Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2019: TV Schedule, Live Stream and Replay Info

Americans love eating hot dogs on the Fourth of July. They also enjoy watching competitive eaters shove 60-70 hot dogs into their mouths over a 10-minute period.

Much like baseball, barbecues and apple pie, the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest has become an annual Fourth of July staple. And the Babe Ruth of this sport is 11-time champion Joey Chestnut.

The 35-year-old has dominated the competitive-eating scene for more than a decade, and every year, people tune in to watch the best in the sport take down his competition by guzzling hot dogs and setting records.

Each of the past two years, Chestnut has set a new world record for number of hot dogs eaten in 10 minutes. He ate 72 in 2017, then upped his total to 74 last year, when he won his 11th championship in 12 years and his third straight title.

As the Kentucky native prepares for another title quest, here's everything you need to know for this year's edition of the hot dog eating contest.

2019 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Info

Date: Thursday, July 4

Time: 12 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN2

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Replay Info: 3 p.m. ET on ESPN2; 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2; 7 p.m. ET on ESPNEWS

Preview

Chestnut's biggest competitor this year will likely be former champion Matt Stonie.

In 2015, Stonie defeated Chestnut by eating 62 hot dogs. However, Chestnut has responded by eating at least 70 hot dogs each of the last three years.

It's tough to imagine Stonie or any of the other competitors will take down Chestnut, who has dominated competitive eating for many years.

While the event will take place Thursday, the preparation for these competitive eaters has been going on for months.

In a 2018 story by ESPN.com's Kieran Darcy, Chestnut said he begins practicing for the Fourth of July contest at the beginning of May.

"It takes about two months to really know where I'm at, where I'm peaking, and my body's pretty much a hot dog-digesting machine," he said.

The winner on both the men's and women's side will each receive $10,000, while those who place second through fifth will also receive prize money.

The women's competition has also been dominated by one individual in recent years. Miki Sudo enters this year's contest looking for her sixth consecutive championship.

Last year, she ate 37 hot dogs to win the women's title. Her best showing came in 2017, when she ate 41.

The women's record at the contest is 45, set by Sonya Thomas in 2012. So, while Sudo has never reached that total in previous years, she's been close enough that it's possible she could set a new record this year.