Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Encyclopedia
Competitive eating
Competitive eating, or speed eating, is a sport in which participants compete against each other to consume large quantities of food in a short time period. Contests are typically less than 15 minutes in length, with the person consuming the most food being declared the winner...
competition, which is run as a publicity gathering event by Shea Communications. It is held each July 4
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
at Nathan's Famous Corporation
Nathan's Famous
Nathan's Famous is a company that operates a chain of U.S.-based fast food restaurants specializing in hot dogs. The original Nathan's restaurant stands at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in the Coney Island neighborhood of the New York City borough of Brooklyn.-History:Nathan's began as...
's original, and best-known restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenue
Stillwell Avenue
Stillwell Avenue is a major north/south thoroughfare in southern Brooklyn and the central section of Coney Island. It is 2.4 miles long and begins at a dead end on Coney Island. Traffic is two way. The road goes north, leaving Coney Island, ending at Bay Parkway, where the road continues as the...
s in Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
, a neighborhood of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In 2011 over 40,000 spectators attended the event, and an additional 1.949 million viewers watched it live on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
television.
The contest has gained public attention in recent years due to the sudden stardom of Takeru Kobayashi
Takeru Kobayashi
is a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta....
, his subsequent rivalry with American Joey Chestnut
Joey Chestnut
Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut is an American competitive eater. The , engineering student is currently ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating...
, and the current controversy over Kobayashi's contractual dispute and absence. In the ninety-sixth annual contest, held on July 4, 2011, four-time-defending champion Chestnut won his fifth title by consuming 62 hot dogs and buns (HDBs) in ten minutes. The contest was televised live on ESPN, which has held the broadcast rights for this event since 2004.
History and traditions
According to legend, on July 4, 1916, four immigrants had a hot dog eating contest at Nathan's Famous stand on Coney Island to settle an argument about who was the most patrioticPatriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
. The contest has been held at the site nearly every year since, resuming in 1972, in conjunction with Independence Day In 1993, a one-time, one-on-one contest under the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
was held between Mike DeVito
Michael DeVito
Michael "The Scholar" DeVito is a competitive eater and hot dog eating champion, and three-time winner of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, in 1990, 1993 and 1994. DeVito is 6 feet 2 inches and weighs just over 200 pounds...
and Orio Ito.
There is a weigh-in with the Mayor of New York City prior to the contest. On the day of the contest, the contestants arrive in the "bus of champions".
In recent years, guitarist and songwriter Amos Wengler has performed one of the songs he had written for the contest. A person in a hot dog costume dances as Wengler plays. Some of Wengler's compositions are "Hot Dog Time!", "Hot Dogs, Hot Dogs" and "Where is the Belt?" by John Jones.
Starting in 2011, women and men have competed in separate competitions.
The winner of the men's competition is given possession of the coveted international "bejeweled" mustard-yellow belt, which all winners were given prior to 2011. The belt is of "unknown age and value" according to IFOCE co-founder George Shea and rests in the country of its owner. Due to the string of Japanese wins in the first half of the 2000 decade, the belt had been on display in the Imperial Palace in Saitama
Saitama, Saitama
' is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, near the Nakazato Danchi campus. In 2007, Chestnut won the first of five consecutive victories in the contest which has kept the belt in the U.S. to the present day. On July 4, 2011, Sonya Thomas
Sonya Thomas
Sonya Thomas , also known by her nickname The Black Widow, is a top-ranked Korean-born American competitive eater from Alexandria, Virginia. Thomas joined the International Federation of Competitive Eating in 2003 and quickly rose to the top of the ranks, beating competitive eaters such as Ed...
won the inaugural Women's Championship and its "bejeweled" pink belt. More than $40,000 in cash prizes were won by Major League Eaters
Major League Eating
Major League Eating is a franchise that sanctions professional competitive eating events and competitive eating television specials. The purported mission of Major League Eating is to maintain a safe environment for all events, while also seeking to create a dynamic and enjoyable fan experience...
at the 2011 Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Contest.
Rules
Only adults 18 years or older who fulfill one of the following four conditions may compete:- The defending champion
- Winners of a regional qualifying contest for that season
- Qualifying as one of two wildcardsWild card (sports)The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
(highest two average qualifier scores without winning a single qualifer) - Special invitation by IFOCE (see "Controversies" below)
The International Federation of Competitive Eating
International Federation of Competitive Eating
The International Federation of Competitive Eating, Inc. is an organization that supervises and regulates eating contests across the globe, acting as a central resource for the sport. Top events include the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, La Costena "Feel the Heat" Jalapeno Eating Challenge, and...
(IFOCE) has sanctioned the event since 1997. Today, only entrants currently under contract by the IFOCE can compete in the contest.
Rules used in the early years of the contest were different from today's. For example, in past contests minors could compete (Birgit Felden from Germany was age 17 when she won the 1984 contest.)
During the event, the field of about 20 contestants stands on a raised platform behind a 30 feet (9.1 m)-long table with drinks and Nathan's Famous hot dogs in buns. Most contestants drink water, but other kinds of drinks can and have been used. Condiments are allowed, but are usually not used. The hot dogs themselves are allowed to cool slightly after grilling to prevent possible mouth burns. In the past, whoever consumed (and kept down until the contest had ended) the most hot dogs and buns ("HDBs") in 12 minutes was declared the winner. Starting in 2008, however, the contest has been only 10 minutes long due to recent evidence suggesting the original contest in 1916 was this length. A designated scorekeeper is paired with each contestant. The IFOCE official flips a number board counting the hot dogs consumed. Partially eaten hot dogs count and the granularity of measurement is eighths of a length. Hot dogs still in the mouth at the end of the 10 minutes count only if they are swallowed. Yellow cards can be issued for "messy eating," and disqualification can occur for "reversal of fortune."
After the winner is declared, a plate with the number of hot dogs eaten by the winner is brought out for photo opportunities.
Qualifying contests
First held nationally in 1993 and internationally in 1997, qualifying contests are used to determine contestants for the July 4th competition. A qualifier winner cannot compete in another qualifier in the same year and no contestant can compete in more than three qualifiers in the same season. Each qualifier can have at most 15 participants (typically first-come first-served). A world record that is broken in a qualifier is official, but the winner does not get to hold the belt.Prizes
Winners receive a trophy, two cases of Nathan's Famous hot dogs, the famous Nathan's Belt (yellow for men's competition, and pink for women's competition), and in some years a nonmonetary prize donated by a sponsor. For example, in 2004 OrbitzOrbitz
Orbitz Worldwide, Inc. is an Internet travel company headquartered in the Citigroup Center in Near West Side, Chicago, Illinois. Through its primary web site Orbitz.com, Orbitz Worldwide enables travelers to research, plan and book a broad range of travel products, facilitating 1.5 million flight...
donated a travel package to the winner.
In 2007, for the first time, cash prizes were awarded to the winners. As of 2011, the total purse of $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
20,000 was awarded as follows:
- First Place: $10,000
- Second Place: $5,000
- Third Place: $2,500
- Fourth Place: $1,500
- Fifth Place: $1,000
Controversy
Controversies usually revolve around supposed breaches of rules that are missed by the judges. For example, NY1NY1
NY1, New York One, is a 24-hour cable-news television channel focusing on the five boroughs of New York City. In addition to news and weather forecasts, the channel also features human-interest segments such as the "New Yorker of the Week" and the "Scholar Athlete of the Week", and specialty...
television news reporter Adam Balkin reviewed taped footage of the 1999 contest and noticed that Steve Keiner ate half of a hot dog before the contest had officially begun. The judge, who was standing directly in front of Keiner, missed it – otherwise Keiner would have been disqualified. According to the rules, the judge's word is final, so in this case Keiner took first place despite Balkin's discovery.
Another controversy occurred in 2003 when former NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
Player William "The Refrigerator" Perry
William Perry (American football)
William Perry is a former professional American football player. He is best known for his years as a defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears. In reference to his large size, he was popularly known as "The Refrigerator" or, abbreviated, "The Fridge".-Life and athletic career:Perry was born in...
competed as a celebrity contestant. Though he had won a qualifier by eating twelve hot dogs, he ate only four H.D.B.s at the contest, stopping eating completely just five minutes into the competition. On July 1, 2004, at a ceremony following a showing of Crazy Legs Conti's documentary
Crazy Legs Conti: Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating
Crazy Legs Conti: Zen And The Art Of Competitive Eating is a 2005 documentary film portraying the culture of competitive eating. It was directed by Danielle Franco and Christopher Kenneally....
, George Shea stated that the celebrity contestant experiment will likely not be repeated.
At the 2007 contest, the results were delayed to review whether defending champion Takeru Kobayashi
Takeru Kobayashi
is a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta....
had vomited (also known as a "Roman method incident" or "reversal of fortune") in the final seconds of the competition. Such an incident results in the disqualification of the competitor under the rules of the IFOCE. The judges ruled in Kobayashi's favor; a disqualification would have given second place to Patrick Bertoletti
Patrick Bertoletti
Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti is an American competitive eater from Chicago. He is ranked second in the International Federation of Competitive Eating...
. A similar incident occurred during Kobayashi's 2002 title defense when he consumed over fifty hot dogs in a victory over Eric "Badlands" Booker
Eric Booker
Eric "Badlands" Booker is an American hip hop artist and record-holding competitive eater.-Competitive Eating:Booker trains for competitions by trying to stretch his stomach and develop jaw strength...
.
Kobayashi did not compete in the contest in 2010 or 2011 due to his refusal to sign an exclusive contract with the event's organizers like he had the previous nine years. In 2010, Kobayashi was arrested after he ran onto the stage after the contest was over. On July 4, 2011, he competed on the rooftop of a Manhattan bar, 230 Fifth, for the duration of the Coney Island contest. Two judges observed Kobayashi while the live broadcast of the event played next to him on a large television screen. Kobayashi claimed to finish 69 hot dogs, one more than the recognized world record and seven more than Chestnut's winning total in the 2011 contest. "I want to remain free to compete in the events that I want to compete in," Kobayashi said. "Today was a great success." Informed of the number, Major League Eating president George Shea snapped, “The champion of the world is crowned in Coney Island. Always has been, always will be. He put a tin crown on his head and called himself king.” However, the sports website Deadspin
Deadspin
Deadspin is a sports website owned by Gawker Media and was launched in September 2005. As of February 2010, the site had attracted over 462 million unique visitors and about 573 million page views....
deemed Kobayashi's solo appearance "an improbably perfect 'up yours' to the Nathan's hot dog eating contest.".
Results
| Year | Winner | First | HDB/Min | Second | Third | Notes | Contest Duration (minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Men's: Joey Chestnut Joey Chestnut Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut is an American competitive eater. The , engineering student is currently ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating... |
 62 |
6.20 | 53 |
45 |
Separate competitions are held for women and men for the first time. Chestnut dominates on his way to his fifth straight title, eating 62 H.D.B. Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti Patrick Bertoletti Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti is an American competitive eater from Chicago. He is ranked second in the International Federation of Competitive Eating... finished second with 53, while Tim Janus Tim Janus Tim Janus is a competitive eater from New York City known in the competitive eating community as "Eater X." He is a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating , and is one of the most colorful IFOCE characters, both literally and figuratively. He always performs in contests... finished with 45. Sonya Thomas won the inaugural women's event, eating 40 H.D.B. Juliet Lee placed second with 29.5 H.D.B. & rookie Stephanie Torres of Las Cruces, NM took home third with 28.5 H.D.B. Takeru Kobayashi claimed to have eaten 69 H.D.B.s during the contest near the contest, but it was later revealed that he ate only 65. Regardless, to be officially recognized at the winner, competitors must be present at the same sanctioned Nathan's competition at Coney Island. |
10 |
| Women's: Sonya Thomas Sonya Thomas Sonya Thomas , also known by her nickname The Black Widow, is a top-ranked Korean-born American competitive eater from Alexandria, Virginia. Thomas joined the International Federation of Competitive Eating in 2003 and quickly rose to the top of the ranks, beating competitive eaters such as Ed... |
40 |
4.00 | 29.5 |
28.5 |
|||
| 2010 | Joey Chestnut Joey Chestnut Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut is an American competitive eater. The , engineering student is currently ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating... |
54 |
5.40 | 45 |
37 |
Six-time former champion, Takeru Kobayashi, was present but had refused to sign a contract with Major League Eating and did not compete. After the contest, Kobayashi was involved in a scuffle with police New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City... and was led away in handcuffs. Tim "Eater X" Janus finished second. Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti finished third. |
10 |
| 2009 | Joey Chestnut Joey Chestnut Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut is an American competitive eater. The , engineering student is currently ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating... |
68 |
6.80 |  64½ |
55 |
Chestnut beat his previous record by eating 68 H.D.B. in ten minutes, nine more than in 2008, setting new event, U.S., and world records. He became the second person to win three consecutive titles. Kobayashi ate 64½ H.D.B., setting a Japanese record, & Patrick Bertoletti placed third with 55 H.D.B. Chestnut improved his H.D.B. per minute in 2009's contest to 6.8 from the 5.9 he had in 2008. Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas broke her own female record with 41 H.D.B. | 10 |
| 2008 | Joey Chestnut Joey Chestnut Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut is an American competitive eater. The , engineering student is currently ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating... |
59 |
5.90 | 59 |
42 |
Event, Japanese, U.S., and world records set (59 H.D.B.). First event using new ten-minute time limit and first tie and eat-off since 1980. Chestnut & Kobayashi tie for first with 59 in regulation. In overtime Chestnut is the first to finish a plate of five. Kobayashi, losing by a bite, finishes second, & Tim Janus Tim Janus Tim Janus is a competitive eater from New York City known in the competitive eating community as "Eater X." He is a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating , and is one of the most colorful IFOCE characters, both literally and figuratively. He always performs in contests... finishes third with 42. |
10 |
| 2007 | Joey Chestnut Joey Chestnut Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut is an American competitive eater. The , engineering student is currently ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating... |
66 |
5.50 | 63 |
49 |
Having broken the world and U.S. records with 59½ H.D.B. at a qualifier contest on June 2, 2007, Chestnut finishes first, setting new event, U.S. and world records (66 H.D.B.); Sonya Thomas, #5, sets female record (39 H.D.B.). | 12 |
| 2006 | Takeru Kobayashi Takeru Kobayashi is a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta.... |
54 |
4.50 | 52 |
37 |
Kobayashi, #1, sets event, Japanese and world records (53¾ H.D.B.); Chestnut, #2, sets U.S. record (52 H.D.B.). | 12 |
| 2005 | Takeru Kobayashi Takeru Kobayashi is a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta.... |
49 |
4.08 | 37 |
32 |
Sonya Thomas sets the female and U.S. records (37 H.D.B.) | 12 |
| 2004 | Takeru Kobayashi Takeru Kobayashi is a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta.... |
53½ |
4.46 | 38 |
32 |
Event, Japanese and world records set; Sonya Thomas sets the female and U.S. records (32 H.D.B.) | 12 |
| 2003 | Takeru Kobayashi Takeru Kobayashi is a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta.... |
44½ |
3.71 | 30½ |
29½ |
Sonya Thomas sets the female record (25 H.D.B.) | 12 |
| 2002 | Takeru Kobayashi Takeru Kobayashi is a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta.... |
50½ |
4.21 | 26 |
25½ |
Event, Japanese and world records set. | 12 |
| 2001 | Takeru Kobayashi Takeru Kobayashi is a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta.... |
50 |
4.17 | 31 |
23½ |
Event, Japanese and world records broken. Event record doubled. | 12 |
| 2000 | Kazutoyo Arai | 25⅛ |
2.08 | 24 |
22¼ |
Misao "Beast" Fujita, 藤田操, 24, M.; third - Takako Akasaka Takako Akasaka Takako Akasaka is a Japanese competitive eater from Osaka, Japan. She is considered the most successful female competitive eater in Japan.... , 赤阪尊子, 22, F.; Takako Akasaka sets the women's record |
|
| 1999 | Steve Keiner Steve Keiner Steven Keiner of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey was the 1999 winner of the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, downing 20¼ hot dogs in 12 minutes.... |
20¼ |
1.69 | 19 |
Before the contest Keiner ate half of a hot dog, but judges missed it. He would have been disqualified had the judges seen it. | ||
| 1998 | Hirofumi Nakajima | 19 |
1.58 | ||||
| 1997 | Hirofumi Nakajima | 24½ |
2.04 | Event, Japanese and world records set; First time that intergovernmental qualifiers were used | |||
| 1996 | Ed Krachie | 22¼ |
1.85 | 20 | Event, U.S. and world records set. World record was later broken December 4, 1996 by Hirofumi Nakajima (23¼) in a hot dog eating contest in Central Park, also setting the Japanese record. | ||
| 1995 | Ed Krachie | 19½ |
1.63 | 19 |
|||
| 1994 | Mike Devito | 20 |
1.67 | ||||
| 1993 | Mike Devito | 17 |
1.42 | First time that qualifying events were used to choose contestants | |||
| 1992 | Frank Dellarosa | 19 |
1.58 | ||||
| 1991 | Frank Dellarosa | 21½ |
1.79 | Event, U.S. and world records set; 1991 event was the 75th annual contest. | 12 | ||
| 1990 | Mike Devito | 16 |
1.33 | ||||
| 1989 | Jay Green | 13 |
1.08 | ||||
| 1988 | Jay Green | 14 |
1.17 | ||||
| 1987 | Don Wolfman | 12 |
1.00 | Record going into contest reported as 17 | |||
| 1986 | Mark Heller | 15½ |
1.55 | Despite Don Wolfman being listed falsely as the winner in various accounts, the New York Post New York Post The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions... of July 5, 1986, and The New York Times The New York Times The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization... of July 7, 1986, confirms Heller the winner of the ten-minute contest. According to a Nathan's spokesman, the 70-year record going into the 1986 contest was seventeen by Walter Paul in 1978. |
10 | ||
| 1985 | Oscar Rodriguez | 11¾ |
0.98 | ||||
| 1984 | Birgit Felden |  9½ |
0.81 | 10 | |||
| 1983 | Luis Llamas |  19½ |
1.625 | Unconfirmed; a 1987 New York Times The New York Times The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization... article states that the record going into the 1987 contest was 17. |
|||
| 1982 | Steven Abrams | 11+ |
0.95 | Independence Day was on a Sunday, and therefore held July 5; Winner ate one bite of a twelfth hot dog. Record going into contest reported as 14(Jim Mattner) | |||
| 1981 | Thomas DeBerry | 11 |
2.20 | Winner stopped eating after five minutes to attend a family barbecue. | |||
| 1980 | Paul Siederman & Joe Baldini |
9+ |
0.90 | Siederman and Baldini both ate nine hot dogs plus part of a tenth in ten minutes. Both ate 3½ hot dogs in an eat-off, and were declared co-winners | 10 | ||
| 1979 | Thomas Stash | 19 |
Stash won by downing 19 wieners in a matter of 12 minutes. Impressive by the standards of the day. | 10 | |||
| 1978 | Walter Paul | 17 |
Event, U.S. and world records set | ||||
| 1974 | Roberto Muriel | 10 |
The 3 ½ minute contest was won by a twenty-two-year-old Brooklyn resident | 3.5 | |||
| 1972 | Jason Schechter | 14 |
The contest lasted for 3 ½ minutes and was won by a Brooklyn collegiate student. The prize was a certificate for forty more hot dogs. | 3.5 | |||
| 1916 | James Mullen | 13 |
Inaugural contest | 12 | |||
Newspapers
News sources typically use puns in head-lines and copy referring to the contest, such as "'Tsunami' is eating contest's top dog again," "couldn't cut the mustard" (A.P.Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
), "Nathan's King ready, with relish" (Daily News) and "To be frank, Fridge faces a real hot-dog consumer" (ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
).
Reporter Gersh Kuntzman
Gersh Kuntzman
Gersh Kuntzman is a New York City-based journalist. Previously, he worked for the New York Post, writing the column, "MetroGnome," which ran from 1994-2004. He also had a weekly column for Newsweek online that ran from Jan. 2001-July 2005...
of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
has been covering the event since the early 1990s and has been a judge at the competition since 2000. Darren Rovell, formerly of ESPN, has competed in a qualifier.
Film, television and Radio
The Nathan's contest has been featured in these documentaries and televisual programs:- "A Different Story" (July 4, 1996) - Jeannie Moos covers the contest on CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
- "Red, White, and Yellow" (1998)
- "A Hot Dog Program: An All-American, Culinary Cruise Through Hot Dog History" (1999)
- "Gut Busters" (2002) Made for TV - Discovery ChannelDiscovery ChannelDiscovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
- "King of the Hill", "The Fat and the Furious" episode (2002)
- "Footlong" (2002) - not the 2003 short film of the same name
- "The Tsunami - Takeru Kobayashi" (2003) Japanese
- "Crazy Legs Conti: Zen and the Art of Competitive EatingCrazy Legs Conti: Zen and the Art of Competitive EatingCrazy Legs Conti: Zen And The Art Of Competitive Eating is a 2005 documentary film portraying the culture of competitive eating. It was directed by Danielle Franco and Christopher Kenneally....
" (2004) - "The Most Extreme", "Big Mouths" episode (2004) (Animal PlanetAnimal PlanetAnimal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
) - Cheap SeatsCheap SeatsCheap Seats without Ron Parker, commonly shortened to Cheap Seats, is a television program broadcast on ESPN Classic hosted by brothers Randy and Jason Sklar...
, (2004) - "True Life" (2006) MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
documentary series - "American Dad!", "Weiner of our Discontent" Episode (2009)
The 2000 animated movie Street Fighter Alpha: The Animation, based on the Street Fighter
Street Fighter
, commonly abbreviated as SF, is a series of Fighting Games developed in Japan in which the players pit the video games' competitive fighters from around the world, each with his or her own unique fighting style, against one another...
video game series, makes a reference to this event. In a early scene, Sakura decides that she wants to go to the United States to enter a hot dog-eating contest and notch a world record, after which her friend criticizes her decision. She would later change her motivation to martial arts, after seeing a karateka named Ryu
Ryu (Street Fighter)
is a video game player character created by Capcom, the main protagonist of the Street Fighter series. Having premiered in the first Street Fighter in 1987, Ryu appears as the lead character from the game along with his best friend Ken Masters participating in the Street Fighter tournament...
take down several thugs with his martial arts skills.
In 2003, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
aired the contest on a tape-delay
Broadcast delay
In radio and television, broadcast delay refers to the practice of intentionally delaying broadcast of live material. A short delay is often used to prevent profanity, bloopers, violence, or other undesirable material from making it to air, including more mundane problems such as technical...
ed basis. Starting in 2004, ESPN began covering the contest live. As part of that arrangement, the contest was moved to a 12:40 p.m. start. For 2004, ESPN hired Windfall Productions (Ralph J. Mole, Exec. Producer) who used six cameras, a live New York City crew and a TV mobile unit to produce a one-hour network sports special about the contest. It was hosted by Gary Miller
Gary Miller (sportscaster)
Gary Miller is an American sportscaster and radio host.-Education:Miller graduated in the same high school class, in Naperville, Illinois, as former CNN news anchor Paula Zahn....
and Richard Shea and was carried live in Times Square on the ABC "Jumbotron". Since 2005, Paul Page
Paul Page
Paul Page is an American motorsports broadcaster who was the lead announcer for ABC Sports' coverage of CART and the IRL from 1988 to 2004. He currently is the lead announcer for NHRA.-Early life and career:...
has been ESPN's play-by-play announcer for the event, accompanied by color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
Richard Shea, live at the contest location. In 2011, the women's competition was carried live on ESPN3, followed by the men's compeition on ESPN.
| Television history | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Network | Play-by-play | Color commentator Color commentator A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the... |
Sideline reporter Sideline reporter A sideline reporter, also known as a field reporter, courtside reporter , clubhouse reporter or dugout reporter , rinkside reporter or inside-the-glass reporter , on-court reporter , hole reporter , or boundary rider , is a member of the... |
Viewers Nielsen Ratings Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States... |
| 2003 | ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... |
||||
| 2004 | ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... |
Gary Miller Gary Miller (sportscaster) Gary Miller is an American sportscaster and radio host.-Education:Miller graduated in the same high school class, in Naperville, Illinois, as former CNN news anchor Paula Zahn.... |
Richard Shea | 926,000 viewers | |
| 2005 | ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... |
Paul Page Paul Page Paul Page is an American motorsports broadcaster who was the lead announcer for ABC Sports' coverage of CART and the IRL from 1988 to 2004. He currently is the lead announcer for NHRA.-Early life and career:... |
Richard Shea | 860,000 viewers | |
| 2006 | ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... |
Paul Page Paul Page Paul Page is an American motorsports broadcaster who was the lead announcer for ABC Sports' coverage of CART and the IRL from 1988 to 2004. He currently is the lead announcer for NHRA.-Early life and career:... |
Richard Shea | 1.46 million viewers | |
| 2007 | ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... |
Paul Page Paul Page Paul Page is an American motorsports broadcaster who was the lead announcer for ABC Sports' coverage of CART and the IRL from 1988 to 2004. He currently is the lead announcer for NHRA.-Early life and career:... |
Richard Shea | 1.632 million viewers | |
| 2008 | ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... |
Paul Page Paul Page Paul Page is an American motorsports broadcaster who was the lead announcer for ABC Sports' coverage of CART and the IRL from 1988 to 2004. He currently is the lead announcer for NHRA.-Early life and career:... |
Richard Shea | ||
| 2009 | ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... |
Paul Page Paul Page Paul Page is an American motorsports broadcaster who was the lead announcer for ABC Sports' coverage of CART and the IRL from 1988 to 2004. He currently is the lead announcer for NHRA.-Early life and career:... |
Richard Shea | 1.340 million viewers | |
| 2010 | ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... |
Paul Page Paul Page Paul Page is an American motorsports broadcaster who was the lead announcer for ABC Sports' coverage of CART and the IRL from 1988 to 2004. He currently is the lead announcer for NHRA.-Early life and career:... |
Richard Shea | Todd Harris Todd Harris Todd Harris is a play-by-play announcer for ESPNU college football coverage and Ultimate Fighting Championship airing on Versus.Prior to those duties, he was the lead play-by-play announcer for ABC and ESPN's coverage of the Indy Racing League's IndyCar Series... |
1.677 million viewers |
| 2011 | ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... |
Paul Page Paul Page Paul Page is an American motorsports broadcaster who was the lead announcer for ABC Sports' coverage of CART and the IRL from 1988 to 2004. He currently is the lead announcer for NHRA.-Early life and career:... |
Richard Shea | Rene Herlocker | 1.949 million viewers |
ABC Radio Network is the only radio source for live coverage of the event which started in 2004.
The Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
-originating rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
group Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
recorded a humorous tribute to Chestnut "Joey's My Dog" on its Iron Flag
Iron Flag
Iron Flag is the fourth studio album by American East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, released December 18, 2001 on Loud Records. The album was certified gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America. Iron Flag served as the group's second lowest-selling album , as their...
(2001) album.
Other
The competition draws many spectators and worldwide press coverage. In 2007, an estimated 50,000 came out to witness the event.In June 2004 a three-story-high "Hot Dog Eating Wall of Fame" was erected at the site of the annual contest. The wall lists past records going back to 1984 and has a digital clock, which counts down the minutes until the next contest.
From 1997 to 2006, a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese competitor held the belt in every year but 1999. In 2000, the first, second and third places were all taken by Japanese contestants.
Independence Day 2010 arrest
Kobayashi was arrested on July 4, 2010, during the Nathan's International Hot Dog Eating Contest when he exited the police-barricaded spectator pen and entered the stage after the eating had ended. Although he was initially welcomed by co-host George Shea, security and New York City Police DepartmentNew York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
officers quickly ushered him offstage as he resisted vehemently, hanging on to the barricades and fences before being taken into custody. Though some witnesses report that Kobayashi was attempting to congratulate Chestnut's win, co-host and Major League Eating
Major League Eating
Major League Eating is a franchise that sanctions professional competitive eating events and competitive eating television specials. The purported mission of Major League Eating is to maintain a safe environment for all events, while also seeking to create a dynamic and enjoyable fan experience...
President Richard Shea, however stated that "[Kobayashi] tried to jump on stage during the awards ceremony to disrupt it." He was charged with resisting arrest, trespassing and obstructing governmental administration. Kobayashi was not participating due to a contract dispute as he refused to sign a contract with Major League Eating that would have barred him from participating in events not sanctioned by the League.
In his website, on the contract which he didn't sign said that he cannot eat fast on TV show and competition without their permission. He thought he was refused from all the events.
Tactics and training
Each contestant has his or her own eating method. Takeru KobayashiTakeru Kobayashi
is a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta....
pioneered the "Solomon Method" at his first competition in 2001. The method is to break each hot dog in half, eat the two halves at once, then eat the bun. The idea of eating the hot dogs and buns separately was first demonstrated by Kazutoyo Arai and is sometimes called "Tokyo Style" or "Japanesing". One hand is often used for dunking the buns, and the other is used for eating the hot dog.
"Dunking" is the most promenent method used today. Because buns absorb water, many contestants dunk their hot dogs (or just the buns) in water and squeeze them to make them easier to swallow, and slide down the throat more efficiently.
Other methods used include the "Carlene Pop," where the competitor jumps up and down while eating, to force the food down to the stomach. "Buns & Roses" is a similar trick, but the eater sways from side to side instead. "Juliet-ing" is a cheating method in which played simply throw the HDBs over their shoulders.
Contestants train and prepare for the event in different ways. Some fast, others prefer liquid-only diets before the event. Takeru Kobayashi meditates, drinks water and eats cabbage, then fasts before the event. Kevin Lipsitz
Kevin Lipsitz
"Krazy" Kevin Lipsitz is a competitive eater from Staten Island, New York, and is affiliated with IFOCE, the International Federation of Competitive Eating. Known for his bear hat and charismatic eating style, Lipsitz has competed in events across the country, and appeared on the Gutbusters...
formerly trained by having eating races with his dogs, but animal rights advocates convinced him to stop. Several contestants, such as Ed Jarvis, aim to be "hungry, but not too hungry" and have a light breakfast the morning of the event.
Recent contest results
| 2011 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Top 3 finishers (10 minutes) Monday July 4, 2011 |
||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Hot Dogs |
| 1 | Joey "Jaws" Chestnut Joey Chestnut Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut is an American competitive eater. The , engineering student is currently ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating... |
62 |
| 2 | Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti Patrick Bertoletti Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti is an American competitive eater from Chicago. He is ranked second in the International Federation of Competitive Eating... |
53 |
| 3 | Tim “Eater X” Janus Tim Janus Tim Janus is a competitive eater from New York City known in the competitive eating community as "Eater X." He is a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating , and is one of the most colorful IFOCE characters, both literally and figuratively. He always performs in contests... |
45 |
| 4 | Bob "Notorious B.O.B." Shoudt | 39 |
| t5 | Matt "Megatoad" Stonie | 34 |
| t5 | Sean "Flash" Gordon | 34 |
| 7 | Erik "The Red" Denmark Erik Denmark Erik "The Red" Denmark is an American competitive eater and a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating. He currently lives in Seattle, Washington and is nicknamed after Erik the Red, the Viking who founded the first Nordic settlement in Greenland.-Competition and... |
33.5 |
| 8 | Adrian Morgan | 31 |
| 9 | Aaron "A-Train" Osthoff | 27 |
| 10 | Pete "Pretty Boy" Davekos | 25.5 |
| 11 | Pat Philbin | 25 |
| t12 | "Big" Brian Subich | 23 |
| t12 | Damon Wells | 23 |
| 14 | Lu Mung Kui | 21 |
| 15 | Lam Yat Ming | 14 |
| 16 | Mak Tai Loi | 11 |
| * | Tim "Gravy" Brown | DNF (reversal) |
| 2009 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Top 3 finishers (10 minutes) Friday July 4, 2009 |
||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Hot Dogs |
| 1 | Joey "Jaws" Chestnut Joey Chestnut Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut is an American competitive eater. The , engineering student is currently ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating... (U.S. Record, World Record) |
68 |
| 2 | Takeru Kobayashi Takeru Kobayashi is a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta.... |
64.5 |
| 3 | Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti Patrick Bertoletti Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti is an American competitive eater from Chicago. He is ranked second in the International Federation of Competitive Eating... |
55 |
| 2008 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest (10 minutes) Friday July 4, 2008 |
||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Hot Dogs |
| 1 (tie) | Joey "Jaws" Chestnut Joey Chestnut Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut is an American competitive eater. The , engineering student is currently ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating... (U.S. Record, World Record tie) Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi Takeru Kobayashi is a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta.... (World Record tie) |
59* |
| 3 | Tim “Eater X” Janus Tim Janus Tim Janus is a competitive eater from New York City known in the competitive eating community as "Eater X." He is a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating , and is one of the most colorful IFOCE characters, both literally and figuratively. He always performs in contests... |
42 |
| 4 | Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti Patrick Bertoletti Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti is an American competitive eater from Chicago. He is ranked second in the International Federation of Competitive Eating... |
41 |
| 5 | Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas Sonya Thomas Sonya Thomas , also known by her nickname The Black Widow, is a top-ranked Korean-born American competitive eater from Alexandria, Virginia. Thomas joined the International Federation of Competitive Eating in 2003 and quickly rose to the top of the ranks, beating competitive eaters such as Ed... |
33 |
| 6 (tie) | Hall "Hoover" Hunt "Humble" Bob Shoudt |
30 |
| 8 | Juliet Lee | 29 |
| 9 (tie) | Erik "The Red" Denmark Erik Denmark Erik "The Red" Denmark is an American competitive eater and a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating. He currently lives in Seattle, Washington and is nicknamed after Erik the Red, the Viking who founded the first Nordic settlement in Greenland.-Competition and... Juris Shibayama |
28 |
| 11 | Tim Brown | 27 |
| 12 | Eric "Badlands" Booker | 25.5 |
| 13 (tie) | Patrick Vandam Rich "The Locust" LeFevre |
25 |
| 15 | Crazy Legs Conti Crazy Legs Conti Crazy Legs Conti is an American competitive eater. He is currently ranked twentieth in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating.-Early life and career:... |
24 |
| 16 | Allan Goldstein | 21 |
| 17 | Pat Philbin | 20 |
| 18 | Nathan Biller | 18.5 |
| 19 | Pete Davekos | 18 |
| 20 | Arturo Rios | 16 |
| 21 | Kevin Ross | 14 |
* - Chesnut won a five dog eat off. The new record is based on the net hot dogs per minute with the new 10-minute format. Both Chestnut and Kobayashi will hold the official record jointly. 35,000 in attendance.
| 2007 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest (12 minutes) Wednesday July 4, 2007 |
||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Hot Dogs |
| 1 | Joey "Jaws" Chestnut Joey Chestnut Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut is an American competitive eater. The , engineering student is currently ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating... (U.S. Record, World Record) |
66 |
| 2 | Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi Takeru Kobayashi is a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta.... (Japanese Record) |
63 |
| 3 | Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti Patrick Bertoletti Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti is an American competitive eater from Chicago. He is ranked second in the International Federation of Competitive Eating... |
49 |
| 4 | Tim “Eater X” Janus Tim Janus Tim Janus is a competitive eater from New York City known in the competitive eating community as "Eater X." He is a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating , and is one of the most colorful IFOCE characters, both literally and figuratively. He always performs in contests... |
43.5 |
| 5 | Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas Sonya Thomas Sonya Thomas , also known by her nickname The Black Widow, is a top-ranked Korean-born American competitive eater from Alexandria, Virginia. Thomas joined the International Federation of Competitive Eating in 2003 and quickly rose to the top of the ranks, beating competitive eaters such as Ed... (Women's Record) |
39 |
| 6 | "Humble" Bob Shoudt | 35 |
| 7 | Chip Simpson | 35 |
| 8 | Rich LeFevre | 31 |
| 9 | Hall "The Hoover" Hunt | 29 |
| 10 | Juliet Lee | 26 |
| 11 | Dale Boone | 25 |
| 12 | Pat "from Moonachie" Philbin | 24 |
| 13 | Crazy Legs Conti Crazy Legs Conti Crazy Legs Conti is an American competitive eater. He is currently ranked twentieth in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating.-Early life and career:... |
23.5 |
| 14 | Erik "The Red" Denmark Erik Denmark Erik "The Red" Denmark is an American competitive eater and a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating. He currently lives in Seattle, Washington and is nicknamed after Erik the Red, the Viking who founded the first Nordic settlement in Greenland.-Competition and... |
23 |
| 15 | Tim Brown | 22.5 |
| 16 | Arturo Rios, Jr. | 21 |
| 17 | Allen Goldstein | 21 |
| 2006 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Tuesday July 4, 2006 |
||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Hot Dogs |
| 1 | Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi Takeru Kobayashi is a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta.... (World Record, Japanese Record) |
54 |
| 2 | Joey "Jaws" Chestnut Joey Chestnut Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut is an American competitive eater. The , engineering student is currently ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating... (U.S. Record) |
52 |
| 3 | Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas Sonya Thomas Sonya Thomas , also known by her nickname The Black Widow, is a top-ranked Korean-born American competitive eater from Alexandria, Virginia. Thomas joined the International Federation of Competitive Eating in 2003 and quickly rose to the top of the ranks, beating competitive eaters such as Ed... (Women's Record) |
37 |
| 4 | Patrick Bertoletti Patrick Bertoletti Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti is an American competitive eater from Chicago. He is ranked second in the International Federation of Competitive Eating... |
34¼ |
| 5 | Tim "Eater X" Janus Tim Janus Tim Janus is a competitive eater from New York City known in the competitive eating community as "Eater X." He is a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating , and is one of the most colorful IFOCE characters, both literally and figuratively. He always performs in contests... |
34 |
| 6 | Chip "The Phenom" Simpson | 33 |
| 7 | "Humble" Bob Shoudt | 30 |
| 8 | Rich "The Locust" LeFevre | 28 |
| 9 | Eric "Badlands" Booker | 24 |
| 10 | Patrick "from Moonachie" Philbin | 23 |
| 11 | Erik "The Red" Denmark Erik Denmark Erik "The Red" Denmark is an American competitive eater and a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating. He currently lives in Seattle, Washington and is nicknamed after Erik the Red, the Viking who founded the first Nordic settlement in Greenland.-Competition and... |
22 |
| 12 | Seaver Miller | 22 |
| 13 | Brian Subich | 22 |
| 14 | Crazy Legs Conti | 21⅓ |
| 15 | Allen Davis | 20½ |
| 16 | Robert Andersson | 20 |
| 17 | Hall "The Hoover" Hunt | 19 |
| 18 | Kamil "The Camel" Hamersky | 18 |
| 19 | Kenji Oguni | 16 |
| 20 | Jed Donahue Jed Donahue "Jalapeño" Jed Donahue is a competitive eater from Huntington Beach, CA and a top-ranked member of International Federation of Competitive Eating . Donahue is a grizzled veteran who has maintained a boyish, optimistic attitude to eating... |
1 |
| 2005 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Monday July 4, 2005 Preview |
||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Hot Dogs |
| 1 | Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi | 49 |
| 2 | Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas Sonya Thomas Sonya Thomas , also known by her nickname The Black Widow, is a top-ranked Korean-born American competitive eater from Alexandria, Virginia. Thomas joined the International Federation of Competitive Eating in 2003 and quickly rose to the top of the ranks, beating competitive eaters such as Ed... (U.S. Record, Women's Record) |
37 |
| 3 | Joey "Jaws" Chestnut Joey Chestnut Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut is an American competitive eater. The , engineering student is currently ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating... |
32 |
| 4 | Ed "Cookie" Jarvis | 29 |
| (tie) | Keiji Oguni | 29 |
| 6 | Rich LeFevre | 25½ |
| 7 | Carlene LeFevre | 25 |
| 8 | Ron Koch | 23 |
| 9 | Tim Janus | 22½ |
| 10 | Eric Booker | 22 |
| (tie) | Charles Hardy | 22 |
| 12 | Patrick "Pat From Moonachie" Philbin | 20 |
| 13 | Crazy Legs Conti | 19 |
| 14 | Joe LaRue | 18 |
| 15 | Don Lerman | 15 |
| 16 | Rob Burns | 10 |
| 2004 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Sunday July 4, 2004 Report |
||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | Hot Dogs |
| 1 | Takeru Kobayashi (World Record, Japanese Record) | 53.5 |
| 2 | Nobuyuki Shirota | 38 |
| 3 | Sonya Thomas (U.S. Record, Women's Record) | 32 |
| 4 | Rich LeFevre | 27.76 |
| 5 (tie) | Ed Jarvis/Eric Booker | 27 |
| 7 (tie) | Ron Koch/Carlene LeFevre | 22 |
| 9 (tie) | Oleg Zhornitskiy / Jim Reeves | 21 |
| 11 | Joe LaRue | 20 |
| 12 | Allen Goldstein | 19 |
| 13 (tie) | Charles Hardy/Don Lerman/Dale Boone | 18 |
July 4, 2003
- 1st - Takeru Kobayashi (44½)
- 2nd - Ed "Cookie" Jarvis (30½, American record)
- 3rd - Eric "Badlands" Booker (29)
- 4th - Sonya Thomas (25, women's world record)
- 20 competitors total. Included William "The Refrigerator" Perry (4 hot dogs)
- 3,000 spectators in attendance
- Report
July 4, 2001
- 1st - Takeru Kobayashi (50, world record)
- 2nd - Eric "Badlands" Booker (26)
- 3rd - Oleg Zhornitskiy (25)
- 20 competitors total
July 4, 2000
- 1st - Kazutoyo "The Rabbit" Arai 新井和響 (25⅛, world record)
- 2nd - Misao "Beast" Fujita, 藤田操 (24)
- 3rd - Takako AkasakaTakako AkasakaTakako Akasaka is a Japanese competitive eater from Osaka, Japan. She is considered the most successful female competitive eater in Japan....
赤阪尊子 (22¼, women's world record) - 4th - Steve Addicks (21)
- 5th - Charles "Hungry" Hardy (19)
- Also competed- Steve "The Terminator" Keiner, Ed "The Maspeth Monster" Krachie, Dominic "Hot Dog" Vaccaro.
See also
- Index of New York-related articles
- List of competitive-eating events
- List of world records
Sources
- Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Results
- Two Dozen Hot Dogs Please, and No, They're Not to Go by Anthony Ramirez
- Sports Illustrated feature on the 2006 contest
- Kobayashi real count
External links
- nathansfamous.com, Nathan's Famous's official website
- ifoce.com, International Federation of Competitive Eating's official website
- Wildcat Championship Belts