Joey Chestnut wins 2025 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in triumphant return
Joey Chestnut won the 2025 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City, taking back his title after missing last year's competition.
Chestnut quickly pulled ahead of the pack and finished with 70.5 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. Defending champion Patrick Bertoletti came in second with 46.5, followed by James Webb with 45.5.
The crowd of spectators cheered, "Joey, Joey, Joey!" as Chestnut walked onto the stage Friday in Coney Island, Brooklyn.
The 41-year-old from Westfield, Indiana fell short of the official world record, which he set in 2021 with 76 hot dogs and buns.
"I was excited, I love being here. Man, I wish I ate a couple more, I'm sorry guys, but I'll be back next year," he said after the competition.
Chestnut set an unofficial world record with 83 hot dogs and buns during an unrelated competition last year, but that wasn't sanctioned by Major League Eating.
On the women's side, reigning champion Miki Sudo earned her 11th win Friday, eating 33 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.
Joey Chestnut takes back his belt
Chestnut was the reigning 16-time champion before he was banned last year because of a partnership with Impossible Foods, a rival company that makes plant-based hot dogs.
With the men's field wide open in 2024, Bertoletti earned his first victory with 58 hot dogs and buns.
"Part of me wishes [Bertoletti] was a jerk. It would motivate me harder, but I love him," Chestnut said during Thursday's weigh-in. "But I wanna win. I wanna push for a record, so I kinda feel bad for him. 'Cause I'm gonna drop the hammer, and he's gonna get annihilated."
"It felt great last year. I never thought I'd ever win Nathan's, the contest, but it didn't feel complete without Joey there, so he's back this year and it's better," said Bertoletti.
Women's champ Miki Sudo wins again
Sudo, 39, of Tampa, Florida, has dominated the women's side for more than decade and set the world record with 51 hot dogs and buns in 2024. On Friday, she finished with 18 behind her record.
"The hot dogs were great, the weather's beautiful, the crowd had me going. I'm thinking maybe the buns were more filling than usual," she said. "It's OK, a win's a win, thank you for the support."
She was neck-and-neck with Michelle Lesco and Domenica Dee for the first half of the competition but pulled ahead in the end. Lesco finished second with 22.75 hot dogs and buns, and Dee finished third with 21.5.
Sudo's husband, Nick Wehry, also competed on the men's side.
Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest rules
A total of 15 men and 13 women faced off this year for the coveted Mustard Yellow Belt and $10,000 cash prize.
The annual Fourth of July tradition dates back to 1916 at Nathan's flagship location at Surf and Stillwell avenues.
Competitors have 10 minutes to eat as many hot dogs and buns as they can. Utensils and condiments are not allowed, but water is provided and other non-alcoholic beverages are permitted.
Both the hot dogs and the buns must be swallowed for them to count, but competitors can break up the hot dogs with their hands or separate them from the buns. They can also dunk the buns in their beverage for a maximum of five seconds.
If a competitor throws up, they are disqualified.
