These hot dog eaters might actually be competitive this year.
Joey Chestnut has been ruled ineligible to compete in Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest due to a sponsorship conflict, giving the rest of his competitors a new lease on life.
Early odds have been released by BetUS Sportsbook for the July 4 event, and James Webb is just a -150 favorite compared to the rest of the pack.
This is a seismic shift compared to years past, as Chestnut has won the contest seven years in a row and 15 of the past 16.
Chestnut was a -4000 favorite to win the tournament last year.
In 2023, Chestnut ate an impressive 62 hot dogs, while Geoffrey Esper ate 49 in second place.
Esper is +110 to win the contest this year.
Followed by Webb, the current favorite, who ate 47 last year, is Nick Wehry, who ate 45 and is +650 to with the tournament.
With Chestnut no longer eligible to compete, the parody of this year’s tournament looks to be some of the best we have seen in years.
| Eater | Odds |
|---|---|
| James Webb | -150 |
| Geoffrey Esper | +110 |
| Nick Wehry | +650 |
| Gideon Oji | 16/1 |
| Bertley Weaver IV | 16/1 |
We haven’t seen much competition in the event since Takeru Kobayashi retired after the tournament in 2009.
Chestnut and Kobayashi were in several battles in the Hot Dog Eating Contest from 2005-09 where the former eventually proved himself to be the better of the two.
Over the past several years, it’s been less about whether Chestnut will win and more about how many he will eat.
Chestnut’s over/under in 2023 was 73.5 hot dogs, which he easily went under.
Chestnut ate 62 hot dogs in 2023 but holds the record at 76 hot dogs eaten in 2021.