X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2020 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Preview

On July 4th every year, thousands of fans crowd Coney Island for the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Major League Eating (MLE) announced significant changes to this year's event, but the show will go on. For the 18 consecutive years, ESPN will broadcast the contest on its family of networks, and viewership is expected to top the 1.9 million record-viewership from the 2011 contest. TV coverage will begin at noon ET on July 4, 2020.

This year's contest will still feature some of the world's greatest competitive eaters, albeit in a different setting. There will be no fans, and the contest will be held indoors for the first time since its inception. In a typical year, 15 to 20 contestants gather on the stage for the chance at the Mustard Belt (men's winner) or the bejeweled pink belt (women's winner). This year, there will be only 6 competitors in the men's division, and 5 competitors in the women's division. The goal remains to eat as many hot dogs as possible in 10 minutes.

Bettors in certain states will be able to place wagers through DraftKings SportsBook. For fans outside of Colorado, New Hampshire, and New Jersey, DraftKings is also offering a free-to-play $25,000 prop contest for all players in all states.

Featured Promo: Get any Props Premium Pass for 30% off using code NEW. Win more with our two new Props Optimizer tools -- one for PrizePicks Props, and one for Sportsbook Betting Props. Find optimal prop bets and get our recommended picks daily! Go Premium, Win More!

 

Breaking Down the Women's Division

6-time champion Miki Sudo (Photo courtesy of Shea Communications and Major League Eating)

The Women's Division first opened competition in 2011, when Sonya Thomas took the crown with 40 hot dogs eaten. Thomas would go on to win the 2012 and 2013 competition,s before being overtaken by Miki Sudo, a newcomer to the competitive eating circle. Sudo has won each of the past 6 contests and is looking to continue her dominance of the sport.

Year Hot Dogs Eaten by Winner
2019         31.00
2018         37.00
2017         41.00
2016         38.50
2015         38.00
2014         34.00
2013         36.75
2012         45.00
2011         40.00

Miki Sudo - The 5-foot-7 native of Torrington, Connecticut has won all 6 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contests that she has competed in, is the #6 ranked eater in the world, and is the #1 ranked female eater in the world. Her personal best performance was in the 2017 competition when she consumed 41 hot dogs. Last year was her weakest performance in the contest (31), and she still managed to win by almost 5 hot dogs. Sudo is the overwhelming favorite, and for good reason.

Larell Marie Mele - Mele is the 30th ranked eater in the world, and is coming off a 5th place finish in last year's event (18). Mele is not new to the circuit, as this will be her 9th hot dog eating contest. Her best performance in a contest was 21.25, slightly above her 9-contest average of 17.22 hot dogs per contest.

Katie Prettyman - The 36-year old Washington state native is ranked #36 in the world by the MLE rankings. This will be her 3rd appearance in the hot dog eating contest, where she recorded a personal-best 12.5 hot dogs eaten last year's 10-minute contest.

Julie Goldberg - This will be Baruch College history professor's 2nd appearance in the annual contest. Goldberg only ate 7 hot dogs in last year's contest, but since has been training under the guidance of longtime MLE legend Crazy Legs Conti, which she hopes will pay off in this year's contest.

Dr. Rene Rovtar - Dr. Rovtar is a New Jersey superintendent by day and a competitive eater on the weekends. She has competed in 3 contests and is the long-shot with an average of 7 hot dogs consumed. While Rovtar may not be a top-grade competitive eater, she has plenty to be proud of as she was awarded the Morris County Superintendent of the Year award for the 2016-2017 school year.

 

Breaking Down the Men's Division

12-time champion Joey Chestnut (Photo courtesy of Shea Communications and Major League Eating)

Similarly to the Women's Division, the Men have seen two dominant eaters dominate the competition for the better part of the 21st Century. Joey "Jaws" Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi have combined for 18 Mustard Belt championships. While Kobayashi has been in a contract dispute with MLE since 2011 and will not compete, Chestnut is seeking his 13th win this year. With the absence of 2015 champion Matt Stonie (due to New York quarantine laws from coming out of state), the Mustard Belt should return to Chestnut - the only matter to determine is by how many dogs.

Year Hot Dogs Eaten by Winner
2019         71.00
2018         74.00
2017         72.00
2016         70.00
2015         62.00
2014         61.00
2013         69.00
2012         68.00
2011         62.00
2010         54.00
2009         68.00
2008         59.00
2007         66.00
2006         53.75
2005         49.00
2004         53.50
2003         44.50
2002         50.50
2001         50.00

Joey "Jaws" Chestnut - Chesnut, who weighs in at 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, is the #1 ranked competitive eater in the world by the MLE. Chestnut holds 56 world records in various competitive eating categories, including Twinkies (121 in 6 minutes), hard-boiled eggs (141 in 8 minutes), and hot dogs (74). Chestnut has competed in 15 contests, and his average hot dogs eaten is a staggering 62.5 per 10 minutes. In the lead-up to the event, Chestnut has said in interviews that he is going for the world record and "could push 80." If you look at Chesnut's interviews in the lead-up to last year's event, these are some of the same promotional things he was out there saying. Being in an air-conditioned environment should help, but without the energy of the fans to feed off, it will be difficult for "Jaws" to break his world record of 74.

Geoffrey Esper - Esper is a physics teacher who holds the record as the world Pizza Eating Champion, with 83 slices consumed in 10 minutes. He is the #2 ranked eater in the world, and arguably Chestnut's top competition. Esper's 5-contest average of 39.9 hot dogs pales in comparison to Chestnut, but he hopes he can build off of last year's 47 hot dogs, a personal best.

Darron Breeden - The 31-year old Breeden is the #4 ranked competitive eater and placed 2nd in the 2019 contest with 50 hot dogs. Breeden holds the world record for Cheese Curd Eating champion (5 pounds and 2 ounces in 6 minutes) and will have an exciting contest with Esper for 2nd place.

Nick Wehry - Wehry, the #8 ranked professional eater in the world, isn't even the best eater in his own home. His girlfriend, Miki Sudo, is the overwhelming favorite to win her 7th championship. Wehry has competed twice in the annual 4th of July hot dog eating contest, with an average of 33.5 hot dogs eaten.

George Chiger - Chiger, who stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs in at a burly 340 pounds is a physically imposing eater who MLE co-founder George Shea calls, "a gentle giant." Chiger is the #12 ranked eater in the world. The 2020 contest will be Chiger's 3rd attempt, and he hopes to improve on last year's performance of 26 hot dogs.

Eric "Badlands" Booker - Last, but certainly not least is one of the most eccentric eaters, the fan-favorite Badlands Booker. Badlands is a 6-foot-5, 400-pound professional rapper and the #21 ranked eater in the world. He holds world records in green pea eating (9.5 pounds in 12 minutes) and corned beef hash (4 pounds in 1 minute, 58 seconds). Badlands has been working on a new rap album and is expected to debut one of his songs on stage before the competition.

 

Odds

Picking an outright winner in this contest would be futile, as Miki Sudo (-835) and Joey Chestnut (-1000) are overwhelming favorites who should, in all likelihood, repeat as champions. Picking any other participant for the women's (+500) and men's (+550) doesn't offer enough value considering the sheer distance between the competition. A parlay of Sudo and Chestnut (-700) has a bit too much juice but is a pretty certain winner.

Miki Sudo's over/under is currently set at 40.5. In the past few years, she has only topped that once, but she recently finished 50 in a training session with her boyfriend Nick Wehry. The other advantage of Sudo is that she will be eating in a temperature-controlled environment. Sudo's recent 50-hot dog performance has me convinced she is ready to set a new women's world record.

Joey Chestnut's over/under is set at 74.5 hot dogs. Similarly, Chestnut has never topped that amount, only coming close with his world record 74 hot dogs in 2018. Despite the improved temperature conditions, a significant factor to consider is that Chestnut will not have any crowd on whose energy to feed off of. Added with this being his first MLE event back after a few months, and it all adds up to the makings of a slight off-year for Jaws. Chestnut should handily win, but to expect him to top his world-record performance in a year with significantly fewer MLE events is probably asking too much.

 

Predictions

Miki Sudo/Joey Chestnut to win - parlay (-700)

Miki Sudo - over 40.5 hot dogs eaten (-162)

Joey Chestnut under 74.5 hot dogs eaten (-162)

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Miguel Vargas

Homers Against The Twins On Thursday
Hunter Goodman

Delivers In Game 1 On Thursday With Two Hits
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Christopher Morel

Home Run Seals Victory For Rays
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Zach Neto

Hits Go-Ahead Home Run On Thursday
Yandy Díaz

Yandy Diaz Tallies Three Hits In Win Against Arizona
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Pete Fairbanks

Picks Up Fourth Save On Thursday
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Picks Up Save On Thursday
Corbin Burnes

Picks Up Eight Strikeouts In Thursday's Start
MacKenzie Gore

Strikes Out Eight In Loss On Thursday
Cade Povich

Picks Up Win On Thursday
Bobby Witt Jr.

Scores Three Runs, Steals A Base On Thursday
Alex Bregman

Homers In Loss To Seattle
Mike Yastrzemski

Homers, Drives In Two On Thursday
Salvador Perez

Notches Four Doubles, Four RBI In Thursday's Doubleheader
Jordan Beck

Homers Three Times On Thursday
Jameson Williams

Lions Didn't Entertain Trade Offers For Jameson Williams
Dalton Rushing

Homers In Four-Hit Game
Qadir Ismail

Raiders Sign Qadir Ismail
New York Giants

Giants Plan To Exercise Kayvon Thibodeaux's Fifth-Year Option
Russell Wilson

Will Be Giants Starting Quarterback
Max Muncy

With A Pair Of Doubles Back At Triple-A
Michael Lorenzen

Tosses Quality Start
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Close Out The First Round With Josh Simmons
Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Trade Up One Spot In First Round To Select Jihaad Campbell
A.J. Puk

Likely To Miss Multiple Months
Marquis Grissom Jr.

Notches Fifth Save At Double-A
Buffalo Bills

Bills Address Secondary And Take Maxwell Hairston With 30th Overall Pick
Félix Bautista

Felix Bautista Records Third Save
NFL

Eagles, Chiefs Swap First-Round Picks
Washington Commanders

Josh Conerly Jr. Goes At No. 29 Overall To Commanders

Giants Trade Up For Jaxson Dart At No. 25
Detroit Lions

Tyleik Williams Taken By Lions At No. 28 Overall
Baltimore Ravens

Ravens Go With Malaki Starks At No. 27 Overall In NFL Draft
Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Takes Donovan Jackson No. 24 Overall
NFL

Rams Trade The 26th Pick In The 2025 NFL Draft To The Falcons
Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Trade Back Into First Round To Draft James Pearce Jr. At No. 26 Overall

Matthew Golden Selected No. 23 Overall By Green Bay
NFL

Texans Trade The 25th Pick In The 2025 NFL Draft To The Giants

Omarion Hampton Taken No. 22 Overall By Chargers
Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Selects Derrick Harmon At No. 21 Overall
Denver Broncos

Broncos Build Secondary By Selecting Jahdae Barron At No. 20

Buccaneers Add Emeka Egbuka At No. 19
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Isaiah Stewart

Remains Out For Game 3
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Linus Ullmark

Attempts To Overcome Playoff Struggles Thursday
Anthony Cirelli

A Game-Time Call Thursday
Logan Thompson

Comes Up Big In Game 2
Connor McMichael

Strikes Twice In Wednesday's Win
Anze Kopitar

Tallies Four Points In Game 2 Victory
Adrian Kempe

Notches Two Goals, Two Assists In Wednesday's Win
Tyler Seguin

Gives Stars Series Lead With Overtime Winner
Tyler Herro

Scores Game-High 33 Points In Wednesday's Loss
Donovan Mitchell

Fires In 30 Points In Game 2 Win
Paolo Banchero

Notches 32 Points In Game 2 Loss
Jaylen Brown

Posts 36-Point Double-Double Wednesday
Jalen Green

Erupts For 38 Points In Game 2 Victory
Brandin Podziemski

Limited To 14 Minutes Wednesday
Jimmy Butler III

Set For MRI Thursday
Brandin Podziemski

Upgraded To Available
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Michael Porter Jr.

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Davion Mitchell

Moves Into Starting Lineup Wednesday
Brandin Podziemski

Picks Up Questionable Tag
Al Horford

Starts Game 2
Michael Porter Jr.

Practices On Wednesday
Jayson Tatum

Out On Wednesday
Isaiah Stewart

May Miss Another Game Thursday
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Posts Team-High 26 Points In Tuesday's Loss
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Notches 27 Points Despite Poor Shooting
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Pascal Siakam

Scores Team-High 24 Points In Game 2 Win
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF