Reigning Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champs Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo (Photo: ESPN)
Who says the Super Bowl only happens once a year? Today, Major League Eating's most talented athletes gather in Coney Island, New York for the annual Nathan's Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest, a July Fourth spectacular that sees competitors scarf down dozens of hot dogs in just 10 minutes. Over the past decade, one man and his iron stomach have ruled the field: Joey Chestnut, known as the Glizzy Gladiator, who has repeatedly bested his own record for most hot dogs and buns — or HDB, as they're known in the sport — eaten in the allotted time.
In 2021, Chestnut took professional eating to new heights when he consumed 76 hot dogs to win his 15th title in 16 years. (His lone loss came at the hands of Matt Stonie in 2015.) While he eked out a win last year, his 63-dog performance was widely considered a disappointment after years over the 70-HDB mark. Of course, Chestnut's underwhelming showing was partially a result of his altercation with a protester in the opening minutes of the competition: When an anti-Smithfield Foods activist rushed the stage, the Glizzy Gladiator put him in a chokehold and dragged him away. Chestnut continued to down his 18th HDB as he grabbed the protestor, but he later said the incident slowed him down by three hot dogs.
Assuming there aren't any protesters in Darth Vader helmets lurking nearby, Chestnut is well-positioned to beat his record at the 2023 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, though he'll have to top MLE's second-ranked eater Geoffrey Esper to win another mustard yellow belt. Defending women's champion Miki Sudo, who's currently #3 overall in the league, is also projected to dominate her opponents, but she faces an uphill battle to hit the 48.5 HDB record she set in 2020.
Could this be the year Joey Chestnut passes the 80-HDB mark, or will one of the sport's young guns knock him off the throne? Will Miki Sudo win her ninth Nathan's Hot Dog title? And most importantly, what's the best way to watch all this action go down? Here's everything you need to know about the marquee event of the 2023 Major League Eating season.
When is the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest?
The 2023 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest takes place on Tuesday, July 4. The men's and women's competitions will be held live at the chain's original location on the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island, where the event has taken place since 1972.
What's the Hot Dog Eating Contest official start time?
UPDATED JULY 4, 1:55 PM ET: After a lengthy weather delay, the 2023 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest will resume at 2:00 PM ET on ESPN2. Fans interested in learning more about each athlete and their professional eating careers should tune in early for introductions and pre-event analysis from SportsCenter anchor John Anderson, MLE president Richard Shea, and on-site reporter Renee James.
