Every year on the Fourth of July, as firework shows are prepared and Americans gather around the grill or pool to celebrate independence, a uniquely American tradition takes place on Coney Island.
The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.
With more than 100 years of an admittedly murky history, the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest has done everything from captivate to gross out Americans across the nation.
Origin of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
The official origin story of the contest says that on July 4, 1916 four immigrant men held a hot dog eating contest to determine who was the most patriotic. It claims the event took place just outside of the original Nathan's stand on Coney Island.
The only problem? It was fake.
The story was made up in the 1970s by promoter Morty Matz, alongside the Nathan's marketing team and Max Rosey. While Nathan's does date back to 1916, there are no credible accounts of a hot dog eating contest having occurred.
The earliest verified Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest took place in the 1970s.
The Early Years (1972–1996)
The contest was fairly small for its first two decades. Starting as a bit of a sideshow attraction, the event drew local contestants and fairly small crowds as it relied on grassroots promotion.
The early 1990s were a turning point when Frank Dellarosa chomped down 21.5 hot dogs in 12 minutes. Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest began to garner more attention. By the mid-1990s the contest was sanctioned by the International Federation of Competitive Eating (later renamed Major League Eating).
George and Richard Shea (the founders of the IFOCE/MLE) began to transform the event into more of a spectacle by adding some over-the-top pageantry. This included regional qualifying events and very WWE-inspired introductions for the contestants.
The Arrival of Takeru Kobayashi (2001–2006)
While the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest was certainly on an upward trajectory entering the 2000s, the arrival of a 23-year-old Japanese hot dog devouring phenom really put the event on the map.
The man? Takeru Kobayashi.
The 2001 contest was Kobayashi's moment. In just 12 minutes, he ate 50 hot dogs, shattering the previous record of 25. Weighing in at just 130 lbs., Kobayashi didn't look like what most Americans figured a professional eater would.
Instead, he was hyper-focused on training and used a new strategy: Breaking the dogs in half and dipping the buns in water.
ESPN got involved shortly thereafter to broadcast the event and typically drew around one million or so viewers.
Kobayashi won the event six years in a row (2001-06), before being usurped by the man named 'Jaws.'
The Rise of Joey Chestnut (2007–Present)
Joey 'Jaws' Chestnut is the unquestioned G.O.A.T. of professional eaters. He has failed to win the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest just twice since 2007.
The first was in 2015, when he lost to Matt Stonie. The second was in 2024, when he wasn't allowed to compete due to a disagreement with MLE over his sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods.
Of course, this wasn't the first time MLE had upset fans and competitors.
In 2009, Kobayashi competed in his final Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, due to a dispute with MLE. Kobayashi claimed MLE's contract terms were too restrictive and controlling, so he never signed. As a result, he was barred from competing in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.
In 2010, Kobayashi jumped the security fence and ran onto the stage to either congratulate Chestnut (Kobayashi's story) or to be generally disruptive and take out his frustration (MLE's story).
That was the last time Kobayashi would be seen near the famous Nathan's hot dog stand.
Every Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Winner of the Last 25 Years
There were a number of format and rule changes over the years. Sometimes men and women competed together, sometimes apart. The time changed from three minutes to 12 to 10, sometimes including a one-minute timeout.
Luckily, since 2000, the rules have remained largely unchanged as the event's popularity reached its apex.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Every Winner in Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest History.
