Without Joey Chestnut, the July 4 Nathan's hot-dog-eating competition could be an actual contest

By Charles Passy

'This event is bigger than any one eater,' event spokesperson says

When Nathan's Famous decided to ban famed competitive eater Joey Chestnut from its hot-dog-eating contest at New York City's Coney Island, some thought it might turn the Fourth of July event into a nonevent.

But as we approach the annual gorgefest - which will be televised live on ESPN2 starting at noon Eastern time on Thursday, July 4 - and take, um, a frank assessment of the situation, a different reality is starting to emerge. Sportsbook operators say there's plenty of interest because the winner is no longer a given. And event organizers say they've received a windfall of media attention due to the fact that there appears to be an actual contest in the offing this year.

"This event is bigger than any one eater," said contest spokesman Richard Shea.

In years past, Chestnut would outpace his competitors in the men's division by a wide margin, devouring as many 76 hot dogs in the event's 10-minute span. Last year, he didn't hit that mark, but still put away 62 franks. His closest competitors weren't all that close, with second-place finisher Geoffrey Esper downing 49 and third-place finisher James Webb consuming 47.

Esper is the favorite this year, according to numerous online sportsbook operators. FanDuel and BetUS have him at -110 - meaning you'd need to bet $110 on him in order to win $100 - while DraftKings puts him at -105. But Webb isn't too far behind: FanDuel has him at +130 - meaning a winning $100 wager would result in a $130 payout.

The top prize for the competitors is $10,000, plus bragging rights.

In previous years, Chestnut so dominated the field that operators like BetUS didn't even bother to take wagers on the top finisher. Instead, BetUS focused on other bets, such as how many hot dogs Chestnut would eat.

"It was really the only way to make a contest out of it," said BetUS spokesman Tim Williams.

Even with Esper's and Webb's track records from previous Nathan's events, organizers say the field is wide open. Shea points to one potential threat: Ricardo Corbucci, a Brazilian who's ranked as the top competitive eater in South America and is making his first appearance at the Nathan's event.

There's also a women's contest, which will be televised live on ESPN3 starting at 10:45 a.m. Thursday. Miki Sudo, who has won the past two years and holds a personal-best record of 48.5 hot dogs, is heavily favored to win.

As for Chestnut, he was banned by Nathan's because he decided to sign on as a celebrity endorser for Impossible Foods, which makes plant-based hot dogs. But Chestnut's hot-dog-eating days are far from over. He's set to take on former Nathan's victor Takeru Kobayashi in a Labor Day event that will be shown on Netflix (NFLX).

-Charles Passy

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07-04-24 1019ET

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