced it had extended its agreement with Major League Eating and would broadcast the contest through 2024. The most recent broadcast rights deal, announced in November 2022, will keep the contest airing on ESPN through 2029. In 2003 former
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
player William "The Refrigerator" Perry competed as a celebrity contestant. Though he had won a qualifier by eating twelve hot dogs, he ate only four at the contest, stopping after just five minutes. The celebrity contestant experiment has not been held since. At the 2007 contest, the results were delayed to review whether defending champion Kobayashi had vomited (also known as a "Roman method incident" or "reversal of fortune") in the final seconds of regulation. Such an incident results in the disqualification of the competitor under the rules of the IFOCE. The judges ruled in Kobayashi's favor. A similar incident occurred involving Kobayashi in 2002 in a victory over Eric "Badlands" Booker. On July 4, 2011, Sonya Thomas became the champion of the first Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest for Women. Previously, women and men had competed against each other, except for one Memorial Day competition held in 1975. Eating 40 hot dogs in 10 minutes, Thomas earned the inaugural Pepto-Bismol-sponsored pink belt and won $10,000. In 2020, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the contest was held without spectators at an indoor location in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. It was an independe ...
, and only five eaters competed in each category instead of the usual 15. In 2021, the event was held at
Maimonides Park Maimonides Park (formerly MCU Park and KeySpan Park) is a minor league baseball stadium on the Riegelmann Boardwalk in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. The home team and primary tenant is the New York Mets-affiliated ...
, with a reduced crowd of 7,000.


Competitor bans

Kobayashi has not competed in the contest since 2009 due to his refusal to sign an exclusive contract with Major League Eating, which is the current sanctioning body of the contest. In 2010, he was arrested by police after attempting to jump on the stage after the contest was over and disrupt the proceedings. Some witnesses reported that Kobayashi was attempting to congratulate the winner, Chestnut. On August 5, 2010, all charges against Kobayashi were dismissed by a judge in Brooklyn. Despite his six consecutive victories in their annual event, Nathan's removed Kobayashi's image from their "Wall of Fame" in 2011. Kobayashi again refused to compete in 2011, but instead conducted his own hot dog eating exhibition, consuming 69 HDB, seven more than Chestnut accomplished in the Nathan's contest. The sports website Deadspin deemed Kobayashi's solo appearance "an improbably perfect 'up yours' to the Nathan's hot dog eating contest." Chestnut was banned from the 2024 contest due to signing a deal with Impossible Food, which sells plant based products including hot dogs. A Major League Eating executive claimed that Nathan's asked for an exemption to the deal be made regarding Impossible Food's hot dogs which was denied with Major League Eating banning Chestnut as a result. On June 25, Chestnut instead agreed to attend
Fort Bliss Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Established in 1848, the fort was renamed in 1854 to honor William Wallace Smith Bliss, Bvt.Lieut.Colonel William W.S. Bliss (1815–1853 ...
' Pop Goes the Fort celebration and compete in a 4 versus 1 eating competition with a five minute time limit, with Chestnut prevailing 57 to 49 while raising $106,000 for Operation Homefront.


Fake history of the contest

In 2010, Nathan's promoter Mortimer "Morty" Matz admitted to having fabricated the legend of the 1916 start date with a man named Max Rosey in the early 1970s as part of a publicity stunt. According to that legend, on July 4, 1916, four immigrants held a hot dog eating contest at Nathan's Famous stand on Coney Island to settle an argument about who was the most patriotic. Some accounts alleged that a man named Jim Mullen won the first contest. Others described
Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side New York accent, accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced son ...
, who was ''not'' an immigrant, as competing in that all-immigrant inaugural contest, which was judged by
Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era. Some of h ...
and Sophie Tucker. Another co-founder describes the event as beginning "in 1917, and pitted
Mae West Mary Jane "Mae" West (August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American actress, singer, comedian, screenwriter, and playwright whose career spanned more than seven decades. Recognized as a prominent sex symbol of her time, she was known ...
's father, Jack, against entertainer Eddie Cantor." Nathan made the spurious claim that the contest has been held each year since then except 1941, "as a protest to the war in Europe", and 1971, as a protest to political unrest in the U.S. The legend grew over the years, to the point where ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' and other publications were known to have repeatedly listed 1916 as the inaugural year, although no evidence of the contest exists.


Results


By year (color-coded by belt color)

final total may have been affected by interruption from protestor
though Walter Paul's 1967 feat is documented in multiple
UPI United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...
press accounts from the time, he has also been mentioned in passing in more recent press accounts for supposedly establishing the contest's then-record ''17'' hot dogs consumed; several other people have similarly been credited for records of , , or hot dogs consumed; the following feats are not known to be documented more fully in press accounts from the time of their occurrence and, as such, may not be credible and are not included in the ''Results'' table above: "Several years" before 1986: unspecified contestant,
1979: unspecified contestant,
1978: Walter Paul (described as being from
Coney Island Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...
,
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
), 17
1974: unspecified contestant, 16
1968: Walter Paul (described as "a rotund Coney Island carnival caretaker"), 17
1959: Peter Washburn (described as "a one-armed Brooklyn Carnival worker"), or 17
1959: Paul Washburn (described as a carnival worker from Brooklyn),
1959: Walter Paul (described as a 260-pound man from Brooklyn), 17
1957: Paul Washburn,


By champion

the 1974 ''
Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...
'' and 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1990 ''
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
'' competitions ended in ties


By contest type

the 1974 ''
Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...
'' and 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1990 ''
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
'' competitions ended in ties prior to restructuring the competition to offer women's-only contests, the media was known to use the term "women's category" to describe female participation; the top-finishers of the "women's category" in this era included, for 2003: Sonya Thomas (25), 2004: Sonya Thomas (32), 2005: Sonya Thomas (37), 2006: Sonya Thomas (37), 2007: Sonya Thomas (39), 2008: Sonya Thomas (34), 2009: Sonya Thomas (41), and 2010: Sonya Thomas (36)


Media coverage


Live TV

In 2003,
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
aired the contest for the first time on a tape-delayed basis. Starting in 2004, ESPN began airing the contest live. From 2005 to 2017, Paul Page was ESPN's play-by-play announcer for the event, accompanied by color commentator Richard Shea. In 2011, the women's competition was carried live on ESPN3, followed by the men's competition on ESPN. In 2012, ESPN signed an extension to carry the event through 2017. In 2014, ESPN signed an agreement to carry the competition on its networks for 10 years until 2024.Mandell, Nina
"Nathan's Hot Dog Contest ensures its future as Fourth of July tradition with new ESPN deal"
''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' July 4, 2014.
In 2021, Miki Sudo did not compete, as she was 37 weeks pregnant with her first child with fellow professional eater, Nick Wehry. Sudo instead served as an announcer, alongside Mike Golic Jr., Richard Shea, and Jason Fitz.


Film and TV programs

The Nathan's contest has been featured in these documentaries and TV programs: * "A Different Story" (July 4, 1996) – Jeannie Moos covers the contest on CNN * "Red, White, and Yellow" (1998) * "A Hot Dog Program: An All-American, Culinary Cruise Through Hot Dog History" (1999) * "Gut Busters" (2002) Made for TV –
Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...
* "Footlong" (2002) – not the 2003 short film of the same name * "The Tsunami – Takeru Kobayashi" (2003) Japanese * " Crazy Legs Conti: Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating" (2004) * "The Most Extreme", "Big Mouths" episode (2004) (
Animal Planet Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel focusing on the animal kingdom owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1 ...
) * '' Cheap Seats'', (2004) * "True Life" (2006)
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
documentary series * ''Hungry'' (2013) documentary film; contract dispute between Nathan's Famous and Kobayashi * "30 for 30: The Good, The Bad, The Hungry" (2019); ESPN Documentary


Newspapers

News sources typically use puns in head-lines and copy referring to the contest, such as Tsunami' is eating contest's top dog again", "couldn't cut the mustard" ( A.P.), "Nathan's King ready, with relish" (Daily News) and "To be frank, Fridge faces a real hot-dog consumer" (
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
). Reporter Gersh Kuntzman of the ''
New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...
'' has been covering the event since the early 1990s and has been a judge at the competition since 2000. Darren Rovell, of ESPN, has competed in a qualifier.


Tactics and training

Each contestant has his or her own eating method.
Takeru Kobayashi is a retired Japanese competitive eating, competitive eater. Described as "the godfather of competitive eating", he is a six-time Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champion and widely credited with popularizing the sport. Competition and records ...
pioneered the "Solomon Method" at his first competition in 2001. The Solomon method consists of breaking each hot dog in half, eating the two halves at once, and then eating the bun. "Dunking" is the most prominent method used today. Because buns absorb water, many contestants dunk the buns in water and squeeze them to make them easier to swallow, and slide down the throat more efficiently. Other methods used include the "Carlene Pop", where the competitor jumps up and down while eating, to force the food down to the stomach. "Buns & Roses" is a similar trick, but the eater sways from side to side instead. "Juliet-ing" is a cheating method in which players simply throw the hot dog buns over their shoulders. Contestants train and prepare for the event in different ways. Some fast; others prefer liquid-only diets before the event. Takeru Kobayashi meditates, drinks water and eats cabbage, then fasts before the event. Several contestants, such as Ed "Cookie" Jarvis, aim to be "hungry, but not too hungry" and have a light breakfast the morning of the event.


See also

* Glutton Bowl * Krystal Square Off *'' Horsemen of the Esophagus'' * Man v. Food * Wing Bowl


References


External links

*
Two Dozen Hot Dogs Please, and No, They're Not to Go
by Anthony Ramirez
Interview of Melody Andorfer "Hot Dog Queen" and Winner of the 1972 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
{{Coord, 40, 34, 31.12, N, 73, 58, 53.11, W, scale:6250, display=title Annual events in New York City Competitions in the United States Competitive eating Coney Island Culture of Brooklyn Independence Day (United States) Hot dogs Recurring events established in 1916 Sports entertainment