Joey Chestnut Devours 66 Hot Dogs to Claim 18th Nathan’s Title on America’s 250th

On a sweltering Fourth of July that doubled as America's 250th birthday, Joey Chestnut reminded the country why he remains the undisputed king of competitive eating, downing 66 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes to win the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island for a record 18th time.

Chestnut's total translated to 6.6 hot dogs every 60 seconds — roughly one every nine seconds for the full 10-minute grind. It was more than enough to dispatch runner-up Patrick Bertoletti, who managed 51, handing Chestnut a commanding 15-dog margin of victory and his second consecutive Mustard Belt after his return to the contest.

The 66-dog performance fell 10 short of Chestnut's all-time record of 76, set in 2021, but it ranked among the highest totals of his storied career and cemented his status as the sport's most dominant figure. For his effort, Chestnut took home the $10,000 first-place prize and slipped on the coveted yellow Mustard Belt before a raucous holiday crowd packed along Surf Avenue in Brooklyn.

In the women's competition, Miki Sudo continued her own reign of dominance, winning the pink belt for the 12th time by eating 38 and three-quarters hot dogs and buns. Sudo has been nearly untouchable in the women's division for more than a decade, and her latest victory extended one of the most lopsided winning streaks in all of competitive sport.

The Coney Island spectacle, a July Fourth institution since its modern revival, took on added significance this year as one of the marquee traditions unfolding during the nation's semiquincentennial. As parades and fireworks shows elsewhere buckled under extreme heat and severe storms, the hot dog contest went off as scheduled, a raucous, gluttonous slice of Americana that drew thousands of spectators and a national television audience — and, once again, ended with Joey Chestnut standing alone atop the leaderboard.