How Can You Even Cheat In A Hot Dog Eating Contest? The Nathan's Controversy Explained

Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest — is there anything more American than this annual Fourth of July monument to competitive spirit and, of course, deliciously processed meat? It's an institution that brings joy and entertainment to the masses, or at least, it usually is. During the 2024 contest, the taste of beef was tainted by the acrid rumors of contestant Nick Wehry cheating. But how does one cheat at a hot dog-eating contest in front of cameras and spectators alike?

The answer lies in the scoring system. While hot dogs are counted in the moment, the official tally that goes to the Major League Eating offices is scored based on the number of empty plates in front of each competitor, and this is where the controversy began. During the contest, Wehry's score of 46.75 hot dogs was called out, but when the score went live on the league's website, it read 51.75, good for fourth place and $1000 in prize money. This led to claims that there was video evidence of Wehry adding a plate to his pile when no one was looking. 

Wehry would have placed fourth with either number. However, some said that the real issue is that making it to 50 hot dogs, as Wehry's wife Miki Sudo did in the same competition, puts you in an elite group of competitive eaters, a ranking that some might feel is worthy of tipping the scales for. While Wehry denied cheating, he eventually called for the original score of 46.75 to stand, so as to avoid the perception of impropriety.

The story goes that Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest started in Coney Island on the Fourth of July back in 1916, when four immigrants had an impromptu contest to celebrate their love of America. It's a sweet tale; the only problem is that this origin story is a total myth, thought up as a publicity stunt for the brand — the real first recorded competition wasn't until 1972. Thankfully, this myth led to a very real and lasting tradition replete with drama, heroes, and even signature styles such as the revolutionary Kobayashi shake, a move that changed the contest forever. 

There have been controversies long before Nick Wehry's cheating scandal shook up the world of competitive eating. In 2010, Kobayashi became embroiled in a contract dispute with Major League Eating, which wanted exclusive rights to the icon of the sport, while Kobayashi wanted freedom to compete. This led to the six-time champion being banned from Nathan's annual contest. In 2024, it was announced that the man who had snatched the crown from Kobayashi, Joey Chestnut, had been banned from the contest as well, due to his partnership with Impossible Foods, a Nathan's competitor. In response, Netflix hosted a head-to-head battle between the two. It was the rivals' first matchup in 15 years, which Chestnut won by a whopping 17 hot dogs, breaking his own record with a total of 83 dogs.