Here's Your 2026 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest Viewing Guide

Posted in: ABC, Pop Culture, Sports, streaming, TV | Tagged: july 4th, nathan's hot dog eating contest

Here's Your 2026 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest Viewing Guide

Can Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo retain, or will July 4th's 2026 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest crown new champs? Here's a look!

Published Sat, 04 Jul 2026 09:32:12 -0500
by Ray Flook
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Article Summary

• How to watch the 2026 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest live, including ESPN2, ABC, ESPN+ and app start times.
• Joey Chestnut chases an 18th Nathan’s title while Miki Sudo goes for her 12th overall and fifth straight mustard belt.
• Key 2026 Nathan’s contenders include Patrick Bertoletti, James Webb, Michelle Lesco and other ranked challengers.
• Rules, records and stakes for the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, plus why Chestnut and Sudo remain the favorites.

Today's the day, folks! No. 1 overall eater Joey Chestnut and top-ranked female eater Miki Sudo will look to retain their mustard belts as they head back to the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues on Coney Island for Major League Eating's 2026 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. When the last bun is soaked, and the last weiner is gobbled, will our champs be able to cut the mustard? Could we be looking at some world records being broken? Could a new face or two shock the world – and their digestive systems? Those questions and more will be answered during the Fourth of July mainstay, and we have everything you need to know to check it out. We've got a look at when and where to watch,

When & Where Can I Watch the 2026 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest? Okay, here's where it can get a little tricky: the main coverage kicks off on ESPN2 live at 12 pm ET and on ABC live at 12:30 pm. But here's how the coverage is running if you want to watch the Women's Competition and Men's Competition live:

• Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest: Women's Competition: 10:45 am ET on ESPN+/ESPN App
• Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest: 12 pm ET on ESPN2; 12:30 pm ET on ABC (Women's contest will be recapped within the 12 pm ET hour)

During the contests, Chestnut and Sudo will once again have isolation cameras on them:

• Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest Iso Camera (Sudo): 11:00 am ESPN+/ESPN App
• Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest Iso Camera (Chestnut): 12:30 pm ESPN Unlimited /ESPN App

Who's Hosting the 2026 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest? Returning as event hosts is the duo of E60 and The Sports Reporters Host Jeremy Schaap and Major League Eating President Rich Shea, alongside the contest debut for SEC Network/soccer analyst Marion Crowder.

What Are Chestnut & Sudo Fighting for During the 2026 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest? Chestnut is eyeing his 18th title, while Sudo has her sights set on her 12th overall and fifth straight title. The men's world record is 76 hot dogs and buns, set by Chestnut in 2021, while on the women's side, Sudo looks to top her 51 hot dogs and buns performance set in 2024.

Who's Looking to Dethrone Chestnut & Sudo During the 2026 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest? This year's competition includes a number of skilled and hungry faces looking to dethrone Chestnut and Sudo. We're talking No. 2 Patrick Bertoletti, No. 4 James Webb, No. 6 Nick Wehry, No. 8 Max Stanford, No. 12 Radim Dvoracek on the men's side, and No. 14 Michelle Lesco, No. 22 Domenica Dee, No. 23 Tandra Childress, No. 26 Katie Prettman, and No. 27 Larell Marei Mele on the women's side.

What are the General Rules of the 2026 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest? Here's how it runs:

• Each competitor has 10 minutes to eat as many hot dogs as possible.
• Competitors receive one plate of five hot dogs and buns at a time.
• Ketchup and mustard are not permitted.
• Any non-alcoholic beverages are allowed, but only water is provided. If competitors bring their own beverages, they may bring up to 13 cups.
• Competitors can separate the hot dogs from the buns, but must eat an equal number of hot dogs and buns. For example, 49 hot dogs and 48 buns eaten equals a score of 48.
• Competitors may dunk the hot dog and bun in a cup for up to 5 seconds.
• No utensils are allowed. Eaters are allowed to break up the hot dogs but must do so with their hands.
• Any eater who vomits during the competition is disqualified.
• The competitor who eats the most hot dogs and buns within 10 minutes wins.

2025 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest: A Look Back

Would Sudo be able to retain her title and pick up her 11th win in the competition? Would Bertoletti be able to keep his title and prove that last year's win wasn't a fluke? Would returning Chestnut, who was banned from the 2024 event over an endorsement deal that conflicted with Major League Eating, reclaim his crown? Those were the headline questions heading into the 2025 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. How did everything play out?

On the women's side, Sudo would keep her title and chalk up another Nathan's win, downing 33 hot dogs and buns for the win. Lesco locked down second with 22 and 3/4 hot dogs and buns, while Dee took third with 22 and 1/2 hot dogs and buns.

On the men's side, the returning Chestnut reclaimed his title after downing 70 and 1/2 hot dogs, with Bertoletti taking a distant second place with 46 and 1/2 hot dogs and buns eaten, and Webb checking in at a close third with 45 and 1/2 hot dogs and buns. You can check out both competition videos, available below and at the top of the article.

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

On the women's side, Florida's 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 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 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, 2024, during Netflix's Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef.

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