Joey Chestnut is defeated by Matt Stonie at The Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest in Coney Island, New York, on July 4, 2015. (Getty)
The annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest has become a 4th of July tradition and a major spectacle broadcast on national TV.
This year’s contestants are set to compete in front of a crowd of 50,000 spectators on Monday at Coney Island. There’s a lot more than just bragging rights on the line– competitors are vying for $40,000 in total prize money, according to Major League Eating, the sport’s national organizing body. The first-place competitors in men’s and women’s will receive $10,000. Competitors have 10 minutes to eat as many hot dogs and buns as they can.
Defending men’s champion Matt Stonie is seeking back-to-back wins after defeating 8-time winner Joey Chestnut by eating 62 hot dogs and buns last year. The two will face off once again on Monday afternoon.
Nathan’s record for hot dogs and buns eaten in ten minutes is 69 and was set in 2013 by Chestnut. 45 is the women’s record for hot dogs eaten in ten minutes, set in 2012 by three-time champ Sonya Thomas.
The women’s competition also appears to be another highly-contested battle between Miki Sudo and Thomas. Sudo defended her 2014 title, eating 38 hot dogs before time ran out. Fifty-three percent expect Sudo will take her third straight win, according to Forbes.
Fans can check out the contest live online at WatchESPN by streaming the women’s competition at 10:50 a.m., and the men’s competition at noon on Monday.
The event will be broadcast later on ESPN in the United States at 3 p.m. ET. Additional replays will air on ESPN 2 at 5:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m., and 11 p.m. ET.
Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest Details
Where: Coney Island, New York
When: Monday, July 4
Time: 3 p.m. Eastern, Additional replays will air on ESPN2 at 5:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Eastern
TV Channel: ESPN (USA)
Live Stream: WatchESPN
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