July 4th just isn’t the same without hot dogs, particularly the iconic Nathan’s hot dog eating contest. This year, 16-time champion Joey Chestnut is back, having missed last year’s event due to a sponsorship conflict. While he’s still tied to Impossible Foods, his contract with Nathan’s returned in June 2025, allowing record-keepers to resume their roles.
Last year’s winner, Patrick Bertletti, who consumed 58 hot dogs in 10 minutes, will also be competing this time around. Additionally, Miki Sudo, who set a world record during the 2024 contest, is back to defend her title in the women’s division.
What are the details for the 2025 Nathan Hot Dog Eating Contest?
The contest will take place on July 4th at the original Nathan’s location on Coney Island. The women’s event begins at 10:45 AM ET, and the men’s follows at noon.
How to watch the 2025 Nathan Hot Dog Eating Contest:
If you don’t have cable, you can still catch the event through various live TV streaming services. For instance, DirecTV offers a free trial for five days, starting at $59.99 a month, which includes the ESPN family of networks. The women’s contest will be broadcast on ESPN3 before switching to ESPN2 for the men’s competition. Free trials are also available for FuboTV (7 days) and Hulu + Live TV (3 days).
Participants in the 2025 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest:
Top competitors from around the world are set to compete this year, including the likes of Chestnut and Sudo.
Men’s Competitors
- Joey Chestnut, 41, Westfield, Indiana
- Patrick Bertletti, 40, Chicago, Illinois
- James Webb, 36, Sydney, Australia
- Nick Wehry, 35, Tampa, Florida
- Geoffrey Esper, 50, Oxford, Massachusetts
- Max Stamford, 37, Brixton, UK
- Derek Hendrickson, 37, Las Vegas, Nevada
- George Chigger, 46, Pocono Pines, Pennsylvania
- Ricardo Colbutci, 38, Brasilia, Brazil
- Gideon Oji, 33, Moreau, Georgia
- Adrian Morgan, 42, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Radimdvofoháček, 34, Ostrava, Czech Republic
- Darrien Thomas, 26, Ontario, Canada
- Cameron Mead, 21, Valparaiso, Indiana
- Jerome Burns, 33, Danbury, Connecticut
Women’s Competitors
- Miki Sudo, 39, Tampa, Florida
- Michelle “Cardboard Shell” Lesco, 41, Tucson, Arizona
- Domenica Dee, 33, Westchester, New York
- Tandra Childress, 39, San Francisco, California
- Katie Prettyman, 42, Marysville, Washington
- Larell Marie Mail, 55, Long Pond, Pennsylvania
- Isabow Prettyman, 18, Marysville, Washington
- Jocelyn Young, 44, Sherman, Texas
- Kelly Lewis, 32, Overland Park, Kansas
- Camille O’Brien, 38, Jeffersonville, New York
- Elizabeth “Grizzy Lizzy” Salgado, 33, Kern County, California
- Cherish Brown, 36, Edon, Ohio
- Madison Barone, 24, Manville, New Jersey
- Laura Beitler, 30, Batavia, Illinois
Prize Pool for the 2025 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest:
Approximately $40,000 will be up for grabs, split across the men’s and women’s events. Each winner will take home $10,000, followed by $5,000 for second place and $2,500 for third.
Rules for the 2025 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest:
The rules are straightforward, but participants must adhere to several guidelines:
- Each competitor has 10 minutes to eat as many hot dogs as possible.
- They receive a plate of five hot dogs and one slice of bread at a time.
- Ketchup and mustard are not allowed.
- Non-alcoholic beverages are permitted, but competitors can only have water provided. If they bring their own drink, only 13 cups are allowed.
- Separate hot dogs from bread if needed, but they must eat the same amount; the lower quantity will count as their score.
- Hot dogs and bread can be dipped for five seconds.
- No cooking utensils are allowed; competitors can break hot dogs by hand.
- Vomiting during the event leads to disqualification.
- The winner is the one who consumes the most hot dogs and bread within the 10 minutes.
