This Saturday marks the 104th annual Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog eating contest. A jovial affair, which commemorates the 4th of July and brings together the people of Coney Island for a bit of harmless fun.
Traditionally the event has been held on the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues. However, due to the precautions in place as a result of COVID-19, the event will take place at a private venue.
NFL commentator and pundit Mike Golic Jr. will give a play-by-play of the eating competition. The show will even include an in-depth analysis by Major League Eating’s Richard Shea, with reporting by ESPN commentator Jason Fitz.
Firstly, we must address the question many readers have been asking, which is “what time is the hot dog eating contest?” The coverage will kick off at 12pm (EST) and will be shown on ESPN, on a one-hour telecast of the event. While this is the scheduled time, it’s difficult to be certain how long the hot-dog contest will last as often the event overruns the set time.
For anyone that misses the live event and wants to know who won the hot dog eating contest, they can tune in for repeats on ESPN2 at 4 pm and 8 pm (EST). It will also air on the 5th of July on ESPN News at 12 pm and 2 pm.
The favorite for the men’s hot-dog contest is the infamous Joey Chestnut, who is looking for his 13th title against five other competitors. He’s at -900 to take his 14th title and +500 to lose at BetOnline. Joey Chestnut has dominated the professional eating scene for a long time and with a huge lead in the oddsmaker’s eyes, we expect more of the same on Saturday.
In the women’s category, it’s all about defending champion Miki Sudo, having won every title since 2014 – and the women’s event was only introduced in 2011. Sudo’s domineering reign over the rest of the field means she waltzes in as the clear favorite at -550 to win and +325 not to win with BetOnline and various other top-tier oddsmakers.
There are a few head-to-head spreads that are well worth taking a look at for the hot-dog contest. Firstly the head-to-head winners in the men’s and women’s category against the field. Starting with the men’s competition and Joey Chestnut, who is at -1600 to win against the Field at +700 with the oddsmaker Bovada. Then comes the Women’s favorite Miki Sudo at -850 against the Field at +450, again with one of the biggest providers around Bovada.
As well as outright winners odds, there are a number of great prop bets that always pop up, which are mostly silly but really add to the betting experience and the overall entertainment on the Independence Day celebrations.
Firstly, we have “Will there be an Eat-off?”, which is when the event is tied and two or more competitors battle it out to see who is crowned the winner. The odds of there being an Eat-off are at +750 and not being one at -2500.
Another fun little wager is whether or not the contest will be interrupted by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) at any point. The activist group regularly shows up at these kinds of events. The oddsmakers at Bovada have them turning up at +800 and not showing up at -2500.
It’s worth mentioning at this point, that Bovada provides a great range of entertainment odds throughout the year and is one of the leading Bitcoin betting sites around – for those cryptocurrency lovers amongst you.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
Summary
Chris Wassel AA, AAS CURRENTLY Sports Writer and Journalist RESIDES IN Rahway, NJ EDUCATION Union County College, Montclair State University EXPERTISE Business, Writing, Sports, Food, Grilling, Olympics, Injuries, Politics, and more Summary Member of FSWA, FSGA, and a variety of Sports Betting Groups. Lead arranger of news and injury reports for Rotoballer Hockey. Also did the news lead for NASCAR on the same site coming out of COVID. Strategy and mapping out of various sports betting and sports articles for MyNHLTradeRumors and gambling.com. Runs a hockey and fantasy hockey podcast that teaches fantasy hockey players how to improve their skills. Experience Chris Wassel has 20+ years of sports journalistic experience in various disciplines.. His ability to play sports is well documented. Most people in the business just write. However, Chris will race cars and even a super Moto bike from time to time. There is that fitness and hiking/cycling aspect too. Chris has climbed mountains from Mount Washington to Mount San Jacinto in Palm Springs, California. For those that do not know. Chris also dabbles in food eating contests and challenges. Having a unique background with friends including Joey Chestnut and Casey Webb, Chris has the ability to eat a whole 16-pound turkey or a 32 inch meat lover's pizza. Since 2013, Chris has primarily focused on sports writing and fitness. On social media, he will answer any question in many different aspects. Even Chris's ability to wager on Entertainment and US Elections is well documented. He was able to predict Joe Biden's inevitable dip in approval rating below 40%. Throughout his career, Chris has worked at a lot of places from DraftKings to USA Today and much more. Finally, Chris has been nominated for quite a few awards from the Fantasy Sports Writers Association for Hockey Writer Of The Year. Also, there have been a number of amazing fantasy hockey championships from expert to high-stake leagues. Education Chris received an Associates from Union Country College for business and accounting. Chris did sports journalism work at Montclair State University covering the hockey, baseball, and football teams. Quote from Chris Wassel "Do Not Think, Just Do.”
Education
1999 Graduate of Union County College
1993 Graduate of Rahway High School
Professional Achievements
Media credentialed member of the New Jersey Devils since 2010
Covered several NHL Drafts including the one day event in Newark in 2013
Been on countless podcasts, TV shows, and more including Sportsnet and even NHL Network