Independence Day is a marvelous affair . You get a day off work , an(other ) pardon to grill , and mayhap the great sporting event of the yr : Nathan ’s Hot Dog Eating Contest . This year the culinary combat at Coney Island go down Monday morning , July 4th , asNathan’scontest celebrates its centesimal day of remembrance . Bun scum bag will take flight , condiments will go ignored , a highly advanced alien backwash will surely call in Earth and immediately turn over around , and in the death , two great champions will walk away with $ 10,000 in prize money , a mustard - yellow champion ’s knock , and the most attractive Tinder profile picture show in the country . Thomas Jefferson would be gallant .
Because it ’s worth discussing how we arrived at this nexus of human achievement , we rounded up everything you need to roll in the hay about Nathan ’s Hot Dog Eating Contest .
Nine-times as many people tuned in last year as watched the Wimbledon finals
If you ’ve only hear of this in go through , countenance ’s be clear : it ’s a home event . The competition itself reap 40,000 people to Nathan’sConey Island flagshipin Brooklyn . It ’s been broadcast on ESPN since 2004 and draw 9 million viewers total on July 4th , 2015 ( including two re - airs ) ; for comparison , 1.2 million the great unwashed tuned into ESPN to watch Novak Djokovic win Wimbledon last class . This twelvemonth the womanhood ’s competition begins at 11 am EST on ESPN , while the men ’s competition starts at 12:30pm EST .
The competition is fierce
Last class ’s success was a 23 - year - honest-to-goodness name Matt “ Megatoad ” Stonie , who beat reigning champion Joey “ Jaws ” Chestnut by just two Canis familiaris in a spectacular upset . Before that , Jaws had won the competition for eight years in a row . chestnut tree ’s response : " I ’ve been looking for competition for a long clip and I finally have it , " hetold ESPN . " He made me hungry . " They ’ll both be back this twelvemonth .
But contestants' nicknames are fiercer
Here are some of the militant eating nicknames on the roster for this year ’s competition .
There are two competitions: the women’s and the men’s
Women ate alongside the mankind in the competition until 2011 , when a separate competition was produce . The first champion in the women ’s contest was Sonya " The Black Widow " Thomas , who ate 40hot dogsin 10 minutes . This twelvemonth she ’s up against Miki Sudo , who gain ground last year ’s competition and has have no cognomen except this funTwitter jest .
The last lady to beat the bros has a great story
During the competition ’s co - ed history , most women never made it past third place . The last one to advance it all wasBirgit Feldenin 1984 . Coming from Cologne , West Germany , she was also the first non - American to win the contest , eating 9.5 live dogs in 10 minutes , a tiny amount compared to today ’s gold standards .
In its 100 years, the winning hotdog count has more than quadrupled
The insane hot dog count has only gone up since 1984 . By 2001 , Takeru " The Tsunami " Kobayashi , shocked everyone by setting a then - world record of 50 spicy dogs with buns in 12 minutes . The contest was shortened to 10 minutes in 2008 , and the record now stands at 69 hot dogs with buns in 10 minute , attain by Joey Chestnut in 2013 .
And humans just ain’t built for this sh*t
Which makes those records all the more impressive . Your esophagus responds to fatigue duty and intense stress just like every other muscle in your body , and it ’s not designed for rapid - fire consumption like this . " These people put themselves at risk of esophageal tears , aspiration , nausea and vomiting , distension and abdominal pain , " one cardiologist toldMic .
Vomiting is against the rules
This may be the most indulgent sport ever , but it ’s not the History Channel ’s interlingual rendition of Ancient Rome . The competition is overseen by Major League Eating – originally call the International Federation of Competitive Eating , and make in the ’ XC toregulate the refuge standardsfor ( and make boatloads of money off of ) private-enterprise feeding . Some of the rules for the Nathan ’s Hot Dog Eating Contest let in :
The contest is not without controversy
Former six - time champKobayashi was really arrested in 2010for trying to jump the fencing at the contest . Previously Kobayashi had refused to ratify an exclusive contract with MLE , telling CNN through an voice at the time that he earned his sustenance through competitive eating , and a contract would forestall him from competing elsewhere . The charge were finally dismissed , but Kobayashi ’s name and photo were remove from the Wall of Fame in 2011 .
The mustard-yellow belt is undoubtedly cool
peculiarly enough , there ’s a quirky cultural lettre de cachet around competitory eating . Even former NFL player William " The Refrigerator " Perry got in on the action in 2003 as a celebrity contestant ( he yell it relinquish after four hot dogs ) . In the present - day , including a picture of yourself on Tinder standing next to a competitive eater with a trophy and the mustard - yellowish belt is a great conversation starter . Trust me .
Sign up herefor our daily Thrillist electronic mail , and get your fix of the best in food / drink / fun .
Flickr/Chun-Hung Eric Cheng
Pete “Prettyboy” Davekos, in 2010|Flickr/Hello Turkey Toe
