It’s an American tradition unlike any other: the 2024 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on the Fourth of July. But the event will look a bit different this year, with 16-time champion Joey Chestnut out of the event due to a contract dispute.
Instead, Chestnut will be competing in his own event in El Paso, the “Fort Bliss Meat and Greet.” The five-minute competition will see him aim to out-eat four U.S. Army soldiers combined.
Date: Thursday, July 4
Women’s competition time: 10:45 a.m. ET
Men’s competition time: Noon ET
TV channel: ESPN2 (men only)
Streaming: ESPN3
Date: Thursday, July 4
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Streaming: Joey Chestnut’s YouTube channel
Follow along with Yahoo Sports all day for coverage of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest and Joey Chestnut’s “Meat and Greet.”
The 2023 main event was plagued by rain and lightning, and only started after a delay. Will the 2024 contest suffer the same fate?
It doesn’t appear so. Forecasts show cloudy skies but no rain over Coney Island for the next few hours. Let the eating commence!
Need a palate cleanser before the men’s competition? Here’s a look from the lemonade-chugging contest earlier this morning.
Chugging a gallon of lemonade is WILD (via @espn) pic.twitter.com/wq8kEXw8qO
Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 4, 2024
Sudo was emotional in her post-belt interview. Making it to 50 dogs and buns has been a longtime goal of hers, and now she’s back to full strength after taking time off not long ago to give birth to her son (which she shares with fiancé Nicholas Wehry, who is the No. 4 ranked eater in the world and competing in the men’s competition).
She thanked her family and friends, including those at dental school where she’s currently training to be a hygienist, but she singled out second-place finisher Ebihara, thanking her for being such a fierce competitor and giving her the motivation to come out so strong.
Sudo’s 51 franks not only marks a new women’s record, but could set up a unique situation where a women’s champion is up there with the men. With Chestnut who typically puts up 70-dog performances gone, the next-highest competitors are likely to put up totals that aren’t much higher than Sudo’s. It’s an incredibly impressive performance from the 10-time champ.
Ebihara looks emotional after coming in second, but beats her record from last year’s contest. Not bad for someone who ate her first-ever hot dog just last year.
Michelle Lesco came in third with 23.5 hot dogs and buns.
Mayoi Ebihara finished second with 37 hot dogs and buns.
Miki Sudo, the Empress of Eating, finished in first with 51 hot dogs and buns, a women’s record!
A NEW WOMEN’S RECORD️Miki Sudo downs 51 hot dogs to claim her 10th Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest pic.twitter.com/vyzX4TJ9oN
ESPN (@espn) July 4, 2024
She did it! Miki Sudo has eaten 51 hot dogs! She is the undisputed winner of the women’s contest!
That’s more than any single man ate during the weather-plagued 2023 competition. Will the men rise to the occasion this year?
MIKI SUDO WINS HER 10TH NATHAN’S FAMOUS HOT DOG EATING CONTEST pic.twitter.com/QzBWXobeX4
Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) July 4, 2024
Sudo’s experience is giving her the edge she needs. She’s opened up a 12-dog gap on Ebihara, who is in only her second Nathan’s contest.
Will Sudo go past the magical 50-dog threshold? Less than a minute left!
Both Sudo and Ebihara are going for a mix of methods, separating the dogs and buns to chow down on the dogs, but dunking the buns in water. Sudo is going two at a time with the wieners and then splitting the soggy buns into pieces. It’s working well for her so far she’s at 38 hot dogs with three minutes left. Ebihara is at 29.
Miki Sudo employs a shoulder wipe, which is her own tic that the announcers say she uses almost like a distraction while she’s eating.
Sudo remains in the lead with five minutes left, Ebihara is close on her heels at 25.
The 10 minutes has started.
With 7:30 left, Miki Sudo is in the lead with 14 while Mayori Ebihara is in second with 12.
Sudo has already gulped down six dogs in just a minute, but Ebihara is close behind. With eight minutes left, Sudo is at 12 and Ebihara is at 10 and closing the gap.
Mayoi Ebihara is 5-foot-1 and has eaten 220 pieces of sushi in one sitting. She came close to winning the 2023 contest, which was her first one ever.
WCW and today its the amazing @ebi_myochan ! Miss Mayoi Ebihara she ate 33.5 HDB at the 2024 @NathansFranks Hot Dog Eating Contest her first try! Putting not just the womens stage, but all of MLE on notice. Doing so while being the picture of humility, respect and grace. pic.twitter.com/YMzNVIg8eP
Major League Eating (@eatingcontest) November 29, 2023
It’s a beautiful day on Coney Island, 78 degrees with a touch of humidity, but with enough clouds to keep some of the heat off the eaters. As a result, it’s a full crowd ready to watch the women’s competition take place.
Getting prepared for the best event of the year. TUNE IN @ 11 am ON ESPN 3. pic.twitter.com/9oUzRMaTIu
Major League Eating (@eatingcontest) July 4, 2024
Larell Marie Mele is a 60-year-old competitive eater and was given an *extraordinary* intro. She’s one to watch.
Each contestant has a chance to offer fun facts about themselves. Bragging rights range from “once ate a whole Costco cake by herself” to “ate 200 oysters but stopped when she ran out of money”
The intros for the women’s contest have begun.
“Her body is a temple, not for the faithful, but for mac and cheese.”
Miki Sudo is a legend in the competitive eating community, ranked No. 3 in the world overall and the No. 1 woman. She has won nine Pink Belts, the prize for the women’s contest, and is in line to win her 10th. That would be a record.
How do competitive eaters eat the full hot dogs, which includes the bun? There are two methods, and while it’s not pretty, there’s science behind both.
Dunk and shove: That’s just what it sounds like. Everything needs to be wet to prevent the esophagus from constricting. With the bun wet as well as the dog, the food can just slide down once it’s in the mouth.
Divide and conquer: The bun and hot dog are separated so the dog, which is already aerodynamic, can be easily scarfed. The bun is eaten next once it’s been dunked (as in the first method).
Of course we won’t be forgetting about one of the patron saints of competitive eating and the longtime face of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, one Mr. Joey Chestnut. The 16-time reigning champ is banned this year due to his endorsement deal with Impossible Foods, the maker of plant-based meat alternatives (like hot dogs). Read the full story on Chestnut’s ban here.
But just like birds know when it’s time to fly south for the winter, Chestnut’s soul cries out for him to eat a truly alarming amount of hot dogs on Independence Day. He’ll be holding his own contest in Fort Bliss, Texas, where he’ll be competing against soldiers to see who can eat the most dogs and buns in five minutes (half the time of the Nathan’s contest).
That will be live streamed on Chestnut’s YouTube channel at 5:00 p.m. ET, and you’ll be able to catch the blow-by-blow on this live blog later today.
Happy 4th and welcome to the live blog for the 2024 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest! A tradition as American as baseball, apple pie, and Thanksgiving another American holiday centered on stuffing your face.
The women’s competition kicks off at 10:45 followed by the men’s contest at noon. Over the next 3-4 hours, check back here for details on the competitors and clips (gulp) from previous contests, as well as fun tidbits from the history of the event.
But when the whistles blow, we’ll be giving you hotdog-to-hotdog coverage of both events. Stay tuned, it’s going to be a fun afternoon.