Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition. It is held each year on Independence Day at Nathan's Famous Corporation's original, and best-known restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island, a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City.

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Nathan's Wall of Fame of contest winners, 2019.
StatusActive
GenreHot dog competitive eating competition
Date(s)July 4
FrequencyAnnually
VenueNathan's Famous Corporation
Location(s)Brooklyn, New York City
CountryUnited States
InauguratedJuly 4, 1916 (1916-07-04)

The contest has gained public attention in recent years due to the stardom of Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut. The defending men's champion is Joey Chestnut, who ate 75 hot dogs in the 2020 contest. The defending women's champion is Miki Sudo, who ate 48.5 hot dogs in the same contest. Both had set records.

Rules
Nathan's original Coney Island location

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:

  • the defending 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. (See "Controversies" section below.)

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. Condiments are allowed, but usually are not used. The hot dogs are allowed to cool slightly after grilling to prevent possible mouth burns. The contestant that 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 the eaters on from close proximity. A designated scorekeeper is paired with each contestant, flipping a number board (since 2020, adjusting the digital board) counting each hot dog consumed. Partially eaten hot dogs count and the granularity 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,"[1] and red penalty cards can be issued for "reversal of fortune", which results in disqualification.[1] If there is a tie, the contestants go to a 5-hot-dog eat-off to see who can eat that many more quickly. 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 given possession 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 awarded 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 most years since about 1972, usually in conjunction with Independence Day.[2] Nathan's promoter Mortimer Matz claimed that 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. He also 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.). A man by the name of Jim Mullen is said to have won the first contest,[3] although accounts vary. One account describes Jimmy Durante (who was not an immigrant) as competing in that all-immigrant inaugural contest, which was judged by Eddie Cantor and Sophie Tucker.[4] Another describes the event as beginning "in 1917, and pitted Mae West's father, Jack, against entertainer Eddie Cantor."[5]

In 2010, however, 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.[6] The legend grew over the years, to the point where The New York Times and other publications were known to have repeatedly listed 1916 as the inaugural year, although no evidence of the contest exists.[6] 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; Memorial Day contests were scheduled for 1972,[7] 1975,[8] and 1978,[9] and a second 1972 event was held on Labor Day.[10]

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the competition was dominated by Japanese contestants, particularly Takeru 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 world records. The rise in popularity of the event coincided with the surge in popularity of the worldwide competitive eating circuit.

On July 4, 2011, Sonya Thomas became the champion of the first Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest for Women.[11] Previously, women and men had competed against each other, except for one all-female Memorial Day competition held in 1975.[8] Eating 40 hot dogs in 10 minutes, Thomas earned the inaugural Pepto-Bismol-sponsored pink belt and won $10,000.[12]

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 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. Some competitors don flamboyant costumes and/or makeup, while others may promote themselves with eating-related nicknames. 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 2007, an estimated 50,000 came out to witness the event. 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. Despite substantial damage suffered at Nathan's due to Hurricane Sandy 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 will broadcast the contest through 2024.[13] The event continues to be recognized for its power as a marketing tool.[14]

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the contest was held without spectators at an indoor location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and only five eaters competed in each category instead of the usual 15.[15][16]

Controversies

Controversies usually revolve around supposed breaches of rules that are missed by the judges. For example, NY1 television news editor Phil Ellison reviewed taped footage of the 1999 contest and thought that Steve Keiner started eating at the count of one,[17] but the judge, Mike DeVito—himself the champion of the 1990, 1993, and 1994 contests—was stationed directly in front of Keiner and disputed it, saying it was incorrect. Keiner ate 21 1/2 dogs, as shown on the Wall of Fame located at Nathan's flagship store at the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island. This controversy was created by George Shea, the chief publicist for Nathan's, because it created much more publicity for the contest. Shea assured Keiner at the end of the contest that he would clear the confusion up but never did. Keiner never participated in any advertising or contests set up by Shea because of this.

Another controversy occurred in 2003 when former [|NFL]] 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.[18] The celebrity contestant experiment has not been held since.

At the 2007 contest, the results were delayed to review whether defending champion Takeru 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[19] in a victory over Eric "Badlands" Booker.

Takeru 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, Joey Chestnut.[20][21][22] 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 Joey Chestnut accomplished in the Nathan's contest.[23] The sports website Deadspin deemed Kobayashi's solo appearance "an improbably perfect 'up yours' to the Nathan's hot dog eating contest."[24]

Results

By year (color-coded by belt color)
Year Winner
(and date, prior to permanently moving all contests to Independence Day in 1997)		 Hot dogs and buns
(HDB)		 Contest duration Notes
2020 MEN'S
Joey Chestnut		 75 10 min. First time event is being held indoors without fans caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joey Chestnut breaks the world record with 77 HDB.
Miki Sudo breaks the women's world record with 48.5 HDB.
WOMEN'S
Miki Sudo		 48.5
2019 MEN'S
Joey Chestnut		 71 10 min.
WOMEN'S
Miki Sudo		 31
2018 MEN'S
Joey Chestnut		 74 10 min. Joey Chestnut breaks the world record with 74 HDB.
WOMEN'S
Miki Sudo		 37
2017 MEN'S
Joey Chestnut		 72 10 min. Joey Chestnut breaks the world record with 72 HDB.
WOMEN'S
Miki Sudo		 41
2016 MEN'S
Joey Chestnut		 70 10 min. Joey Chestnut won the mustard-colored belt for the ninth time, eating 70 hot dogs and buns. Defending champion Matt Stonie consumed 53 HDB. Sudo won her third consecutive women's title. At the Giant National Capital BBQ Battle in Washington, D.C. on June 25, Chestnut set the record of 73 in an official qualifier.[25]
WOMEN'S
Miki Sudo		 38.5
2015 MEN'S
Matt Stonie		 62 10 min. Matt Stonie ended the 8 year winning streak of Joey Chestnut, eating 62 HDB to Joey's 60.
WOMEN'S
Miki Sudo		 38
2014 MEN'S
Joey Chestnut		 61 10 min. Joey Chestnut faced fierce competition from Matt Stonie, who finished second with 56 HDB. Tim Janus (44 HDB) finished in 3rd. This became Joey's 8th consecutive win. Sudo dethroned Thomas, the first time in the history of the competition that Thomas had been defeated since the inception of the women's division. Sudo also ended a long tradition by becoming the first champion in a quarter-century to decline to use a nickname during Nathan's competitions.
WOMEN'S
Miki Sudo		 34
2013 MEN'S
Joey Chestnut		 69 10 min. Joey Chestnut beat his own record with 69 HDB. Matt Stonie (51HDB) finished second. Tim Janus (50 HDB) finished in 3rd.
WOMEN'S
Sonya Thomas		 36.75
2012 MEN'S
Joey Chestnut		 68 10 min. Chestnut tied his previous record, previously set in 2009. He also became the second person to win six consecutive titles. Thomas set a new women's record. Tim Janus (52.25) and Patrick Bertoletti (51) finish second and third once again, this time with Janus edging out for second place. Matt Stonie, who would go on to claim victory in 2015 finished fourth with 46 HDB.
WOMEN'S
Sonya Thomas		 45
2011 MEN'S
Joey Chestnut		 62 10 min. Separate competitions are held for women and men for the first time. Chestnut dominates on his way to his fifth straight title. Sonya Thomas (40 HDB) won the inaugural women's event. Patrick Bertoletti (53) and Tim "Eater X" Janus (45) finish 2nd and 3rd for the second year in a row.
WOMEN'S
Sonya Thomas		 40
2010 Joey Chestnut 54 10 min. Chestnut (54), Tim "Eater X" Janus (45), and Patrick Bertoletti (37) round out the top three.
2009 Joey Chestnut 68 10 min. Chestnut (68 HDB) beat his previous record in ten minutes, setting new event, U.S., and world records. Kobayashi (64½ HDB) set a Japanese record. Patrick Bertoletti (55 HDB) finished third. Sonya Thomas (41 HDB) broke the female record.
2008 Joey Chestnut 59

(Eat-off: 5)		 10 min.

(Eat-off: untimed; completed in 50 sec.)		 Event, Japanese, U.S., and world records set (59 HDB). First event using new ten-minute time limit and first tie and eat-off since 1980. Chestnut & Kobayashi tied for first with 59 in regulation. In overtime Chestnut is the first to finish a plate of five HDB in 50 seconds. Kobayashi, losing by seven seconds, finishes second. Tim Janus finished third with 42.
2007 Joey Chestnut 66 12 min. Having broken the world and U.S. records with 59½ HDB at a qualifier contest on June 2, 2007, Chestnut (66 HDB) finishes first, setting new event, U.S. and world records. Defeating Kobayashi (63 HDB) for the first time. Fifth place Sonya Thomas (39 HDB) sets female record.
2006 Takeru Kobayashi 53.75 12 min. Winner Kobayashi sets event, Japanese and world records. Second place Joey Chestnut (52 HDB), sets U.S. record. Sonya Thomas (37) finishes third.
2005 Takeru Kobayashi 49 12 min. 2nd: Sonya Thomas (37) sets U.S. record, Women's record. Future winner Joey Chestnut finishes third with 32.
2004 Takeru Kobayashi 53.5 12 min. Event, Japanese and world records set. 2nd: Nobuyuki Shirota (38), Sonya Thomas (32 HDB) sets the female and U.S. records.
2003 Takeru Kobayashi 44.5 12 min. Sonya Thomas (25 HDB) sets the female record. 2nd: Ed Jarvis (30½, American record), 3rd: Eric Booker (29). Twenty competitors and 3,000 spectators in attendance. William "The Refrigerator" Perry competes, but eats only four HDB and drops out after five minutes.[26]
2002 Takeru Kobayashi 50.5 12 min. Event, Japanese and world records set.
2001 Takeru Kobayashi 50 12 min. 20 competitors total. All-time world records set.[27] 2nd: Kazutoyo Arai (31), 3rd: Eric “Badlands” Booker (22).
2000 Kazutoyo Arai 25+ 12 min. The contest was won by a 100-pound 32 year old mattress salesman from Saitama, Japan. The prizes were "the coveted mustard-yellow International Belt, a huge red trophy, and 20 pounds of Nathan’s hot dogs." Misao Fujita (also known as "Wild Beast"[28]) of Japan was the runner-up and consumed 24 hot dogs. A woman, Takako Akasaka of Japan, was the third-place finisher and consumed 22 hot dogs. 41 year old locomotive machinist Steve Addicks of Finksburg, Maryland was the fourth-place finisher and consumed 21 hot dogs. 391-pound, 35 year old reigning champion Steve Keiner of Atlantic City, New Jersey "finished in the middle of the pack" and consumed 15 hot dogs. "Dozens" of contestants participated. A press account from the time describes this as an annual contest held regularly since 1916.[29] Another describes this as the 85th annual contest.[28]
1999 Steve Keiner 21.5 12 min. The contest was won by a 317-pound, 50-year-old man from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. The prize was the bejeweled mustard-colored belt.[30] Footage recorded by NY1 appeared to show that he actually consumed half of a hot dog before the starting gun was fired and should have been disqualified by the judges. Charles Hardy and Bartoszek Tadeusz, both of Brooklyn, were the runners-up and consumed 20 hot dogs each. Hardy charged that he could have consumed more had he been given another plate of hot dogs before time expired.[31] 134-pound, reigning champion Hirofumi Nakajima of Japan consumed 19 hot dogs.[30] Former champion Mike DeVito also participated.[31]
1998 Hirofumi Nakajima 19 12 min. The contest was won by the reigning champion, a 135-pound, 23 year old furniture delivery worker from Kōfu, Japan. The prizes were "the coveted mustard-yellow International Belt, a huge red trophy, and 20 pounds of Nathan's hot dogs." 16 contestants participated.[32] Second place: Dominic Vaccaro (17).
1997 Hirofumi Nakajima 24.5 12 min. Although Nathan's attempted to expand its pool of American contestants by sponsoring "a circuit of qualifying contests leading up to the grand finale on the Fourth,"[33] Japanese contestants continued to increase their influence. The contest was won by the reigning champion, a 135-pound, 22 year old furniture delivery worker from Kōfu, Japan. The prizes were "a large emerald and brass trophy, a Mustard-Yellow International Belt, and a 20-pack take-out order for Nathan's hot dogs." 100-pound, 30 year old future champion Kazutoyo Arai of Saitama, Japan was the runner-up and consumed 24 hot dogs. 330-pound, 34 year old former champion Ed Krachie was the third-place finisher and consumed 20 hot dogs. 23 contestants participated. A press account from the time describes this as an annual contest held regularly since 1916.[34]
1996 ONE-ON-ONE CHALLENGE WITH JAPAN
Hirofumi Nakajima
December 4		 23.25 12 min. The contest was won by the reigning champion, a 300-pound man from Queens.[35] The prizes apparently included the bejeweled mustard-yellow belt and a trophy, if not more.[36] Former champion Mike DeVito was the runner-up and consumed 20 hot dogs.[35] 200-pound, 42 year old Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa was also a contestant.[37] 20 contestants participated. A press account from the time describes this as an annual contest held regularly since 1916, except for 1939, 1940, and 1941[35]—this time held under the moniker "Battle of the Burroughs."[37]
Krachie, who won, earned the right to challenge a Japanese challenger in an event sponsored by Nathan's and TV Tokyo[38]) later that year held at Central Park. It was won by a 144-pound, 22-year-old man from Japan; he had never eaten a hot dog until the day before the competition. The prizes were the bejeweled mustard-yellow belt and $2,000.[39]
Ed Krachie
Independence Day		 22 12 min.
1995 Ed Krachie
Independence Day		 19.5 12 min. The contest was won by a 350-pound NYNEX engineer from Queens. 205-pound, 33 year old Salomon Brothers vice president and reigning champion Mike DeVito of Manalapan Township, New Jersey was the runner-up and consumed 19 hot dogs.[40]
1994 Mike DeVito
Independence Day		 20 Unknown The contest was won by the reigning champion, a 32 year old accountant.[41] Future champion Ed Krachie was the runner-up.[40] 40 year old Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa was the third-place finisher[37] and consumed 13 hot dogs.[41]
1993 ONE-ON-ONE CHALLENGE WITH JAPAN
Mike DeVito
Unknown date		 18 30 min. The contest was won by a former champion, a Wall Street brokerage firm worker from Manalapan Township, New Jersey. The prize was 365 hot dogs. Joe Gotay of Brooklyn was the runner-up and consumed 14½ hot dogs. Willie Dykstra of Brooklyn was the top female contestant and consumed 7½ hot dogs. 18 men and 2 women participated. The reigning champion, 290-pound Frankie Dellarosa of Brooklyn, "canceled out at the last minute due to a family emergency"[42] and was unable to defend his title. Instead, he declared that he was now retired from competitions and planned to pursue an acting career,[43] something that he would later have a modest success in.[44] A press account from the time describes this as the 77th annual contest, held regularly since 1916.[42]
DeVito, the winner of the event, earned the right to challenge a Japanese challenger in an event sponsored by Nathan's that aired on TV Tokyo, held under the Brooklyn Bridge, Orio Ito.[45] Years later it was stated that the prize was the bejeweled mustard-colored belt "created by the descendants of Fabergé" that remains in use today but had supposedly been held in Japan for some years after having been won by a Japanese contestant at Nathan's[33] (presumably at the February 11, 1986 competition); however, the earliest that the belt's existence is known to be documented in a press account from the time is 1996.[37] Ito consumed 16 hot dogs, but DeVito won the challenge.[45]
Mike DeVito
Independence Day		 17 12 min.
1992 Frankie Dellarosa
Independence Day		 19 Unknown The contest was won by the reigning champion. Former and future champion Mike DeVito was the runner-up and consumed 17 hot dogs.[43]
1991 Frankie Dellarosa
Independence Day		 21 12 min. The contest was won by a 270-pound, 23 year old engineer[46] and part-time Hofstra University football coach[43] from Queens. The prize was "a 3-foot trophy, topped with an athlete, plate, and hot dog. He also received hats, cups, and a year's supply of hot dogs." 20 contestants participated. A press account from the time describes this as the 75th annual contest, this time held under the motto "No Guts, No Glory."[46]
1990 Mike DeVito
Jay Green
Independence Day		 15 12 min. The contest was tied by the reigning champion, from Brooklyn, (Green) who was allowed to compete again despite previous contest rules, and a 28 year old from Staten Island (DeVito).[47] There was apparently no tie-breaking eat-off. A press account from the time describes this as the 7th annual contest.[48]
1989 Jay Green
Independence Day		 15.5 12 min. The contest was won by the reigning champion, a 215-pound, 31 year old dry wall contractor, who, as per contest rules, was declared "retired" after the competition for being a two-time winner. 24 contestants participated. A press account from the time describes this as the 73rd annual contest.[49]
1988 Jay Green
Independence Day		 10 12 min. The contest was won by a 30 year old limousine service manager from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. 13 contestants participated. A press account from the time describes this as the 72nd annual contest.[50]
1987 Don Wolfman
Independence Day		 13.5 10 min. 29 year old future champion Jay Green was the runner-up and consumed 13¼ hot dogs.[50] A press account from the time describes this as the 71st annual contest.[51]
1986 Mark Heller
Independence Day		 15.5 10 min. The contest was won by a 245-pound man. Robert Gerber was the runner-up and consumed 13 hot dogs. 24 men participated. A press account from the time describes this as the 70th annual contest, held regularly since 1916.[52] Reigning champion Oscar Rodriguez was the runner-up and consumed 9½ hot dogs. Only those 2 contestants participated.[53]
ONE-ON-ONE CHALLENGE WITH JAPAN
Hiroaki Tominaga
February 11		 10.5 10 min.
1985 Oscar Rodriguez
Independence Day		 11.75 12 min. The contest was won by a 21-year-old man. More than 40 contestants participated.[54]
Rodriguez won the right to challenge a Japanese contestant in a one-on-one challenge event, held the ensuing February 11. Hiroaki Tominaga, a 264-pound, 21-year-old student from Tokyo, Japan, defeated Rodriguez.
1984 Birgit Felden
Independence Day		 9.5 10 min. The contest was won by a 130-pound,[55] 17 year old West German women's judo team member[5] from Cologne; she had never eaten a hot dog before the competition. Publicist Morty Matz described her as being only the second female to have ever won the contest. 17 year old U.S. women's judo team member Jean Kanokogi (and daughter of Ryohei and Rusty Kanokogi) of Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn was the runner-up and consumed 8 hot dogs. 20 men and 4 women participated. A press account from the time describes this as the 68th annual contest.[55]
1983 Emil Gomez
Independence Day		 10.5 10 min. The contest was won by a 210-pound, 25 year old accountant from the Bronx.[56] His brother, Andre, was the runner-up and consumed 10 hot dogs. 11 contestants participated. A press account from the time describes this as the 17th annual contest.[57]
1982 Steven Abrams
Independence Day		 11+ Unknown The contest was held on Monday, July 5, 1982, the legal observed date of Independence Day as holidays that fall on a Sunday must be observed on Monday. It was won by a 26 year old from Queens. He ate one bite of a twelfth hot dog.[58]
1981 Thomas DeBerry
Independence Day		 11 Unknown The contest was won by a 35 year old Housing Authority gardener from Coney Island, Brooklyn. He "downed 11 hot dogs in five minutes and then rushed off with his family to attend a barbecue."[59] It is not immediately clear if the contest's duration was five minutes long or if he simply ceased eating on his own after five minutes, because he was in a hurry to attend the barbecue.
1980 Joe Baldini
Paul Siederman
Independence Day		 9.75+

(Eat-off: 3.5)		 10 min.

(Eat-off: 3 min.)		 The contest was tied by a 190-pound, 25 year old (Baldini) and a 260-pound, 21 year old (Siederman), both unemployed men from Brooklyn. Each then tied again after a tie-breaking eat-off. The prizes were "two trophies and a pair of yellow plastic bags." Reigning champion Jim Mattner was the third-place finisher and consumed approximately 9 hot dogs. 28 contestants participated. A press account from the time describes this as the 64th annual contest.[60]
1979 Jim Mattner
Independence Day		 14 Unknown The contest was won by a stockbroker from Queens.[60] He consumed a "record" 14 hot dogs.[58]
1978 Manel Hollenback
Kevin Sinclair
Memorial Day		 10 6½ min. The contest was held on Memorial Day and was tied by a 180-pound, 18 year old basketball player from Newark, New Jersey (Hollenback) and a 75-pound, 10-year-old student (Sinclair). There was apparently no tie-breaking eat-off. 28 contestants participated. A press account from the time describes this as an annual contest held regularly since 1917, except for 1942 and 1944.[9]
1975 WOMEN'S
Martha Rosenbloom
Memorial Day		 Unknown Unknown An all-female contest was scheduled to be held on Memorial Day with the winner to be declared "Miss Coney Island;"[8] the contest was won by a 19 year old Brooklyn College student.
1974 Roberto Muriel
Independence Day		 10 3.5 min. The first 1974 contest was held on April 7 (opening day for Coney Island's summer season activities)[61] and was won by a 22 year old Manhattan Community College student from Astoria, Queens; the prize was a trophy.[62] Six contestants participated.[61] The second 1974 contest was held on Independence Day and was won by a 185-pound, 24 year old from Brooklyn; the prize was "a trophy with an emblazoned hot dog on it."[63] A third 1974 contest was also sponsored by Nathan's but was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey on July 31. It was won by an 18 year old Nathan's employee from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania named Jay Tierney. He consumed a "world's hot dog eating record" 19 hot dogs in 5 minutes; the prize was "a raise—all the hot dogs he could eat throughout the summer." 30 year old Carmen Cordero of Atlantic City was the runner-up.[64]
John Connolly
April 7		 9 2.5 min.
1973 Unknown
Independence Day		 Unknown Unknown A contest was scheduled to be held on Independence Day (designated as the 106th anniversary of the invention of the hot dog) and refereed by the "1973 Hot Dog Queen,"[65] but no results are known to have been compiled and released to the public.
1972 Melody Andorfer
Labor Day		 12 5 min. The first 1972 contest was held on Memorial Day and was won by a Brooklyn College student; the prize "was a book of certificates for forty more hot dogs."[7] The second 1972 contest was held on Labor Day and was won by a 105-pound, 18-year-old female community activist from Astoria, Queens; 260-pound, 19 year old Gary Silverman of Brooklyn was the runner-up and consumed 10 hot dogs. Eight men and 8 women participated. A press account from the time describes this as the 23rd annual contest.[10]
Jason Schechter
Memorial Day		 14 3.5 min.
1967 Walter Paul
June 30		 127* Unknown The contest was held on June 30 (designated as the 100th anniversary of the invention of the hot dog) and was won by a 400-pound, 32 year old truck driver. The prize was "a trophy proclaiming him the world's champion hot dog eater." He consumed the hot dogs over the period of "one hour flat."[66][67] It is not immediately clear if the contest's duration was one hour long or if he simply ceased eating on his own after one hour, and it is also not immediately clear if he ate buns with the hot dogs.
  • —Note: though Walter Paul's 1967 feat is documented in at least two UPI 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 13½, 17½, or 18½ 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, 13½[53]
1979: unspecified contestant, 17½[50]
1978: Walter Paul (described as being from Coney Island, Brooklyn), 17[68]
1968: Walter Paul (described as "a rotund Coney Island carnival caretaker"), 17[49]
1959: Peter Washburn (described as "a one-armed Brooklyn Carnival worker"), 18½[69] or 17[43]
1959: Paul Washburn (described as a carnival worker from Brooklyn), 17½[46]
1959: Walter Paul (described as a 260-pound man from Brooklyn), 17[57]
1957: Paul Washburn, 17½[48]

Multiple-time winners
Men's*
Belts Name Year(s)
13 Joey Chestnut 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
6 Takeru Kobayashi 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
3 Jay Green 1988, 1989, 1990a
3 Mike DeVito 1990a, 1993, 1994
2 Hirofumi Nakajima 1997, 1998
2 Ed Krachie 1995, 1996
2 Frankie Dellarosa 1991, 1992

*Does not include non-Independence Day wins

^a The 1990 competition ended in a tie.

Women's
Belts Name Year(s)
7 Miki Sudo 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
3 Sonya Thomas 2011, 2012, 2013

Media coverage

Live TV

In 2003, ESPN 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.[70] In 2014, ESPN signed an agreement to carry the competition on its networks for 10 years until 2024.[71]

Television history
Year Network Announcers Viewers
2003 ESPN
2004 ESPN Gary Miller, Richard Shea 926,000[72]
2005 ESPN Paul Page, Richard Shea 860,000[72]
2006 ESPN Paul Page, Richard Shea 1.46 million[72][73]
2007 ESPN2 Paul Page, Richard Shea 1.632 million
2008 ESPN Paul Page, Richard Shea
2009 ESPN Paul Page, Richard Shea, Dominic "Hot Dog" Vaccaro 1.340 million[74]
2010 ESPN Paul Page, Richard Shea, Todd Harris 1.677 million[74]
2011 ESPN Paul Page, Richard Shea, Rene Herlocker 1.949 million[75]
2012 ESPN Paul Page, Richard Shea, Rene Herlocker 1.299 million[76]
2013 ESPN2 Paul Page, Richard Shea, Rene Herlocker 1.14 million[77]
2014 ESPNEWS Paul Page, Richard Shea, Cari Champion 402,000;[77] 2.8 million (tape delay ESPN)[78]
2015 ESPN2 Paul Page, Richard Shea, Melanie Collins 1.129 million[79]
2016 ESPN.com Paul Page, Richard Shea, Melanie Collins 1.3 million (tape delay on ESPN)[80]
2017 ESPN2 Paul Page, Richard Shea, Melanie Collins 1.11 million[80]
2018 Adam Amin, Richard Shea, Melanie Collins 1.141 million[81]
2019 1.36 million[78]
2020 ESPN Mike Golic Jr., Richard Shea, Jason Fitz 966,000[82]

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
  • "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)
  • Cheap Seats, (2004)
  • "True Life" (2006) MTV 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).

Reporter Gersh Kuntzman of the New York Post 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.[83]

Tactics and training

Each contestant has his or her own eating method. Takeru Kobayashi 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.[1]

Other methods used include the "Carlene Pop," where the competitor jumps up and down while eating, to force the food down to the stomach.[1] "Buns & Roses" is a similar trick, but the eater sways from side to side instead.[1] "Juliet-ing" is a cheating method in which players simply throw the hot dog buns over their shoulders.[1]

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

References
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