Hot dogs for history: July 4 competition to feature America250 flair
by Liam Griffin · The Washington TimesIt might be more American than apple pie or George Washington crossing the Delaware River.
The Fourth of July hot dog-eating contest at New York’s Coney Island has been eagerly awaiting the nation’s 250th birthday, with plans to up patriotism as competitors down the beef and buns.
The always-grandiose competition is leaning into its red, white and blue roots amid expectations of a surge of foreign fans who’ve found themselves stateside for the World Cup.
George Shea, the co-founder of Major League Eating and the showmanlike host of the July Fourth event, is ready for the action.
So are World Cup broadcasters, who are spotlighting the hot-dog contest and recording interviews to splice into their coverage on Saturday.
“The number of international attendees at the contest has grown every year,” Shea said. “I now expect it to be enormous this year relative to the past. We will not disappoint.”
International fans who stop by Coney Island on Independence Day will witness a handful of competitors who try to scarf down as many hot dogs and buns as possible in 10 minutes.
For those with the stomach to watch, it’s an experience unlike any other.
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“We have this glorious excess in America of ’Eat as much as you can.’ There’s something very American about that,” said Crazy Legs Conti, an eater competing in Saturday’s main event. “Like, go ahead; it’s the land of the plenty.”
For the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, Shea is amplifying the American angle. The color guard and USO presence are a given each year. Now he’s shifting the traditional “Gong Show.”
Each year, the event organizers put together a tongue-in-cheek Top 10 list, with a performer slamming a literal gong for each entry. The 2025 list detailed the likeliest names for Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s hypothetical children.
This year, Shea will recognize what he described as the 10 most important events in American history. The signing of the Declaration of Independence made the list, alongside the founding of Nathan’s, the famed hot dog company that sponsors the contest.
He refused to spoil the No. 1 moment, though.
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“You can’t be too wise. You have to respect the country, but you’re also working with the crowd. It can’t not be fun,” Shea said about assembling the list. “I can’t go out there and go, ’Henry Ford. The Battle of Sumter.’ It can’t be boring. It won’t be. I guarantee you a massive session of applause and cheering for our No. 1 moment.”
The American flavor of the contest is undeniable. Competitive eating events take place all over the globe, but blending the competition with hot dogs and a holiday brings the U.S. angle to a new level.
“There is no event on the calendar that better captures the spirit of America than the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest,” ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap, who is hosting the broadcast, said in a statement. “If the founding fathers were still alive, I am certain they would want to be with us at Nathan’s on the Fourth of July.”
It isn’t just the competition itself; it’s the pageantry. Thousands of people cram onto Coney Island — often donning Uncle Sam-esque hats — to cheer on the eaters and bask in Shea’s elaborate introductions.
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“The thing that is American, in addition to the pageantry, is this show. We’ve turned what is essentially lunch, and we’ve made it into a sport,” Conti said. “So whereas, in the Olympics, food is the fuel the athlete uses, we’ve made the food the event.”
It’s a testament to the American ability to have a good time, despite sweltering temperatures and the potentially gag-inducing act of consuming multiple hot dogs per minute.
And at the center of the show is its hero. Joey Chestnut, who will look to defend his title on Saturday, is the American icon whose star keeps rising after two decades of dominance.
Shea saves his hype for Chestnut.
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“America, I give you: America,” Shea said in one introduction.
Chestnut is an unassuming protagonist, though. He’s modest in conversations with the media. During a discussion with The Times last year, he noted that he still can’t resist Costco’s famously frugal hot dog deal — and looks like any other 42-year-old from Kentucky, California and Indiana.
He isn’t Apollo Creed, the fictional boxer who famously danced around the ring to James Brown’s “Coming to America” in red, white and blue in “Rocky IV.”
Chestnut has no outwardly identifying physical characteristics. That’s part of the appeal.
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“He is very much an everyman. When he was young, he looked like a farm kid off the tractor,” Shea said. “He was not the city slicker and he’s not the wise guy who’s going to make everybody laugh. He’s just a very, very regular guy.”
That’s only part of the appeal. More important is his ability to eat more hot dogs than anyone else in the world. Conti, a longtime professional eater, said he expects Chestnut to beat him by more than 20 hot dogs. Chestnut consumed 70 1/2 �hot dogs and buns last year.
Chestnut holds the world record and hasn’t lost a Fourth of July event since 2015, though he skipped the 2024 edition in a sponsorship dispute. He’s the most dominant athlete in the competitive eating world, a peerless example of American excellence.
“He’s resolute. He’s unbeatable. He’s dominant in this sense, and people love it,” Shea said. “Joey doesn’t exist in a vacuum. He is America because of this event, because of what he does, the introduction and the way he treats him. It all works together.”
The Fourth of July contest starts cookin’ at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
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Liam Griffin
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