Meet the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2025 competitors
The Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest 2025 weigh-in was held Thursday at Hudson Yards in New York City.
Joey Chestnut is making his return this year after famously missing last year's competition. He is hoping to defeat the 2024 champion, Patrick Betoletti, while reigning women's champ Miki Sudo looks to defend her title.
The Fourth of July tradition dates back to 1916 at Nathan's flagship location at Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island, Brooklyn.
A total of 15 men and 13 women will compete to take home the $20,000 cash prize and coveted Mustard Yellow Belt. The women's competition starts at 11 a.m. Friday, followed by the men at 12:30 p.m.
Joey Chestnut returns to redeem his title
Chestnut had been the reigning 16-time champion but was barred last year due to his partnership with Impossible Foods, a rival company that makes plant-based hot dogs.
Instead, he appeared in another Fourth of July competition , followed by a separate contest with former champion Takeru Kobayashi.
Chestnut still holds the all-time record of 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, which he set in 2021.
"I'm thrilled to be returning to the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. This event means the world to me. It's a cherished tradition, a celebration of American culture, and a huge part of my life," Chestnut last month.
In his absence last year, Bertoletti took home his first victory with 58 hot dogs and buns.
"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," Bertoletti said.
"Part of me wishes [Bertoletti] was a jerk. It would motivate me harder, but I love him," Chestnut said. "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."
Meanwhile on the women's side, Sudo got her 10th win and set a world record with 51 hot dogs and buns.
Who are the competitors in the 2025 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest?
This year's contest features top competitors from the United States -- including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut -- along with Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic and England.
While some are seasoned veterans, others are making their Coney Island debut. Sudo's husband, Nick Wehry, is also competing in the men's field, and there's a mother-daughter team on the women's side.
Here is the 2025 men's field of eaters, according to , which manages the event.
- Joey Chestnut: 41 years old, 6-foot-1, from Westfield, Indiana
- Patrick Bertoletti: 40, 6-2, from Chicago, Illinois
- James Webb: 36, 6-1, from Sydney, Australia
- Nick Wehry: 35, 5-10, from Tampa, Florida
- Geoffrey Esper: 50, 5-7 from Oxford, Massachusetts
- Max Stanford: 37, 6-1, from Brixton, England
- Derek Hendrickson: 37, 6-3, from Las Vegas, Nevada
- George Chiger: 46, 6-6, from Pocono Pines, Pennsylvania
- Ricardo Corbucci: 38, 5-9, from Brasilia, Brazil
- Gideon Oji: 33, 6-9, from Morrow, Georgia
- Adrian Morgan: 42, 6-1, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Radim Dvořáček: 34, 5-9, from Ostrava, Czech Republic
- Darrien Thomas: 26, 5-8, from Ontario, Canada
- Cameron Meade: 21, 5-8, from Valparasio, Indiana
- Jerome Burns: 33, 5-6, from Danbury, Connecticut
2025 women's field:
- Miki Sudo: 39 years old, 5'7" tall, from Tampa, Florida
- Michelle "Cardboard Shell" Lesco: 41, 5-4, from Tucson, Arizona
- Domenica Dee: 33, 5-foot, from Westchester, New York
- Tandra Childress: 39, 5-5, from San Francisco, California
- Katie Prettyman: 42, 5-5, from Marysville, Washington
- Larell Marie Mele: 55, 5-6, from Long Pond, Pennsylvania
- Isabeau Prettyman: 18, 5-5, from Marysville, Washington
- Jocelyn Young: 44, 5-9, Sherman, Texas
- Kelly Lewis: 32, from Overland Park, Kansas
- Camille O'Brien: 38, 5-5, from Jeffersonville, New York*
- Elizabeth "Glizzy Lizzy" Salgado: 33, from Kern County, California
- Cherish Brown: 36, 5-3, from Edon, Ohio
- Madison Barone: 24, 5-9, from Manville, New Jersey
- Laura Beitler: 30, 5-7, from Batavia, Illinois
Organizers tell CBS News New York's Steve Overmyer that O'Brien is scratched from this year's competition, bringing the women's field down to 13.
