Eating contests are popular in the USA, with a separate league devoted to them. Similar to how the Premier League regularly hosts matches like Chelsea versus Liverpool, Major League Eating features competitors consuming asparagus in one round and vying for the title of best crawfish eater a week later. What’s more, live coverage of these competitions is often broadcast on national television by ESPN.
-
Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island
Perhaps the most famous event is the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. Here, the best competitors gather to feast on hot dogs every 4th of July on Coney Island, New York. Anyone can witness the contest in person, just make your way to Coney Island. The event is free, with no tickets required.
When I attended the 2009 competition in person, Joey Chestnut triumphed over Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi and walked away with a check for $20,000. It’s clear that overeating can pay off.
The contest might have a longer history than you think. The first Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest took place in 1972 on Memorial Day. Student Jason Schechter ate 14 hot dogs in 3.5 minutes and took home vouchers for 40 more hot dogs as the grand prize.
-
Competitive Eating Contest Records
Think you could keep up with the pace? Check out the current Major League Eating records for consuming individual meals, I last updated the data on June 23, 2024.
Meal Record Holder Amount Time Limit Asparagus Joey Chestnut 13 lb 10 minutes Butter Don Lerman 2 lb 5 minutes Cabbage Charles Hardy 7 lb 9 minutes Cream-Filled Donuts Patrick Bertoletti 47 pcs 5 minutes Fries Cookie Jarvis 4 lb 6 minutes Fruitcake Sonya Thomas 5 lb 10 minutes Glazed Donuts James Webb 70 pcs 8 minutes Grapes Cookie Jarvis 8 lb 10 minutes Gyros Joey Chestnut 15 lb 10 minutes Hamburgers Don Lerman 3 lb 10 minutes Hard Boiled Eggs Nick Wehry 50 pcs 3:04 minutes Hot Dogs Joey Chestnut 76 pcs 10 minutes Cheesecake Sonya Thomas 11 lb 9 minutes Cherry Pie Patrick Bertoletti 44 pcs 8 minutes Chicken Nuggets Sonya Thomas 80 pcs 5 minutes Chicken Wings Geoffrey Esper 281 pcs 12 minutes Chili Sauce Carmen Cincotti 9.199 liters 6 minutes Chinese Dumplings Cookie Jarvis 91 pcs 8 minutes Chocolate Bars Eric Booker 2 lb 6 minutes Chocolate Patrick Bertoletti 2 lb 7 minutes Lobsters Sonya Thomas 11 lb 12 minutes Mayonnaise Oleg Zhornitskiy 3.785 litres 8 minutes Meatballs Sonya Thomas 10 lb 12 minutes Onion Eric Booker 241 grams 1 minute Pancakes Patrick Bertoletti 10 lb 10 minutes Pizza (41 cm) Patrick Bertoletti 47 pieces 10 minutes Pizza (61 cm) Geoffrey Esper 83 parts 10 minutes Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce Matt Stonie 10 lb 8 minutes Vanilla Ice Cream Cookie Jarvis 4.052 quarts 12 minutes Vienna Sausages Sonya Thomas 8 lb 10 minutes
Contribute with Your Question or Personal Experience