Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest is one of the most storied competitive sporting events in the history of the United States. Or, it’s a shameless marketing stunt for an adequate hot dog brand with prime real estate on Coney Island. It depends on who you ask. In either case, the annual event is gleefully nauseating bit of spectacle.
This year, expect to see reigning champion and record-holder Joey “Jaws” Chestnut to win the event and retain the title. Chestnut ate a staggering 72 hot dogs in 2017’s contest and seems to operate on a different level than the current competition.
How to watch 2018’s Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest:
Starting time for women’s division: 10:50 a.m. ET / 7:50 a.m. PT
Starting time for men’s division: 12:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT
Location: Nathan’s Famous stand on Coney Island in New York City
TV: ESPN2
Live stream: WatchESPN
The history of Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest:
If you’d like to know the history of Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, listen to this episode of History of Fun embedded above. For such a simple competition, you’d never guess that cops once had to arrest arguably the most important contestant of all time in front of the sweaty Fourth of July crowd. If you enjoy the episode, subscribe to The History of Fun on iTunes and learn about other joyful oddities, like the history of early roller coaster, Tamagotchi, Chuck E Cheese’s and the time the Undertaker threw Mankind off Hell in a Cell.