Nathan's Fourth of July Hot Dog-Eating Contest: The Wildest Rules Competitors Have to Follow

Red, white and chewy!

If there’s one thing synonymous with Independence Day, it’s the famous Nathan’s Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest — a famous contest held every year on the Fourth of July at Coney Island, New York.

For those competing in the annual Frankfurter Madness, dozens of hot dogs are inhaled within 10 minutes in an attempt to capture the coveted, “bejeweled” Mustard Belt — along with a $10,000 grand prize and (most importantly) the championship title.

While approximately 40,000 fans are expected to gather at Nathan’s Famous in Brooklyn to watch it all go down (and hopefully not come), millions will tune in to ESPN to enjoy the highly anticipated contest.

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Joey Chestnut, who has 16 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest titles under his belt, will not be returning to the men’s division this year. The champion was banned due to a conflict with a plant-based brand, making him ineligible to participate as Nathan does not allow competitors to endorse a “rival brand”.

Still, Chestnut’s record of 62 hot dogs eaten in just 10 minutes — earning him his final title in July 2023 — is the one to beat! In addition, Chestnut will compete in one more contest on July 4th: Pop Goes the Fort, an event for military families in El Paso, Texas.

As for the women’s division, Michelle Lesco is back at the table to defend her win from 2021 — where she not only made her Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog debut, but ate 30.75 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.

PEOPLE spoke with Sam Barclay, director of operations at Major League Eating (MLE), who revealed the official rules that Nathan’s Celebrity contestants must adhere to — from the drinks allowed to the composition of the buns. (And no, mustard is not allowed.)

Contestants must qualify to participate.

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The Nathan’s Famous International Competition is the ultimate championship event for competitive hot dog eaters, and not everyone can participate. They must be over 18 years of age to enter the MLE qualifying event. Furthermore, those who eat must then rank and be invited to participate in the Fourth of July showdown.

“In the time before COVID, [MLE] would do a larger series of qualifying events around the country — where the men’s winner and the women’s winner of those qualifying events go on to compete on the Fourth of July,” Barclay tells PEOPLE exclusively.

He says that “MLE invited the top 10 ranked male competitors and the top 10 ranked female competitors” this year.

“On top of that, we had two qualifying events: one on June 18th in Pleasanton, California, and one on June 25th in Washington, DC,” he adds, sharing that the top three men and top three women from those events will compete at Coney Iceland.

Male and female fir trees must compete separately.

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While Chesnut is at the top of the MLE food chain, Lesco is ranked #9 for both men and women combined — but regardless of the order of collaborators, the competition is divided by gender.

“On the Fourth of July, we have the men’s championship and the women’s championship. Both events have the same rules, the same mechanics, the same metrics, and they’re both judged the same way,” explains Barclay.

“This year, Joey Chestnut and Michelle Lesco automatically get the status of defending champions,” notes Barclay.

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Hot dogs must be consumed within a certain time.

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Eating 30+ hot dogs in your spare time might sound easy (actually, it might not), but there’s a time limit for those competing in the Nathan’s Famous competition.

“The winner is the man or woman who eats the most Nathan’s Famous hot dogs and rolls in 10 minutes,” says Barclay.

Hot dogs must be consumed in a certain order.

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Handfuls of franks being shoved into contestants’ mouths may seem like chaos, but there’s actually an order that people must follow before devouring them.

“It’s hot dogs on a plate, five hot dogs and buns on a plate,” explains Barclay. “Eaters eat one plate and move on to the next.”

Competitors may not use dishes.

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You can have a plate, but leave the forks and knives at home because utensils are prohibited! (But does anyone really eat a hot dog with cutlery?)

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Hot dogs do not have to be eaten whole.

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If there’s one speed at which most contestants eat in a competition, it’s fast — and while shoving a whole hot dog into their mouth may seem like the best strategy, it’s not the only way!

“Eaters may separate the dog from the bun,” notes Barclay. “Those who eat can take, for example, a dog and put it in two. They can cut the dog in half. They can cut the bun in half.”

Hot dogs can be soaked in water, but only for a certain time.

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Another strategy often used by contestants is to dip the pastry in water to make it fall more easily, but there is a guideline for nailing it! Those who are eating are only allowed to soak the bread for a maximum of five seconds.

Contestants must eat a proportionate amount of hot dogs and pastries to count their total.

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While diners may deconstruct the hot dog or eat the bun and meat separately, the appropriate portions must be consumed in order for the number to count toward the total.

“So if you eat a bagel but none of the dog, that counts as zero. If you eat half a bagel and a whole dog, that counts as half,” says Barclay.

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Alcoholic drinks are not allowed during the competition.

Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut. ESPN Movies

In addition to being used for drowning, the water also serves as a necessary drink for those eating to wash down the hot dogs. While Nathan’s Famous will provide water during the competition, contestants may bring their own beverages of choice, but they must be non-alcoholic.

“Eaters have cups and water. Most eaters prefer empty cups and cups with water,” explains Barclay. “Some of them will bring their own drink and mix water with that drink. We allow a maximum of 13 cups per person.”

Contestants must swallow the hot dog in order for it to count.

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At the end of 10 minutes, what he eats in his mouth counts — but he must eat that food within 30 seconds.

Oh, and don’t forget the crumbs!

“If there are any portions of the dog and bun in the dining table area or on the floor in front of them, that go missing during the competition and are not eaten, that is deducted from the final total,” says Barclay.

If contestants throw up, they are disqualified.

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This one is self-explanatory. If the eater cannot keep the hot dogs, he is disqualified from the competition.

Spices are prohibited.

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Sorry, mustard and ketchup, you’re not invited to this 4th of July barbecue! While other MLE competitions may allow condiments (only if provided by the event sponsor), Nathan’s Famous does not.

As Barclay says, “You don’t add food that doesn’t count toward your total.”

Nathan’s Famous International 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place from 11am to 1pm on the 4th of July at Coney Island, New York. It will also be broadcast live on ESPN3 and ESPNEWS, in addition to streaming here.

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Source: HIS Education