Competitive eating’s equivalent of the Belmont Stakes takes place every July Fourth in Coney Island, with the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Upwards of 40,000 people crowd around the giant screens to see champs and chumps try to eat the most hot dogs – and buns – in ten minutes. The corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island is crowed by 9.30 am as fans gather at the tiny outdoor stage. The preshow, with trampoline acts, Brooklyn Community Choir, a drum battle, magic acts and rappers, starts at 10.30. The Women’s competition starts at 11.30am, the men chow down at 12.30pm.
This year’s top dog is Joey “Jaws” Chestnut who holds the Nathan’s record with 68. He’s on a roll, having won the last six straight titles. Frankly, it should be a bust again this year as his nearest rival, Matt Stonie, managed just 46 hot dogs last year, but there’s always hope of an upset.
The spectacle attracts all type: gluten-free vegans afraid of nitrite accumulation, to wannabe bros with a thing for brats. Ratings on ESPN have doubled to two million in the last decade.
The current holder of the mustard yellow belt, Chestnut, holds a particular place in patriotic Americans’ hearts. He is the one who finally knocked pint-sized Japanese eater Takeru Kobayashi off his perch. Kobayashi had six consecutive wins from 2001 to 2006, pushing the envelope in the number of dogs eaten from the expected low 20s to the 50s.
Most eaters have adopted the Solomon Method pioneered by Kobayashi. He was the first to break the dog in half, eat both halves simultaneously, and follow it by the bun dipped in water for lubrication.
“Why didn’t an American think of that?” was the common sentiment for years as the title went repeatedly to Japan.
But the sun set on Kobayashi’s Nathan’s Coney career after a contract dispute and he has not competed there since 2009. He usually attends an alternative hot dog eating contest, and remains a formidable opponent.
The female champion is Sonya Thomas, who ate 45 hot dogs last year. Her nearest rival, Julie Etley, managed “just” 33 in 2012.
Pint-sized Thomas is nicknamed the Black Widow for because she can easily defeat men four times her size. Thomas works out two hours a day, and has lost weight since she began competitive eating in 2003, when she was a 135-pound sedentary typist.
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WHERE: Nathan’s Famous Restaurant, 1310 Surf Avenue, Coney Island, Brooklyn
WHEN: July 4 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Free admission
Live on ESPN 2, rebroadcast on ESPN 1.