We have a weiner!
In a dramatic turn of events at this year’s Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, Patrick Bertoletti emerged victorious, devouring 58 hot dogs to claim the championship title after longtime victor Joey Chestnut was barred from the competition after inking an endorsement deal with vegan food giant Impossible Foods.
In the women’s division, Miki Sudo continued her winning streak with an impressive 51 hot dogs consumed, breaking the world record and earning her tenth title. In the end, she was just seven franks away from beating out men’s champion Bertoletti.
“I finally hit that milestone because I had competition pushing me,” Sudo told reporters after the face-off, adding it was great to know that “if I’d just pushed a little bit harder, I would have beat a lot of the guys, too.”
Sudo said she had more to give, but is already looking ahead to next year’s contest. Hopefully, she said, the weather will be as calm as this year, and the crowd — which Sudo lovingly referred to as “a constant” — will bring the same exciting energy.
“I see [my] numbers going up 10%,” she said of 2025.
This year’s contest was notably different from previous years due to the absence of 16-time champion Chestnut. Major League Eating (MLE) announced last month that it was parting ways with Chestnut, citing a rule prohibiting participants from striking endorsement deals with rivals of Nathan’s, the contest’s primary sponsor.
Chestnut’s departure left the competition wide open, setting the stage for new champions to rise. Chestnut’s personal best was 76 hot dogs downed during the contest in 2021. Last year, he faced 62.
“This was the best contest, in terms of competition, that I’ve seen in more than a decade,” Shea told Brooklyn Paper and amNewYork Metro. “We had four or five eaters going back and forth, but finally, Patrick Bertoletti set his own personal best — 58 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes — to win this contest. Chicago is cheering right now.”
Bertoletti, a seasoned competitor known for his impressive eating feats, seized the opportunity to clinch the title. His performance was both strategic and relentless, outpacing his rivals in a tightly contested battle.
In the women’s division, Sudo reaffirmed her dominance. But she wasn’t the only one to set a world record on Thursday.
Eric ‘Badlands’ Booker chugged a gallon of lemonade in 21 seconds during Nathan’s often underrated, but just-as-sweet drink-chugging contest — setting yet another world record.
“It was a very exciting day,” Shea said.
The iconic showdown — now synonymous with the Fourth of July in Brooklyn — was held in Coney Island, drawing thousands of spectators to the flagship Nathan’s Famous at the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenue. On-lookers (many decked out in red, white and blue or Nathan’s Famous yellow) charged with excitement as host George Shea crowned champions in both divisions.
Additional reporting by Dean Moses and Dylan Christie
