The yearly spectacle that is the Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest delivered another messy masterpiece on Independence Day, and so did the biggest star in eating despite eating through an injury.
How Many Hot Dogs Did Joey Chestnut Eat?
Joey "Jaws" Chestnut won his 15th title overall and seventh straight by consuming 63 hot dogs. Geoffrey Esper finished in second place with 43 hot dogs eaten.
Chestnut winning wasn't a surprise. He was -3000 to win the title. More interesting was how many dogs Jaws would consume. The OVER/UNDER was set at 74.5 heading into the event. His world record was 76 consumed at last year's tournament. He failed to reach that mark again, posting his lowest total since he lost in 2015 with 60 hot dogs eaten.
Joey Chestnut (-5000) cruises to another #NathansHotDogEatingContest victory with 63 hot dogs eaten.
— Ben Fawkes (@BFawkes22) July 4, 2022
But he stays way UNDER his total of 74.5.
Thought he might ketchup on the pace to hit the OVER, but didn't happen ...
Chestnut came into the event with an injured leg, but battled through it to win the title.
Joey Chestnut will contest tomorrow's Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on crutches after sustaining an injury to his leg.
— Dimers.com (@DimersCom) July 4, 2022
An American hero 🇺🇸🌭 pic.twitter.com/nv2uGhgtCo
How Many Hot Dogs Did Miki Sudo Eat?
On the women's side, Miki Sudo came in as a -5000 favorite over defending champion Michelle Lesco, who was +1000. Sudo won seven straight titles from 2014-2020 before sitting out last year following the birth of her child. Lesco won the title, but Sudo came out on top this time.
Sudo ate 40 hot dogs to win back the title. Lesco ate 26 hot dogs to place second.
MIKI SUDO WINS HER 8TH CAREER NATHAN'S FAMOUS TITLE EATING 40 HOT DOGS AND BUNS 🏆 pic.twitter.com/3f70kdDrxr
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 4, 2022
Now that one eating spectacle is over, it's time for our own at BBQs around the country. Enjoy and happy Fourth!