Joey Chestnut & Miki Sudo Win Nathan’s Famous Fourth Of July International Hot Dog-Eating Championship

Chestnut Knocks Down 71 HDBs in 10 Minutes While Sudo Eats 31

Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo today won the male and female divisions of the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Championship in Coney Island, Brooklyn. Chestnut consumed 71 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes while Sudo consumed 31. The annual contest, an American holiday tradition, was held at the Nathan’s Famous flagship restaurant on the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues.

For the men, Darron Breedan placed second with 50 HDBs, Geoffrey Esper third with 47 and Matt Stonie fourth with 46. For the ladies, Michelle Lesco placed second with 26.5 HDBs while Juliet Lee and Sarah Reineke tied for third with 23. Larell Marie Mele placed fourth with 18.

Pre-show festivities began at 10:00 am with performances by the Hot Hand Band, Brooklyn Community Choir, opera singer Alex Frankel and rapper Badlands Booker. The pre-show also included a special ceremony, The Procession of the Flags of the Nations and States, to honor each of the countries and states where the eaters reside. A gong ceremony also was held to honor the nine meals of the day. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Assemblyman Peter Abbate, Jr., and NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill attended the event along with an estimated 35,000 fans.

To earn a seat at the table on July 4, male and female eaters must win one of 16 qualifying events held across the nation in the lead-up to July 4. Last year, Chestnut set a new world record by consuming 74 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Miki Sudo’s all-time best is 41 hot dogs and buns, set in 2018. The men’s and women’s contests each offer $20,000 in cash prizes. The ESPN telecast of the contest routinely draws an audience of millions of viewers.