Gastronomic GOAT Joey Chestnut won the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island for the 18th time on Saturday— devouring a massive 66 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
Earlier in the day, the also-undefeated Miki Sudo won the Mustard Belt at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest for Women, downing 38.75 dogs to win for a record 12th time in Coney Island. She also holds the women’s record of 51.
Ahead of the battle in the 94-degree heat with thousands of people watching, Chestnut, who didn’t fare as well as he did last year when he ate 70.5 dogs, said he was “feeling good” about his chances for another belt.
Joey Chestnut and other competitive eaters consume hot dogs during the 2026 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island in Brooklyn on Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anna Connors)
“I’m hungry, and it’s a beautiful day. This is going to be a great Fourth of July,” Chestnut, 41, said in an interview on “Good Morning America” Saturday.
Asked if he did some intermittent fasting before the competition, he said, “I’m doing my cleanse, I’m empty and I’m loose,” he said.
Joey Chestnut wins the 2026 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island in Brooklyn on Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anna Connors)
The Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest marked the United States’ 250th birthday with chomp and circumstance, despite a turbulent year for the annual July 4 event and its stars.
Contest sponsor Nathan’s Famous was sold in January to packaged meat giant Smithfield Foods. A few months later, Chestnut was accused of slapping a man in an Indiana bar and pleaded guilty in April to a misdemeanor battery charge.
MC George Shea presents competitive eater Miki Sudo with the champion belt after winning the women’s 2026 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anna Connors)
Competitors consume as many hot dogs and buns as possible in 10 minutes, usually dunking the wieners in water first to make them easier to swallow.
Chestnut has taken the so-called Mustard Belt 17 times and notched the men’s record: 76 franks in 2021. He’s still on probation in the battery case but is allowed to travel outside Indiana. His lawyer has said that what happened in the bar was a misunderstanding and that Chestnut accepted responsibility for his actions.
Miki Sudo and other competitive eaters consume hot dogs during the 2026 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island in Brooklyn on Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anna Connors)
Nobody has ever eaten more than 70 hot dogs in the event except for Chestnut, who has done it — buns included — seven times, including in 2025.
But he doesn’t just devour hot dogs: He holds the Major League Eating record in over 50 different categories, including chicken wings (182 in 30 minutes), hard-boiled eggs (141 in eight minutes), grilled cheese sandwiches (47 in 10 minutes) and Twinkies (121 in six minutes).
He most recently added a world record in the discipline of Padrino tamales to his résumé, consuming 96 tamales in 10 minutes.
Spectators gather before the start of the 2026 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest at Coney Island in Brooklyn on Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anna Connors)
Hot dog contest organizer Major League Eating, which oversees the Nathan’s Famous contest, said the criminal case didn’t affect Chestnut’s eligibility for the competition.
The event, which dates to 1972, is held in front of the original Nathan’s Famous’ restaurant in New York’s Coney Island.
With News Wire Services