Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2015: Start Time, Prize Money and Contestants
The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual celebration of gluttony, and the spectacle is set to descend upon Coney Island once again on July 4.
With the most distinguished competitive eaters clearing their stomachs and prepping to down frankfurters at unthinkable rates, there's plenty to parse through as we prepare for the affair to get underway Saturday afternoon.
With a total prize purse of $40,000 on the line, the Independence Day contest will prove to be a very lucrative venture for a couple of contestants who prove to have some serious intestinal fortitude during a fateful 10 minutes in front of a roaring crowd.
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| Women's Competition | 11 a.m. ET | ESPN3 |
| Men's Competition | 12:40 p.m. ET | ESPN 2 |
Women's Competition
The focus in the women's competition will be thrust on defending champion Miki Sudo and annual staple Sonya Thomas, but there's a wide array of competitors seeking to knock those two off their perches.
| Miki Sudo | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Sonya Thomas | Alexandria, Virginia |
| Dee Martin | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Michelle Lesco | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Crystin Pactor | Houston, Texas |
| Marlene Wigginton | St. Louis, Missouri |
| BeeJay Alexander | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Larell Marie Mele | Long Pond, Pennsylvania |
| Brandi | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Meredith Boxberger | Queens, New York |
| Angie Hendry | Lincoln, Nebraska |
| Mia Davekos | Rochester, New Hampshire |
| Liz McLurg | Westlake, Ohio |
| Daniella Gioia | Brooklyn, Michigan |
| Mary Bowers | Plant City, Florida |
| Lesley Ryder | Sonoma, California |
Sudo took home the Nathan's belt last year by consuming 34 hot dogs in 10 minutes, or 3.4 dogs per minute for those of you who are into advanced frankfurter metrics.
The 29-year-old is currently the fourth-ranked eater in the world and the top-ranked female, according to Major League Eating. Only Joey Chestnut, Matt Stonie and Tim Janus rank higher.
But beware of Thomas, who holds the record on the women's side of the competition with 45 hot dogs and buns consumed in the span of 10 minutes.
"To be the first person to beat Sonya Thomas at hot dogs is surreal," Sudo said after last year's win, according to USA Today's Nina Mandell. "I think both of us are hoping to break the existing world record of 45 in 10 minutes but weather conditions got in the way but we’ll definitely be back to set a higher number."
Thomas ranks No. 5 overall in the Major League Eating rankings, but if Sudo's recent second-place finish at the burrito-eating contest two months back in Denver is any indication, she'll be primed and ready to go.
Men's Competition
Before diving into Chestnut's supreme reign atop the Major League Eating circuit, here's a look at the challengers who will attempt to overthrow the 31-year-old Saturday.
| Joey Chestnut | Vallejo, California |
| Crazy Legs Conti | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Matthew Stonie | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Erik Denmark | Houston, Texas |
| Juan Rodriguez | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Gideon Oji | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Yasir Salem | Long Pond, Pennsylvania |
| Adrian Morgan | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Tim "Eater X" Janus | Queens, New York |
| Steve Hendry | Lincoln, Nebraska |
| Geoffrey Esper | Rochester, New Hampshire |
| Jeff Butler | Westlake, Ohio |
| Jim Reeves | Brooklyn, Michigan |
| Nathan Biller | Plant City, Florida |
| Brian Dudzinski | Sonoma, California |
The world's top-ranked eater, Chestnut is the undisputed favorite. He's won eight straight Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contests, and he owns the all-time record with 63 hot dogs and buns consumed in 10 minutes back in 2013.
However, Chestnut isn't without serious competition.
Stonie, who sits one spot behind Chestnut in the world rankings, has been on a tear of late, according to the New York Daily News' Gersh Kuntzman:
"Stonie has beaten Chestnut at two gyro-eating contests, a burger-eating event, a taco contest, plus faceoffs in poutine, Twinkies and pumpkin pie — but Chestnut asserts that he’s never lost 'a major' because he trains far more seriously for such seminal contests such as Philadelphia’s Wing Bowl and the annual Nathan’s contest at Surf and Stillwell Aves. every July 4.
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The odds remain on Chestnut's side, but he has some serious foes to be wary of. Janus is lingering at No. 3 overall in the MLE rankings, with Erik Denmark and Adrian Morgan occupying the sixth and seventh spots, respectively.
"I know he’s vulnerable," Stonie said, per Kuntzman. "The problem is, he brings 100 percent at Nathan's. At another contest, he might have a bad day, but not at Nathan's."
One way or another, it appears as though history's bound to be made at this year's contest.
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