Every July 4th, the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island turns into a greasy, chaotic gladiatorial arena. It’s loud. It’s humid. It’s smells like mustard and salt. Most people tune into ESPN to watch the Nathan’s hot dog winners hoist the Mustard Belt, but the 2024 and 2025 seasons felt fundamentally different. For nearly two decades, the narrative was stagnant because one man, Joey Chestnut, simply didn't lose. He was the sun that the entire competitive eating solar system orbited around. Then, the Netflix deal happened, the Impossible Foods controversy hit, and suddenly, the throne was vacant.
Competitive eating is a weird sport. Honestly, calling it a "sport" still gets a rise out of purists, but if you've ever seen Patrick Bertoletti's face after ten minutes of rhythmic swallowing, you know it’s an athletic feat. The biological toll is real.
The New Guard of Nathan’s Hot Dog Winners
When Joey Chestnut was banned from the 2024 contest due to his partnership with a plant-based rival brand, the betting lines went haywire. For years, the question wasn't who would win, but by how many dogs. In 2024, the vacuum was finally filled by Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti. He downed 58 hot dogs and buns (HDB) to secure his first title. It wasn't the 76-dog world record Chestnut set in 2021, but it proved that the post-Chestnut era was officially here.
Bertoletti isn't a newcomer. He’s a veteran who had been living in the shadow of the "Big Two"—Chestnut and the legendary Takeru Kobayashi. Seeing a guy like Bertoletti finally get that belt was a "long time coming" moment for fans who have followed Major League Eating (MLE) since the early 2000s.
Then came 2025. The intensity shifted. We saw a surge in younger eaters who grew up watching YouTube tutorials on the "Solomon Method"—that's the technique where you snap the dog in half, shove both pieces in, and then soak the bun in water to make it slide down easier. It’s gross to watch up close. You’ve got people like James Webb, the Aussie sensation, who has been creeping up the leaderboard. He’s brought an international flair back to the table that we haven't seen since the Japanese dominance of the late 90s.
Why the Numbers Are Actually Dropping
You might notice something if you look at the recent stats. The winning counts are lower. In the mid-2010s, if you weren't hitting 60, you weren't even in the conversation. Recently, the Nathan’s hot dog winners have been taking the title with numbers in the high 50s.
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- Heat index: Coney Island in July is a furnace. High humidity makes the buns gummy and harder to swallow.
- The "Chestnut Effect": When Joey was on stage, he pushed everyone. Eaters were red-lining their stomachs just to stay within ten dogs of him. Without that rabbit to chase, the pace has naturally slowed down.
- Judging Scrutiny: MLE has become much stricter about "reversals of fortune." That’s the polite way of saying vomiting. If you lose it before the whistle, you’re DQ’d.
Miki Sudo and the Women's Division Dominance
While the men’s side was in a state of flux, the women’s side remained remarkably consistent. Miki Sudo is, quite frankly, the greatest competitive eater on the planet right now, pound for pound. Since 2014, she has essentially owned the pink belt, with the exception of 2021 when she took a break for her pregnancy.
In 2024, Sudo set a new women’s world record by consuming 51 hot dogs. Think about that for a second. She is frequently out-eating most of the men in the top ten. Her technique is mechanical. There is no wasted movement. She doesn't jump around like some of the other eaters; she stays perfectly still, her hands moving like a piston.
The rivalry between Sudo and Mayoi Ebihara has become the real highlight of the broadcast. Ebihara, a Japanese powerhouse, brings that "it" factor. She eats with a smile, which is terrifying when you realize she’s putting away 40+ hot dogs. Watching them go head-to-head is a masterclass in gastric capacity.
The Evolution of the "Glizzy" Meta
The sport has changed. Back in the day, it was just about who had the biggest stomach. Now, it's about jaw strength and esophagus expansion. Eaters actually practice with jugs of water to stretch the stomach lining without the caloric load.
It’s a dangerous game. People forget that. The "winners" of these contests often spend the next 24 hours in a "food coma" that is actually a legitimate medical state of distress. Their blood pressure spikes, their bodies are flooded with sodium, and the lethargy is profound.
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A Look Back at the All-Time Greats
You can't talk about Nathan’s hot dog winners without acknowledging the 2001 shift. That was the year Takeru Kobayashi showed up and doubled the previous world record. He ate 50. The previous record was 25. He literally broke the sport.
- Takeru Kobayashi: The innovator. He introduced the "Bun Dunk" and the "Kobayashi Shake."
- Joey Chestnut: The American hero. He won 16 titles. His 76-dog record in 2021 is the "Cy Young’s 511 wins" of eating. It might never be touched.
- Matt Stonie: The only man to beat Chestnut in his prime (2015). Stonie was a YouTube star who proved that speed could beat raw capacity.
The transition from Kobayashi to Chestnut was a decade-long drama that put MLE on the map. It was USA vs. Japan. It was the "Black Widow" Sonya Thomas vs. the world. These stories are what keep people coming back to a contest that, on paper, sounds like a bad idea.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Contest
People think these guys are just naturally "big eaters." Most of them aren't. If you look at the line-up of Nathan’s hot dog winners, many are surprisingly lean. Being thin is actually an advantage. It’s called the "belt of fat" theory. If you have too much abdominal fat, your stomach doesn't have room to expand outward. The best eaters are often fit because they need the cardiovascular endurance to handle the physical stress of the ten-minute sprint.
Also, the water temperature matters. If the water used to dunk the buns is too cold, it constricts the throat. If it’s too hot, it creates a mush that triggers the gag reflex. It has to be exactly room temp.
The Future of Coney Island
Where do we go from here? The 2026 contest is already shaping up to be a revenge match. Rumors are swirling about a reconciliation between MLE and Chestnut, but even if he doesn't return, the "Post-Joey" era has its own charm. It’s competitive again. For the first time in years, we don't know who is going to win three months out.
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The sport is also diversifying. We're seeing more eaters from Brazil, Australia, and South Korea. This isn't just a New York sideshow anymore. It’s a global niche sport with a massive digital footprint.
How to Follow the Competitive Eating Circuit
If you're actually interested in following the road to the next Mustard Belt, you have to look beyond July 4th.
- The Qualifier Circuit: MLE holds events across the country from March to June. This is where the "rookies" earn their spot on the big stage.
- The Secondary Contests: Watch the rankings in other foods. Surprisingly, being a great pizza eater doesn't always mean you're a great hot dog eater. The textures are too different.
- Social Media: Follow the "training logs" of guys like Geoffrey Esper or Nick Wehry. They post videos of their "max capacity" runs which are honestly more impressive than the actual televised event because there’s no crowd noise—just the sound of someone working.
Practical Steps for the Casual Fan
If you're planning to attend the 2026 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, don't just show up at noon. You’ll see nothing but the backs of people's heads.
Get to Coney Island by 8:00 AM. Stand near the barricades on the right side of the stage if you want a chance to see the plates clearly. Wear a hat. The sun reflects off the pavement and it's brutal. Most importantly, don't eat a big breakfast. By the time the contest starts at 11:00 AM for the women and 12:30 PM for the men, the smell of 500+ hot dogs will be enough to make you lose your appetite anyway.
To track the progress of the current champions and see the updated rankings for 2026, keep a close eye on the official Major League Eating stats page and the individual training channels of the top five ranked eaters, as their "off-season" performance is the best indicator of who will take the belt next. For those looking to dive deeper into the history, the documentary The Good, The Bad, The Hungry provides the most accurate behind-the-scenes look at the Kobayashi-Chestnut rivalry that defined the modern era of the sport.