Ten minutes. That’s all it takes for a human being to defy biology. Most people spend ten minutes scrolling through TikTok or waiting for a bus, but for a hot dog eating contest winner, those 600 seconds are a grueling, sweaty, and strangely hypnotic battle against the limits of the human stomach. We’ve all seen the footage of the Fourth of July at Coney Island. The bright yellow mustard belts. The frantic dunking of buns into water. The rhythmic "shrooming" of processed meat. It looks chaotic, maybe even a little gross to the uninitiated, but there is a precise, athletic science behind why certain names keep showing up on that trophy year after year.
If you’re looking for the name at the top of the mountain, it’s Joey Chestnut. Period. Even with the weird drama that kept him off the Nathan’s stage in 2024, his legacy as the ultimate hot dog eating contest winner is basically untouchable. He didn't just win; he broke the sport. When Takeru Kobayashi first showed up in the early 2000s, he doubled the previous records and everyone thought that was the peak. Then Chestnut came along and pushed the bar so high—76 hot dogs and buns in 2021—that it feels like we’re watching a different species compete.
The 2024 Shakedown: Why the Best Wasn't at Coney Island
Usually, the 4th of July is synonymous with Joey Chestnut. But 2024 was different. Because of a sponsorship dispute involving Impossible Foods—a plant-based meat brand—Chestnut was barred from the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. It was a mess. Fans were annoyed. The Major League Eating (MLE) organizers held their ground on exclusivity. This opened the door for Patrick Bertoletti to step up. Bertoletti, a seasoned pro who had been in the shadow of the "Big Two" (Chestnut and Kobayashi) for years, finally grabbed the Mustard Belt by downing 58 hot dogs.
It was a massive win for Bertoletti. Honestly, he deserved a moment in the sun. But let’s be real: there’s always an asterisk in the minds of the fans when the world record holder isn't at the table. To settle the score, Netflix stepped in and hosted "Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef" in September 2024. Chestnut didn't just win that one; he absolutely demolished his own world record, inhaling 83 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes. Eighty-three. Think about that next time you feel full after two franks at a backyard BBQ.
How a Hot Dog Eating Contest Winner Actually Trains
You can't just wake up and decide to eat 70 hot dogs. Well, you can, but you’ll end up in the hospital. The elite guys like Chestnut, Bertoletti, and Miki Sudo—the dominant force in the women's division—treat their bodies like high-performance engines. It starts with stomach capacity.
They don't stay full all year. Instead, they use "expansion" techniques. Some drink massive amounts of water in a very short window to stretch the gastric muscles without adding calories. Others use bulky, low-calorie foods like cabbage or lettuce. Imagine eating two gallons of wet cabbage just to make sure your stomach doesn't freak out when the meat hits. It’s grueling.
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Then there’s the jaw strength. Chewing that much protein in ten minutes is an isometric nightmare. Many of these athletes chew heavy-duty silicone or massive wads of gum to build up the masseter muscles. If your jaw locks up at minute seven, you’re done. You’re also dealing with "the flavor fatigue." After hot dog number 40, the salt and the grease start to send signals to the brain to stop. A true hot dog eating contest winner has to find a way to silence that biological alarm bell.
The Mechanics of the "Solomon Method"
Kobayashi revolutionized the game with the "Solomon Method." Before him, people just ate the hot dog like a normal person. Kobayashi realized that if you break the link in half and swallow it, then soak the bun in warm water to turn it into a slide-able mush, you save precious seconds of chewing.
- The Dunk: Buns are dry. Dry bread is the enemy. By dunking them in water (or sometimes lemonade or Crystal Light), the athlete removes the air and makes the bread easy to squeeze into a ball.
- The Shake: You'll see pros wiggling their bodies. This isn't a dance. It's using gravity to settle the food in the stomach, preventing "reversal of fortune"—the polite MLE term for vomiting.
- The Temperature: Most winners prefer the dogs to be warm, not hot. If they’re too cold, the grease congeals and sticks to the throat. If they're too hot, they burn the esophagus. It’s a Goldilocks situation with very high stakes.
The Women’s Division: Miki Sudo’s Unstoppable Streak
We can't talk about a hot dog eating contest winner without mentioning Miki Sudo. While Chestnut gets the headlines, Sudo has been arguably more dominant in her respective field. In 2024, she set a new women's world record by eating 51 hot dogs and buns. She has won almost every year since 2014, only missing 2021 because she was pregnant.
Sudo’s technique is often praised for being "cleaner" than the men's. She has a rhythm that rarely breaks. While some eaters start fast and "hit the wall" at minute eight, Sudo maintains a pace that looks almost effortless. Watching her compete is a lesson in focus. She ignores the crowd, the cameras, and the person next to her, focusing entirely on the hand-to-mouth transition.
Is Competitive Eating Bad for You?
Let’s address the elephant in the room. This isn't exactly "healthy" in the traditional sense. A single Nathan’s hot dog with a bun has about 290 calories, 17 grams of fat, and 710 milligrams of sodium. Multiply that by 75. You’re looking at over 20,000 calories and enough sodium to preserve a mummy.
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Doctors often point out the risks of gastroparalyses, where the stomach loses the ability to move food along, or the danger of aspiration. However, these athletes are under medical supervision. Most of them maintain incredibly fit physiques outside of the competition. Chestnut is famously disciplined with his diet and exercise when he isn't "on the circuit." It's a sport of extremes. You push the body to the edge, then you spend months recovering.
What it Takes to Move From Amateur to Pro
If you think you have what it takes to be a hot dog eating contest winner, the path isn't through the 4th of July. That's the Super Bowl. Most people start at local qualifiers or sanctioned MLE events involving smaller foods—chicken wings, shrimp cocktail, or even gyoza.
The community is surprisingly tight-knit. They share tips on breathing—because you have to learn to breathe through your nose while your mouth is full of bread—and recovery. The "aftermath" is the part no one talks about. It takes about 24 to 48 hours for the body to process that much protein and salt. It’s a "food hangover" that makes a night of heavy drinking look like a walk in the park.
Actionable Insights for the Aspiring Fan or Competitor
Competitive eating is more than just a spectacle; it’s a study in human willpower. Whether you're just watching or thinking about entering a local pie-eating contest, here’s how to approach the world of the hot dog eating contest winner with the right mindset:
Respect the recovery. Never try a "max out" eat without a spotter or someone nearby. Choking is a real risk. Professionals never train alone.
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Focus on the buns. Ask any pro: the meat is the easy part. The bread is the bottleneck. If you can't master the "dunk and squeeze" technique to get the buns down, you’ll never be competitive.
Watch the "Unfinished Beef" replay. If you want to see the pinnacle of the sport, don't just watch the highlights. Watch the full ten minutes of Chestnut vs. Kobayashi from 2024. Notice the hand movements. Notice how they rarely take their eyes off the plate.
Understand the salt factor. If you're attempting a large meal, hydration is key for days afterward. The sodium bloat is real, and the pros manage it with specific electrolyte balances that prevent long-term kidney strain.
Joey Chestnut might be the name everyone knows, but the sport is evolving. With new platforms like Netflix getting involved and the prize purses growing, we are likely to see a new generation of eaters who are even more specialized. But for now, the throne belongs to the man who can turn 83 hot dogs into a world record in the time it takes to boil a pot of pasta.