Posted in: Sports, TV | Tagged: coney island, hot dogs, july 4th, nathan's, the fourth of july

Hot Dog-Eating Contest: Sudo Defends; Weather Denies Joey Chestnut

The 2023 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest saw Joey Chestnut denied by the weather while Miki Sudo successfully defended her title.

With a wave of heat & humidity coming into play earlier today, folks checking out the 2023 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest from Coney Island were treated to only one of the two matches set for The Fourth of July. This year, World Champion Joey Chestnut (63 hot dogs & buns in 2022) and Top-ranked Female Miki Sudo (40 hot dogs & buns in 2022) were looking to defend their Mustard Belts during the 10-minute, all-you-can-eat contest. But while Sudo was able to successfully defend her title, Chestnut was deprived of a chance to compete after the NYPD pulled the plug on the event over lightning concerns.

But before the event ended, viewers witnessed Sudo finish off 39-1/2 hot dogs & buns to take her ninth women's title. Airing on ESPN, Sudo's final result would result in a larger lead over Mayoi Ebihara (33-1/2 hot dogs & buns) after the final count showed Sudo consumed more hot dogs & buns than first thought. "The first couple minutes, I found myself watching her, which I never want to do. I never want to be distracted by the other competitors," Sudo explained, with the winner expressing disappointment in being off from her top performance of 48-1/2 hot dogs & buns. "Watching her [Ebihara], I fumbled my hands. I got stuck with a big burp early on but was able to correct."

As for Chestnut, the world record-holder has held that title since consuming 76 hot dogs & buns in 2021. This year, he was expecting to face off against eaters from all over the world – including England, Canada, South Korea, Japan, Brazil & Australia. some of the names expected to challenge Chestnut were Nick Wehry, James Webb, Geoffrey Esper, and others. "The Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest is the crucible through which greatness is forged," shared Major League Eating Chair George Shea in a statement. "On Independence Day 2023, we will once again celebrate the birth of this nation and the champion of the Fourth of July." Prior to the televised eating competition, Nathan's Famous also donates 100,000 hot dogs to the Food Bank for New York City.

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