Chestnut reclaims Nathan's hot dog contest title

Famed competitive eater Joey Chestnut reclaimed his title Friday at the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest after skipping last year's gastronomic battle for the coveted Mustard Belt in New York.

Chestnut, 41, consumed 70½ hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, falling short of his record of 76 wieners and buns set July 4, 2021. It marked the 17th win in 20 appearances for the Westfield, Indiana, eater at the internationally televised competition, which he missed in 2024 over a contract dispute.

The defending champion in the women's division, Miki Sudo of Tampa, Florida, won her 11th title, downing 33 dogs to best a dozen competitors. Last year, she ate a record 51.

"I feel like I let the fans down a little bit. I heard people in the crowd saying, 'Go for 52,'" Sudo told ESPN. "Obviously, I'm always setting my goals high, but the hot dogs weren't cooperating. For some reason, the buns felt larger today."

A large crowd, with many people wearing foam hot dog hats, witnessed the annual eat-a-thon, held outside the original Nathan's Famous restaurant in Brooklyn's Coney Island, since 1972. Many showed up to see Chestnut's much-awaited return to an event he has called "a cherished tradition, a celebration of American culture and a huge part of my life."

Chestnut bested 14 competitors from across the U.S. and internationally, including Ontario as well as Australia, Czechia, England and Brazil.

Last year, Major League Eating event organizer George Shea said Chestnut would not be participating in the contest due to a contract dispute. Chestnut had struck a deal with a competing brand, plant-based meat company Impossible Foods.

Chestnut told The Associated Press last month that he never appeared in any commercials for the company's vegan hot dogs and that Nathan's is the only hot dog company he has worked with. But Chestnut acknowledged he "should have made that more clear with Nathan's."

Last year, Chestnut ate 57 dogs in five minutes in an exhibition with soldiers at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. He called that event "amazing" and said he was pleased to still have a chance to eat hot dogs -- a lot of them -- on July Fourth.

"I'm happy I did that, but I'm really happy to be back at Coney Island," he said.

Last year in New York, Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago gobbled 58 hot dogs to earn the men's title.