While many Independence Day festivities were cancelled this year, the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest went on, albeit without a live audience. To discourage onlookers, the location of the competition was kept under wraps. But the outcome was no surprise: Joey Chestnut won, and set a world record ...again.
Joey Chestnut gobbled down 75 weiners and buns in 10 minutes to win his 13th title. Somewhere around the 8-minute mark, Chestnut made history by eating his 1,000th career dog.
The Coney Island tradition allowed betting this year. The coronavirus crisis forced some changes, too. Spectators weren't allowed to watch in person. Competitors were separated by clear barriers. And the people bringing them fresh supplies wore masks.
Miki Sudo won her seventh title in the women's division, downing 48.5 hot dogs, also a world record. Will anyone ever out-eat these two champions? Chestnut's most serious rival, Matt Stonie, who won the title in 2015, couldn't attend due to coronavirus travel restrictions in California. The lopsided competition affected the betting odds, with Chestnut going in as a -1000 favorite, and Sudo's odds were at -500.