Posted in: Sports, streaming, TV | Tagged: Fourth of July, july 4th, nathan's hot dog eating

Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest: A Look Back at 2024's Event

With the 2025 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest set for tomorrow, let's take a look back at what went down during 2024's big event.

When the 2025 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest hits our screens on Friday, Miki Sudo will be returning to defend her title, while 2024 champ Patrick Bertoletti will be facing off with none other than the returning eating icon, Joey Chestnut, who was banned from the 2024 event over an endorsement deal that conflicted with Major League Eating, a key player in making sure the annual event remains annual.  With only hours to go before the big throwdown, we're look back at what went down during the 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and Chestnut's reactions to being banned last year.

2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest: A Look Back

On the women's side, Florida's Miki Sudo downed 51 hot dogs in 10 minutes, which would be enough to not only secure her the women's title but also set a world record. The 38-year-old dental hygienist bested not only her event-winning total from last year (39 1/2 hot dogs) but also the previous world record (48 1/2 hot dogs) – the record that Sudo set. To give you a sense of just how big the margin of victory was for Sudo among the other 14 competitors, second place went to Japan's Mayoi Ebihara, with 37 hot dogs.

On the men's side, things were much closer – but it would be Illinois' Patrick Bertoletti who would take the crown. Though no world records were broken, the competition itself proved to be a competitive one. In the end, the 39-year-old would knock down 58 hot dogs, with Massachusetts's Geoffrey Esper taking second with 53 hot dogs and Australian James Webb taking third with 52 hot dogs. Bertoletti's performance saw the professional eater besting his result from the last time he competed in the summer event (33 1/2 hot dogs in 2022) and his personal best of 55 hot dogs.

"I was gutted to learn from the media that after 19 years, I'm banned from the Nathan's July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest. I love competing in that event, I love celebrating America with my fans all over this great country on the 4th, and I have been training to defend my title," Chestnut shared in a tweet/x response when news that he was barred from the competition in June 2024. Major League Eating announced that it prohibited Chestnut from competing over his deal to be a spokesperson for Impossible Foods and the company's plant-based hot dogs, which smacks in the face of the brand exclusivity rules associated with Nathan's event.

He continued, "To set the record straight, I do not have a contract with MLE or Nathans and they are looking to change the rules from past years as it relates to other partners I can work with.This is apparently the basis on which I'm being banned, and it doesn't impact the July 4th event. Sadly, this is the decision Nathan's and Major League Eating are making, and it will deprive the great fans of the holiday's usual joy and entertainment. To my fans, I love you and appreciate you. Rest assured that you'll see me eat again soon!! STAY HUNGRY!"

Chestnut would end up going one-on-one with his rival, six-time hot dog–eating champion Takeru Kobayashi, on September 2nd during Netflix's Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!