Chestnut Returns to Coney Island Seeking 17th Mustard Belt on July 4

Competitive-eating icon Joey “Jaws” Chestnut will return to Coney Island on 4 July after a one-year absence to chase a 17th Mustard Belt at the 2025 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest. Chestnut, 41, holds the contest’s world record of 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes and has claimed 16 titles—10 more than any other eater since the event began in 1972.

Chestnut missed the 2024 edition following a sponsorship dispute with plant-based rival Impossible Foods. His comeback sets up a rematch with defending champion Patrick “Deep Dish” Bertoletti, who consumed 58 hot dogs last year, and fellow contender Geoffrey Esper, runner-up in 2024 with 53. Chestnut has said he aims to approach 80 hot dogs this year, while Bertoletti has set a 60-dog target.

The men’s competition begins at noon Eastern, preceded by the women’s event at 10:45 a.m.; both will be broadcast live on ESPN platforms under a rights deal that runs through 2029. Sportsbooks have installed Chestnut as a prohibitive favourite at odds ranging from –1600 to –2500, and several states, including Colorado and Kentucky, are offering prop bets on total consumption. The contest, staged outside the original Nathan’s on Surf and Stillwell avenues, carries a $10,000 first-place prize.