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1h ago

Chestnut and Sudo Set to Defend Titles at Nathan's Hot Dog Contest

An Indiana judge cleared Chestnut to travel so he can compete at Coney Island despite serving probation.

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Contestants compete for the women’s title during the 2025 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating competition at Coney Island in New York on July 4, 2025. (SF resident Tandra Childress is the fourth competitor from left.)
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Overview

  • The Nathan's Famous Fourth of July contest is taking place at Coney Island with defending champions Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo entered as overwhelming favorites to win their respective divisions.
  • An official weigh-in on Friday certified the field of 14 men and 10 women who will compete, including international entrants and past champions such as Patrick Bertoletti.
  • Chestnut is serving 180 days of probation after a misdemeanor battery plea but received judicial permission to travel and Major League Eating confirmed the conviction does not bar his participation.
  • Broadcasters expanded access this year with the women's competition streaming on ESPN+/ESPN app, the men's race airing on ESPN2 with a 30-minute ABC simulcast and dedicated isolation camera feeds for top competitors.
  • The contest follows Nathan's sale to Smithfield Foods in January, carries a reported roughly $40,000 prize pool with $10,000 to each division winner, and uses standard 10-minute rules that penalize vomiting and require whole hot dogs and buns to count.