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Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest tradition continues
Date: July 2, 2020By: Michael Daly
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The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest typically happens every Fourth of July on the boardwalk in Coney Island, N.Y. This year, the event will not have any fans in attendance, and it will occur in a private indoor arena in Brooklyn, N.Y., because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This annual tradition is another victim of the coronavirus altering the world as we know it. The event will be held without fans for the first time in the event’s history. It is a good thing that the Mustard Yellow Belt will be awarded to this year’s winner because it gives the fans who tune in every year something to look forward to on July 4.
The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest has existed since 1972 and it became a holiday tradition on the Fourth of July. The contest’s first winner was Jason Schecter who consumed 14 hot dogs in the 1972 Hot Dog Eating Contest. From 1972-1979, the event was only held a total of four times from several years of inactivity. That record of 14 hot dogs was smashed in 1979 when Thomas Stash guzzled down 19 hot dogs.
Stash’s record remained untouched for 12 years, until Frank Dellarosa ate 21.5 hot dogs in 1991. He won the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest for two consecutive years, 1991-1992. From 1991-1996, there were only three winners of the contest, Dellarosa, Mike DeVito (1993-1994), Ed Krachie (1995-1996). Aside from 1984, when Germany’s Birgit Felden claimed the contest title every other winner of the contest was an American for the first 25 years. In 1997, a changing of the guard happened when Japanese competitive eater, Hirofumi Nakajima, was the first Hot Dog Eating Contest Champion from Japan.
Japan’s Kazutoyo Arai claimed the contest’s all-time record with 25.125 hot dogs eaten in 2000. Nakajima opened the door for competitive eaters from Japan to qualify for the annual event and win. Takeru Kobayashi began an unprecedented run in 2001 by winning six consecutive Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contests. Kobayashi shocked the world with a total of 50 hot dogs eaten in the 2001 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
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In 2004, he broke his own record by eating 53.5 hot dogs. His greatness put the contest on the map, and it exposed the annual event to a national audience on ESPN. The event was televised on July 4 for the first time in 2003 via tape delay. One year later, the contest aired live on ESPN and 926,000 viewers tuned in to see Kobayashi dominate the contest.
For six contests, Kobayashi’s success was unparalleled by any other competitor. His reign lasted until 2007, when the coronation of a new king materialized. Kobayashi’s stranglehold on the event was removed by an up-and-coming competitive eater, Joey Chestnut. In the 2007 competition, Chestnut claimed his first title by eating 66 hot dogs, becoming the new record holder for hot dogs consumed.
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Since 2007, Chestnut has been the victor of the annual contest for all but one year, 2015. Chestnut’s dominance surpassed Kobayashi’s five-year run, but it is important to recognize how these two competitive eaters increased the global audience on the event. Chestnut holds the event’s record for the most hot dogs eaten at 74 in 2018.
Chestnut eyes his 13th Mustard Yellow Belt on Saturday, and he hopes to mark the fifth consecutive year that he has eaten at least 70 hot dogs. After consuming 71 hot dogs in 2019, Chestnut heads into Saturday’s contest as the betting favorite at -1,250 odds.
On the women’s side of the competition, Miki Sudo won the last six Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contests and she is the betting favorite to win it all again. Since the inception of the women’s division in 2011, there have only been two winners, Sonya Thomas (2011-2013) and Sudo (2014-2019).
Paul Martinka/NY Post
The contest is usually held outdoors, and the competitors are forced to deal with the extreme heat while eating as many hot dogs as possible in 10 minutes. With this year’s event being held indoors, it seems to give the competitors an advantage because they do not have to worry about the weather and the environment will be natural for eating.
It will be eerie to hear the event’s host, George Shea, give his thrilling introductions in front of an empty arena, but he will certainly bring the energy on Saturday. The 2020 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest will be the most interesting event in the history of the competition based on the circumstances.
Michael Daly is the Station Manager for 89.5 FM WSOU, and can be reached at wsoustationmanager@gmail.com.
