Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest 2024 Schedule, Live Stream, Weather and Chestnut Ban
Erik BeastonJuly 4, 2024
Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest 2024 Schedule, Live Stream, Weather and Chestnut Ban0 of 4
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The greatest competitive eaters in the world will descend upon Coney Island Thursday for the annual July 4th tradition, the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
That is, except for one.
Joey Chestnut, the most decorated and celebrated eater in the history of the event, will not compete this year following a controversial ban from the contest.
Find out the latest on the 16-time champion, what he will be doing on Independence Day instead, who will be competing in New York, and when and where you can watch all of the action with this preview of the holiday spectacular.
Schedule, Viewing Info, and Weather1 of 4
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Start Time: 11:00 a.m. (women’s division), 12:20 p.m. (men’s)
TV: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+
Location: Nathan’s on Coney Island
Weather: 84 degrees, partly cloudy
Men’s Competitors2 of 4
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Competitors in this year’s men’s competition include:
Geoffrey Esper (49, ranked No. 2 in Major League Eating)Nicholas Wehry (35, No. 4)James Webb (35, No. 5)Gideon Oji (32, No. 6)Derek Hendrickson (36, No. 8)Patrick Bertoletti (39, No. 9)Darrien Thomas (25, No. 12)George Chiger (45, No. 21)Ricardo Corbucci (No. 35)Max Stanford (36, unranked)Radim Dvoracek (33, unranked)King Yamamoto (40, unranked)Sean Yeager (32, unranked)William Claude Lyon (36, unranked)Women’s Competitors3 of 4
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Competitors appearing in this year’s women’s competition include:
Miki Sudo (38, No. 3)Michelle Lesco (40, No. 10)Mayoi Ebihara (28, No. 14)Larell Marie Mele (60, No. 22)Katie Prettyman (41, No. 23)Jocelyn Young (43, No, 29)Mary Bowers (N/A, No. 39)Cherish Brown (35, unranked)Julie Goldberg (38, unranked)Tandra Childress (38, unranked)Ellen Straub (29, unranked)Crystal Ocampo (28, unranked)Elizabeth Salgado (32, unranked)Rubianne Garcia (32, unranked)Joey Chestnut’s Ban4 of 4
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Joey Chestnut, the most decorated competitor in the history of Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, will not appear at the 2024 event.
Chestnut was banned from competing this year after he signed an endorsement deal with Impossible Foods to represent their plant-based hot dogs.
“For nearly two decades we have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provisions. However, it seems that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with a different hot dog brand over our long-time relationship,” Major League Eating said in the statement announcing the ban.
Chestnut told Emma Baccellieri of Sports Illustrated, “This was never an issue in the past. And they tried to dance around itâthey changed a lot of terms, and then they escalated things to a degree they didn’t imagine when they started leaking information and telling people I was banned and that I turned vegan, which clearly isn’t the case.”
Despite the disappointment of not competing on Coney Island this July 4, Chestnut does not hold a grudge and hopes to return to the event in the future. “I don’t think the Shea brothers are bad people. I’m not burning any bridges. And I love itâI love the Fourth of July and that contest. I’m always willing to try. I don’t hold grudges. So nothing is out of the question.”
The 16-time Nathan’s champion may not be part of this year’s annual extravaganza, but he will compete against soldiers on Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas on July 4.
On Labor Day, he will compete against fellow competitive eating legend Takeru Kobayashi in a Netflix special event.
