July 4 tradition: Joey Chestnut wins Nathan’s Hot Dog contest, eating 62 hot dogs and buns

CONEY ISLAND, N.J. — Who can down the most dogs in the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest?

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Men and women from across the globe are sitting down at the table to wolf down dozens upon dozens of hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes in an effort to take home Nathan’s Hot Dog Mustard Belt.

Update 2:34 p.m. EDT July 4: Joey Chestnut has once again been declared the winner, eating 62 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes and cementing his 16th title. Geoffrey Esper from Oxford, Massachusettes, came in second, with 49 hot dogs eaten and James Webb of Sydney came in third after eating 47.

Update 2:30 p.m. EDT July 4: The competition is over and officials are confirming the results. Unless there’s an issue, Joey Chestnut will be the champion yet again. Unofficial results show that he had eaten 62 hot dogs.

Update 2:20 p.m. EDT July 4: Competitors have started wolfing down hot dogs.

Update 2 p.m. EDT July 4: ESPN has started its coverage once again of the hot dog eating contest after a 2-hour delay due to rain.

Update 1:44 p.m. EDT July 4: Officials with the New York Police Department have told CBS Sports that the contest is not canceled but it is in a weather delay. WCBS reported that scattered thunderstorms are expected to continue in the area through 5 p.m.

Sporting News reported that ESPN said its coverage will begin at 2 p.m. A banner on ESPN’s live stream on its app confirmed the 2 p.m. EDT start time.

Major League Eating said on Twitter that Joey Chestnut and Badlands Booker were “weathering the storm” but didn’t refer to a delay or cancelation. Chestnut also greeted fans as they awaited news on what is happening.

Update 1:25 p.m. EDT July 4: Sporting News confirms there is conflicting information about the status of the competition with some outlets calling it delayed while others say it is canceled.

Major League Eating has not released a statement either way.

Update 12:57 p.m. EDT July 4: Joey Chestnut will not be able to defend his title as the champion of Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

The New York Police Department canceled the men’s division Tuesday afternoon because of lightning, WABC reported. The men’s competition had been delayed due to weather, with participants forced from the stage at about noon.

Bleacher Report is also reporting that the competition has been canceled.

Sporting News is calling it a delay but added that organizers are unsure when the competition can start because the area where it is held is starting to flood.

There is no word on when the competition will occur, CBS Sports reported. That news outlet, along with The Associated Press, is also still calling it a delay.

Chestnut was expected to win his 16th Mustard Belt and eighth in a row, ESPN reported.

Update 11:15 a.m. EDT July 4: Miki Sudo won, beating competitor Mayoi Ebihara, who was unranked according to Major League Eating, with 39 and 1/2 to 33 and 1/2 hot dogs.

Tuesday’s competition is Sudo’s ninth career title according to ESPN.

Michelle Lesco came in third place with 24 and 1/4 hot dogs.

Original report: The current world record is 76, set by competitive eater Joey Chestnut in 2021. He also held the previous record — 75, set in 2020 and 74 in 2018, WNBC reported.

Chestnut won his first Nathan’s match in 2007 and has won the title 15 out of the 16 times he’s competed. He has only one loss in 2015 against Matt Stonie, who beat Chestnut by two hot dogs.

According to ESPN, Chestnut has the most championship titles by sport — if you can call competitive eating a sport — beating names such as the NBA’s Bill Russell, the NHL’s Henri Richard, MLB’s Yogi Berra and even the G.O.A.T. himself, NFL’s Tom Brady, who has “only” seven Super Bowl trophies.

As of last year’s competition, Chestnut has eaten 1,152 hot dogs since ESPN started covering the competition, according to ESPN.

In the women’s division, Miki Sudo, of Port Richey, Florida, is undefeated in the eight times she has competed, WNBC reported. She also holds the record for the most hot dogs eaten by a woman with 48 and a half set in 2020.

Winners will get a nice prize for eating the most dogs, with first place getting $10,000, but even the runners-up will get a cut of the money — with second place getting $5,000, third place getting $2,500, fourth place getting $1,500 and finally, fifth place getting $1,000.

The competitions will be shown on ESPN2 and re-aired on ESPN and ESPNews. It can also be streamed on ESPN3, ESPN+ and Fubo, according to Sporting News. ESPN has exclusive broadcast rights through 2029.

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