BROOKLYN, NY (WVUE) – Legendary competitive eaters Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo are heavily favored to take down the men’s and women’s mustard-yellow championship belts in Monday’s annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest in Coney Island’s Maimonides Park.
Oddsmakers from Caesars Sportsbook have pegged Chestnut as a prohibitive -3000 favorite in the men’s competition, meaning a winning $3000 wager would return only $100. Or you can take the entire men’s field against Chestnut at +1200 (12-1 odds).
Chestnut has won the contest in 14 of the past 15 years, and set a record last year by consuming 76 hot dogs and buns before the contest’s 10-minute time limit expired. Caesars has set the over/under on Chestnut’s performance today at 76.5 hot dogs eaten.
Sudo is favored to reclaim the women’s title, with odds of -1800 against the field (+900). Sudo won seven straight women’s titles from 2014-20 before sitting out last year while pregnant.
Defending women’s champion Michelle Lesco ate 30.75 hot dogs last year to claim the title with Sudo absent. But Caesars set the over/under for Sudo today at 44.5 hot dogs eaten, compared to just 29.5 for Lesco.
The morning handicap line favored Chestnut to defeat his runner-up today by 22.5 hot dogs. It’s an impressive expected margin of victory, especially since Chestnut is eating hurt today. The national treasure is on crutches with his lower right leg in a cast following a recent accident.
The contest is scheduled to start Monday at 11 a.m. CT.
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