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It isn’t July Fourth without hot dogs, but more specifically, it isn’t July Fourth in New York City without the traditional Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
After skipping the 2024 contest due to a sponsorship issue, 17-time champion Joey Chestnut returned in 2025 to reclaim his title. He will be back to defend his title this year after winning last year’s contest by eating 70.5 hot dogs, despite a legal issue that could have prevented his return.
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest: what to know
- When: July 4, 10:45 a.m. ET (women’s), 12 p.m. ET (men’s)
- Where: Nathan’s Famous flagship location (Coney Island, New York)
- Channel: ESPN app (women’s), ESPN2 (men’s)
- Streaming: DIRECTV (try it free)
Last year’s champion in the women’s contest, Miki Sudo, will also be back to defend her title. The women’s contest record holder, Sudo is going for her fifth straight and 12th overall title.
Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest 2026 start time
The women’s contest begins today, July 4, at 10:45 a.m. ET, while the men’s contest kicks off at 12 p.m. ET.
What channel is the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest 2026 on?
The women’s contest will air on the ESPN Unlimited app, before moving over to ESPN2 for the men’s contest.
How to watch the 2025 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest for free:
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the Hot Dog Eating Contest for free.
One option we love is DIRECTV, which comes with five days free and starts at $59.99/month, with plenty of subscription options that include the ESPN family of networks and the ESPN Unlimited streaming app.
If you aren’t ready to commit to a full-on subscription, you can try a Sling Orange Day Pass. Priced at $4.99, you’ll get 24 hours of access to all Sling TV Orange has to offer, including ESPN2. Sling also offers weekend and week-long passes for its Orange plan, which offer between three and seven days of access.
Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest 2026 participants:
Top competitors from around the globe, including champions Chestnut and Sudo, will compete in this year’s contest.
Men’s field
- Joey Chestnut from Indianapolis, Indiana
- Patrick Bertoletti from Chicago, Illinois
- James Webb from Sydney, Australia
- Nick Wehry from Tampa, Florida
- Max Stanford from London, England
- Gideon Oji from Stockbridge, Georgia
- Derek Hendrickson from Las Vegas, Nevada
- Radim Dvoracek from Ostrava, Czech Republic
- George Chiger from Pocono Pines, Pennsylvania
- Cameron Meade from Valparaiso, Indiana
- Tanner Gray from Fort Mill, South Carolina
- Jerome Burns from Danbury, Connecticut
- Crazy Legs Conti from New York, New York
- Ynho Choi from Seoul, South Korea
Women’s field
- Miki Sudo from Tampa, Florida
- Domenica Dee from Seattle, Washington
- Tandra Childress from San Francisco, California
- Katie Prettyman from Marysville, Washington
- Rene Rovtar from Basking Ridge, New Jersey
- Cherish Brown from Eden, Ohio
- Camille O’Brien from Jeffersonville, New York
- Semora Kludy from Charlotte, Michigan
- Lainey Eaton from San Diego, California
- Michelle Lesco from Tucson, Arizona
Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest 2026 prize money:
A prize pool of roughly $40,000 is split between the men’s and women’s event. The winner of each portion of the event receives $10,000. Second place gets $5,000 and third place receives $2,500.
2026 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest rules:
Though the rules aren’t overly complicated, there are a few that the competitors must follow.
- 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 given. If competitors bring their own beverages, they are limited to 13 cups.
- Competitors can separate the hot dogs from the buns but must eat an equal amount. If an uneven amount is eaten, the lower number is the competitor’s score
- Competitors are allowed to dunk the hot dog and bun in a cup for as many as five 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 with the most hot dogs and buns eaten within 10 minutes wins.
Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post
This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
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