Nathan's Hot Dog Eating...

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

Every summer since 1916, a hot dog eating contest has taken place on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. It is sponsored by and held at the famous Nathan's Famous restaurant, and the date is July 4th.

Fast Facts

Started: 1916
First winner: James Mullen
First prize: $10,000 to the winner
2008 champion: Joey Chestnut
Most hot dogs eaten in one competition: 66 by Chestnut in 2007¹

2008 Contest

Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi ran neck and neck through the 10 minute competition, tying at 59 hot dogs eaten each. The competition went into a tie-breaker, in which each man was given five dogs to eat. Chestnut emerged victorious, finishing his five dogs first.

Who Let the Dogs Out?

The contest began in 1916 to settle a bet among four men about being the most patriotic. James Mullen ate 13 hot dogs in 10 minutes to win, and so began the most famous eating contest in the world.² In recent years, Japanese competitors have dominated the competition. Takeru Kobayashi, known to fans as "The Tsunami," won six consecutive years in a row from 2001 through 2006,³ but was defeated in 2007 and 2008 by Joey Chestnut.¹

Categories

Sports | Sporting Events | Entertainment | Food

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The Mahalo Top 7

Nathan's Famous: Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest
Wikipedia: Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
CNN: American Keeps Hot-Dog Eating Crown in OT (July 4, 2008)
AFP: It's 'Jaws' vs. 'Tsunami' in US-Japan Hot-Dog Eating Showdown (July 3, 2008)
TIME: A Brief History of Competitive Eating (July 3, 2008)
IFOCE: International Federation of Competitive Eating
YouTube Video: Hot Dog Eating Contest 2008 (Time: 6:37)

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Vital Information

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Blogs and Forums

Google Blog Search: Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Nathan's Famous: Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs Forums
Slashfood: The Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating... (July 4, 2008)
Serious Eats: Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Shortened to Ten Minutes (June 11, 2008)
RoadFood.com Forums: Kobayashi Defeated; New Hot Dog Eating Record Set (June 4, 2007)
Gothamist: Liveblogging Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest (July 4, 2006)
Keyboard Quarterbacks: Hot Dog: The Blog (July 5, 2005)

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Photos

Google Images: Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Photos
Flickr: Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Photos
cgpix.com: Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, Coney Island

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Videos

YouTube and Google Video: Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Videos
YouTube Video: Hot Dog Eating Contest 2007 (Time: 9:39)
YouTube Video: The SHOW DOWN! (Time: 5:15)
Search For Video: Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Videos

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest News and Articles

Google News: Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
The Associated Press: Former Hot-Dog-Chomping Champ Hungry for New... (July 4, 2008)
NPR: Hot Dog Champ Aims to Reclaim Title (July 4, 2008)
Village Voice: The (Hungry) Odd Couple of the Nathan's Hot-Dog-Eating Contest (July 2, 2008)
The New York Times: The Winner and New Champion, With 66 Hot Dogs (July 5, 2007)
ESPN.com: Kobayashi Edges Chestnut in Hot Dog Contest (July 5, 2006)
NathansFamous.com: 2007 In The News
USAToday.com: Calif. Man Devours Hot Dog Eating Record (June 3, 2007)
MSNBC.com: 'Tsunami' Devours 53½ Hot Dogs in 12 Minutes (July 4, 2004)
ESPN.com: Accusations Hurled at Hot Dog Contest (July 4, 2002)

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Merchandise

NathansFamous.com: Online Store

Related Pages on Mahalo

Takeru Kobayashi | Joey Chestnut | Hot Dogs | Independence Day