The Highlights
- The 101st annual Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place on July 4.
- Betting favorite Joey Chestnut is expected to consume more than 70 hot dogs and buns.
- That is 10 days' worth of food in 10 minutes.
Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggety dog. Now that LeBron has signed with the Lakers, we can all focus on the most important event of the week … the 101st annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.
On July 4 in Coney Island, N.Y., participants will attempt to woof down as many hot dogs (and buns) as possible in 10 minutes. Joey “Jaws” Chestnut is a massive -750 favorite to win the event for an 11th time in 12 years.
Chestnut’s over/under for number of franks consumed is 70.5 (over -135). If he goes over and eats 71 weenies, his dietary consumption would be off the charts:
The recommended intake for the average adult is 2,200 calories per day, based on need. Jaws will devour nearly 10 days' worth of food in 10 minutes if he goes over his hot dog total on Independence Day. How does this compare to other eating competitions?
Using records from Major League Eating, I calculated the per minute caloric ingestion of the record setters for events ranging from apple pie (4.375 lbs. in eight minutes) to pizza (47 slices in 10 minutes) to see which event demanded the most from eaters. The hot dog contest takes the cake.
Pork-eating events require competitors to scarf down the most calories per minute while desserts are less demanding. It is fair to say competitive eaters put their bodies on the line for the sport they love. On the Fourth, pray for Chestnut and the other eaters' gastrointestinal tracts.
