After a couple of years of being held in different places based on the Coronavirus pandemic the time-honored Nathan’s hot dog eating contest was back on the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenue’s in Coney Island. 2020 found the event going virtual and last year it was at the nearby baseball stadium but there is truly nothing like having this out on the street in front of the very first Nathan’s restaurant. As expected there were thousands in attendance and the heat of the day was about 85 degrees but sadly I would not be out there in the mix and instead was tuning in again from the household. Truth be told, despite my going to some concerts and conventions I’m not 100% there yet with a crowd like this one that is heaped on top of each other with barely an inch to breathe. I think the media gets placed in a special area of their own but having never looked into the whole thing I was not certain. The rallying was mostly behind the current and continued men’s champion Joey “Jaws” Chestnut but there were a few notable contenders looking to unseat him. For the women, Miki Sudo was returning and looking to claim the belt back from last year’s champion Michelle Lesco. I am happy to report that both Chestnut and Sudo won their side of the competition.
I screen captured the images here from the television broadcast when each of the competitors were declared the winner. While Chestnut would win once again he didn’t break his record of “76” and instead consumed “63” of the hot dogs. This is still an incredible feat of eating for sure. Though I didn’t see this take place, someone dressed as Darth Vader jumped on the stage to protest and he was quickly dispatched. Sad to find that there is always some @$$hole out there looking to mess things up. For the women I had said that Miki Sudo was back in the championship status and ate “40” of the hot dogs where the winner of last years belt ate “25”. During the live competition I kept hearing the reporters say “the splash zone” which is water, sweat and whatever “returns” come back from the folks vying for the title. This is likely similar to my own photo pits at the concerts so I am not sure I want to be jumping out of the way of anything no matter how much I’d like to photograph the proceedings. Congratulations to both of the champions.
Like I did last time around, I am repeating my images from the past because I haven’t had a proper visit to Nathan’s Famous in a couple of years now. I did have a couple of their hot dogs at the recent Franchise Expo at the Javits Center and while they were super tasty, it only made me want to head to Coney Island for the real deal soon as I can. I guess I should look into what is coming to the venue over there.
As I reflect on the time that its been since I’ve been over this way I am thinking that I need to do this within the coming weeks. A good plan if I don’t have a concert is to hit the Boardwalk, see a few sights and maybe walk that long pier since its always interesting. The Nathan’s visit can be my closing since its right near the train that I need to take home. The shows that I am interested in here only seem to be the Anthrax and the Lamb of God ones so I hope more is coming soon. As I wrap it up I wonder once again what’s your favorite order from Nathan’s my friends? Chime in down below and I will see you next time. Please stay safe out there as we still have a ways to go IMHO.
Official Website: https://nathansfamous.com/
Official Website: http://www.majorleagueeating.com