Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2022: Men, Women's All-Time Results and Records
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Bobby Bank/WireImage
After Covid-19 and capacity limitations changed the structure of the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2020 and '21, in 2022 it's back to being held outdoors at Coney Island, at the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues.
According to Nathan's, 35,000 fans are expected to converge on the location to see if reigning champion and world record holder Joey Chestnut can yet again best his own mark of 76 hot dogs to set a new record.
Chestnut is the heavy betting favorite against the field, and among those his best challenger is Geoffrey Esper at -140 (bet $140 to win $100).
There is also added intrigue in the women's race; 2022 winner Michelle Lesco returns to try to defend her Mustard Belt title from last year, when she ate 30.75 hot dogs, but she'll have to go through hot dog eating stalwart Miki Sudo.
Sudo set the high water mark for women, who have had their own contest since 2011, with 48.5 dogs, but she didn't compete in the contest last year because she was pregnant.
Now, we have a faceoff between Lesco and Sudo to see whether the former can begin a new dynasty or the latter will reclaim her own.
The men's contest will be held on Monday, July 4, at noon E.T. and televised on ESPN. The women's contest is at 10:45 p.m. ET, which sounds a little early to be wolfing down 30 hot dogs, but more power to them!
Let's take a look at the all-time results for each year of the contest and get a better sense for the damage this year's Mustard Belt winners could do.
All-Time Men's or Unisex Results
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Michael Nagle/Xinhua via Getty Images
Before 2011, and with the exception of 1975, men and women competed against one another in an open competition.
On three occasions, a woman was the winner of the unisex event: 1984 (Birgit Felden, nine hot dogs), 1975 (Sharlene Smith, 8.5 hot dogs) and 1972 (Melody Andorfer, 12 hot dogs).
If you look closely, you might see that in 1967, the first recorded year of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, someone named Walter Paul is meant to have eaten 127 hot dogs. Why, then, is that not the official world record, well above Joey Chestnut's currently held Guinness World Record of 76?
Well, the Saturday Evening Post looked into Mr. Paul, and the origins of the contest in general, and concluded that perhaps a few things were exaggerated in the interest of generating lore. In fact, it's not even clear that Walter Paul even existed.
Still, 76 hot dogs is nothing to sneeze at. (Or to gag at.) Chestnut broke his own record of 75 hot dogs, set in 2020, in 2021, when he forced one more dog down the gullet. Except for 2015, when Matt Stonie bested the world-renowned hot dog eater, Chestnut has won the contest every year dating back to 2006.
Will he break his own record again this year? There's a yes or no prop bet over at DraftKings at +185 for yes (bet $100 to win $185) and -245 for no. The over/under is set at 74.5 dogs, with the over favored at -150.
Here's a look back at all the male or unisex winners of the contest from its origin:
Year, Winner, Hot Dogs Eaten
2021: Joey Chestnut, 76
2020: Joey Chestnut, 75
2019: Joey Chestnut, 71
2018: Joey Chestnut, 74
2017: Joey Chestnut, 72
2016: Joey Chestnut, 70
2015: Matt Stonie, 62
2014: Joey Chestnut, 61
2013: Joey Chestnut, 69
2012: Joey Chestnut, 68
2011: Joey Chestnut, 62
2010: Joey Chestnut, 54
2009: Joey Chestnut, 68
2008: Joey Chestnut, 59
2007: Joey Chestnut, 66
2006: Takeru Kobayashi, 53.75
2005: Takeru Kobayashi, 49
2004: Takeru Kobayashi, 53.5
2003: Takeru Kobayashi, 44.5
2002: Takeru Kobayashi, 50.5
2001: Takeru Kobayashi, 50
2000: Kazutoyo Arai, 25
1999: Steve Keiner 21.5
1998: Hirofumi Nakajima, 19
1997: Hirofumi Nakajima, 24.5
1996: Hirofumi Nakajima, 23.25
1996: Ed Krachie, 22
1995: Ed Krachie, 19.5
1994: Mike DeVito, 20
1993: Mike DeVito, 17
1993: Mike DeVito, 18
1992: Frankie Dellarosa, 19
1991: Frankie Dellarosa, 21
1990: Mike DeVito/Jay Green, 15
1989: Jay Green, 15.5
1988: Jay Green, 10
1987: Don Wolfman, 13.5
1986: Mark Heller, 15.5
1986: Hiroaki Tominaga, 10.5
1985: Oscar Rodriguez, 11.75
1984: Birgit Felden, 9.5
1983: Emil Gomez, 10.5
1982: Steven Abrams, 11
1981: Thomas DeBerry, 11
1980: Joe Baldini/Paul Siederman, 9.75
1979: Jim Mattner, 14
1978: Manel Hollenback/Kevin Sinclair, 10
1975: Lonnie Brown, 8
1974: Roberto Muriel, 10
1974: John Connolly, 9
1973: Unknown, Unknown
1973: Unknown, Unknown
1972: Melody Andorfer, 12
1972: Jason Schechter, 14
1967: Walter Paul, 127
Results via lastsandwich.com.
All-Time Women's Results
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Bobby Bank/WireImage
Since 2011, women have had their own Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest event. After a seven-year reign by Miki Sudo, in 2021 Michelle Lesco emerged triumphant, though at 30.75 dogs she didn't flirt with breaking Sudo's record of 48.5, set in 2020.
Last year, Sudo was pregnant and unable to compete in the contest, but she's back in 2022 and once again a heavy favorite.
Per DraftKings, Sudo’s over/under total is set at 46.5 with -140 on the under.
All results were recorded in 10 minutes' time.
2021: Michelle Lesco, 30.75
2020: Miki Sudo, 48.5
2019: Miki Sudo, 31
2018: Miki Sudo, 37
2017: Miki Sudo, 41
2016: Miki Sudo, 38.5
2015: Miki Sudo, 38
2014: Miki Sudo, 34
2013: Sonya Thomas, 36.75
2012: Sonya Thomas, 45
2011: Sonya Thomas, 40
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