One contestant during this year's annual July 4 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest made quite the splash, so to speak, even if he ultimately was not crowned winner.
The moment occurred during the lemonade chugging contest, which has taken place for the past four years between the women's and men's hot dog eating contest. In video taken by a spectator, the contestant, sporting an orange mohawk, can be seen uncontrollably spewing out the liquid after finishing only about a third of his gallon.
With every subsequent spew, the crowd could be heard reacting in shock and horror. "Folks, I was looking away but I understand Elvis left the building," the announcer can be heard saying as an organizer helped escort the still-puking man offstage.
@me_newyorker Nathan's hot dog eating contest 2024 #contest #eatingcontest #hotdog_???? #eat #funny #sick #coneyisland #fup #foryoupage #fypシ゚viral #viral
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The incident reportedly set the men's hot dog eating contest back five minutes as organizers rushed to clean up the mess.
Ultimately, four-time, undefeated champion Eric "Badlands" Booker won the competition again this year by chugging his gallon of lemonade in just 21 seconds, beating his previous record of 23.58 seconds and setting a brand new world record in the process. Booker holds several Guinness World Records, including fastest time to drink two liters of soda, which he set in 2021 at 18.45 seconds.
ERIC BADLANDS BOOKER NEW WORLD RECORD IN THE NATHAN'S FAMOUS LEMONADE CHUG ???? pic.twitter.com/fTkdn3NRqV
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 4, 2024
That wasn't the only record set in this year's competition. Reigning women's champion Miki Sudo managed to set a new world record for the women's title by downing an impressive 51 hot dogs in 10 minutes, her 10th pink belt.
"Breaking 50 is a milestone for all women and I’m really excited to be a part of it," she later told the New York Post.
In the men's competition, 39-year-old Patrick Bertoletti from Chicago took home the Mustard Belt after eating 58 hot dogs. It was the first time since 2015 that a contestant other than Joey Chestnut won the event, as Chestnut did not compete in this year's contest due to a dispute with organizers over his decision to represent rival brand Impossible Foods.
Though Bertoletti bested his previous record of 55 dogs, he still fell considerably short of the record of 76 franks that Chestnut set in 2021. "I wasn’t going to stop eating until the job was done," he said after his win.
