Joey wins for the 14th time. First-time Michelle Lesco nabs women’s crown.
Not easy (photo, The Guardian)
On Sunday, July 4th, the Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest returned to its beloved Coney Island with actual people in attendance, 5,800 to be specific. But there was one problem: Technology!
When Joey Chestnut was about to eat the 76th dog–the dog that got him the win–the screen froze to a still-cut of Chestnut stuffing his face, then went to a blue screen, and fans missed the history-making moment.
Fans turned to Twitter to honor Joey and express distaste for ESPN’s gaffe.
Chestnut notched his 14th Men’s Championship by eating approximately 11 days’ worth of meals in ten minutes, a stretch that constituted a whopping 22,800 calories, 1,368 grams of fat, 1,900 milligrams of cholesterol, and 50,160 milligrams of sodium. Yowza!
But know that hot dogs aren’t Joey’s only specialties. The Washington Post reports that he also holds the world record in each of nine other binge-eating categories, including for chicken wings, Twinkies, glazed donuts, and hard-boiled eggs.
Lesco wins! (photo, Tucson Foodie)
On the women’s side, the winner was first-time competitor Michelle Lesco, who slammed down 30 1/2 dogs in ten minutes. Just like Joey, Michelle is a food-eating champion, having downed 4.6 pounds of rib meat in 12 minutes, among other feats, including being the record holder for the most Mayo eaten.
Lesco didn’t have to face Miki Sudo, last year’s winner, who is pregnant and didn’t compete this year.
