Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Set for July 4, 2025
Independence Day is synonymous with fireworks, barbecues, and the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, a staple of American summer celebrations.
This year, the contest will unfold on July 4 at its historic venue on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, where the excitement is palpable.
Joey Chestnut, a 16-time champion and world record holder, is back in the competition after a brief hiatus. He aims to reclaim the Mustard Belt and the $10,000 prize, facing off against defending champion Patrick Bertoletti and a field of 13 other competitors. On the women's side, Miki Sudo, the reigning world record holder, seeks to defend her title for a fourth consecutive year.
Coverage kicks off at 10:45 a.m. ET with the women's event expected to start around 11 a.m. The men's competition follows at noon ET, with the main event commencing at approximately 12:30 p.m. ET and concluding around 1 p.m. ET.
Fans can catch all the action exclusively on ESPN channels. Local listings will provide specific channel information. The men's contest will air live on ESPN2 starting at noon ET, including a recap of the women's competition.
For those unable to watch live, replays will be available on ESPN at 5 p.m. ET and again at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Additionally, ESPN3 will stream the women's competition live and offer isolated coverage of Chestnut and Sudo during their respective events.
Streaming options are also available for viewers with subscriptions to services like YouTube TV that include ESPN.
This year's female competitors include Sudo, who has dominated the event with three consecutive wins and previously claimed seven titles from 2015 to 2020.
On the men's side, Chestnut aims for his 17th title while Bertoletti looks to defend his championship.
Chestnut's absence from last year's contest stemmed from a sponsorship conflict with Impossible Foods, which led to his temporary ban. Major League Eating (MLE) stated that they had made efforts to accommodate him but ultimately could not reconcile their longstanding exclusivity agreement.
Last year, Chestnut faced off against rival Takeru Kobayashi in a streamed competition on Netflix, where he emerged victorious under similar rules to Nathan's contest.
Now reinstated, Chestnut has committed to endorsing only Nathan's hot dogs moving forward.
Both Chestnut and Sudo are heavily favored to win their respective contests; Chestnut is listed as a -2000 favorite while Bertoletti stands at +1200. Some sportsbooks have refrained from offering odds on the women's side due to Sudo's overwhelming dominance.
Chestnut holds both official and unofficial records for hot dog consumption in competitive settings. He consumed 83 hot dogs and buns in a recent competition against Kobayashi, but that record is not recognized by MLE due to the event's unregulated status. The official record remains at 76 hot dogs, set by Chestnut during the 2021 Nathan's contest.
The rules of the contest are straightforward: competitors have ten minutes to eat as many hot dogs and buns as possible. They may break the hot dogs apart but must swallow both components for it to count. Utensils and condiments are prohibited, though water is provided, and contestants can bring non-alcoholic beverages for dunking buns—limited to five seconds.
A disqualification occurs if a contestant vomits during the competition. The winner is determined by who consumes the most hot dogs and buns within the allotted time frame.
