Fireworks, pool parties and the Joey Chestnut showing out at the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest have become staples of July 4 in the United States, and the winningest competitor in the event's history will look to run his historic reign of dominance Tuesday.
A multi-millionaire from competitive eating alone, Chestnut is the biggest star in the field and the name viewers will tune into and watch closely as he chases his 16th victory in 17 years.
Chestnut is not the only dominant figure in the contest, though, as Miki Sudo will look to advance her unbeaten streak in the women's competition to 9-0.
2023 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Information
Date: Tuesday, July 4
Start Time: 10:45 a.m. (women's event), 12 p.m. (men's event)
Live Stream: ESPN+
Prize Money: $40,000 ($10,000 to winner)
Chestnut is the clear favorite in his field and holds a record of 73 hot dogs eaten in 10 minutes.
He's such a big star that he will have an entire camera feed dedicated to him as part of Tuesday's ESPN broadcast. That is Shohei Ohtani, Patrick Mahomes and LeBron James-level stuff, an indicator of how central a figure he is to his given sport.
He will have competition in the form of the world's second-ranked competitive eater, Geoffrey Esper, though his career high in hot dog eating is still 20 less than Chestnut's record, a testament to the GOAT's performance at an event he has become synonymous with.
Nick Wehry, the world's No. 4, will also enter the competition but has a career best of just 44.
Sudo, like Chestnut, is the clear favorite to win again as women's champion.
The eight-time victor has only failed to win the contest once: in 2020, when she skipped due to pregnancy.
Both Chestnut and Sudo experienced personal disappointment a year ago when, despite retaining their championships, they failed to reach the number of hot dogs eaten that they had trained for.
"There can be just a natural variation in hot dogs because there's a natural casing. I don't know why, but some years the hot dogs are faster than others, and some years they're way slower. The casings are harder to bite through, and that's just the way it is," Chestnut told Josh Peter of USA Today.
Sudo had trained to down 50 hot dogs in 2022 but fell some way short, totaling 40 instead.
"I just have difficulty swallowing the hot dogs side-by-side," she told Peter. "It doesn't go as quickly as it does at home. So I think I'll be a little faster out of the gate and more consistent throughout."
It is tough to imagine a scenario in which either loses, but it would be considered a major upset if they did.
