Joey Chestnut has created a hot dog eating legacy and he’ll look to defend that this year when he enters the Nathan’s Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.
There’s no doubt that Chestnut has created one of the biggest and long-lasting legacies in the sport of professional eating. Maybe in all of sports? It’s telling by how much of a favorite he’ll be entering this year’s event as.
The hot dog eating phenom ate a record 76 hot dogs in last year’s event and his current over/under for this contest is set at 74.5. Chestnut will enter as a -3000 favorite, but you can also consider the field at +1000. With that in mind, it’s probably going to be difficult for you to convince yourself not to look in the direction of Chestnut here, but there’s no real value in doing that, meaning the focus should be on his over/under total. The over is currently paying out as the favorite at -135, while the under is sitting at +105. It’s hard to say if there’s value in that number, seeing as Chestnut has averaged 73 hot dogs per event in the last six defenses of his crown.
There’s a lot that goes into these events, especially for the professional eaters, who definitely know exactly what they’re doing in terms of the calories they put into their bodies. If you didn’t already know this, the average hot dog used in this competition has 130 calories, which puts into perspective that Chestnut consumed nearly 10,000 calories in just one sitting alone. Those numbers are otherworldly and should tell you how different some of these professional eaters are built, knowing very well that your average human would have a difficult time scarfing down more than four or five in a given sitting.
Chestnut has continued to amaze the public and it’s going to be must-see TV come July 4th, where people all over the globe will be tuning in to see whether or not he can break his own personal record he set at this competition last year.
Can a professional eater continue getting better with age? Time will tell.
Much like Chestnut, Miki Sudo has created her own legacy on the women’s side, which also has some interesting betting lines to follow. Sudo missed last year’s competition with her pregnancy but she’s back and ready to go, entering as an even bigger favorite than Chestnut with odds of -5000, vs. the field at +1100. The last time Sudo competed in this event, she ate 48 hot dogs, which makes for an intriguing line to follow her with this year, with an over/under currently set at 49.5. The over is currently boasting plus-money value at +125, while the under is sitting at -165. After not competing last year, it will be something to pay attention to if she can outeat her last total of 48, but it’s tough to see her doing that, which is exactly what the odds currently show.
Professional eating is no joke and these competitors take this event very seriously. You’re currently watching greatness unfold with Chestnut and Sudo, with both eaters likely to expand their professional eating resumes come Monday.
