Nathan's hot-dog eating contest winners have devoured 1,377 hot dogs since 1972

Nathans Hot Dogs — (Image credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Another Fourth of July, another hot-dog eating contest. America's beloved — if utterly vomit-worthy — tradition of devouring frankfurters for sport will happen again this Saturday, with eight-year reigning champion Joey Chestnut making a bid for a ninth victory. Last year, Chestnut ate 61 hot dogs in order to be crowned winner, and he holds the record for the most dogs eaten, too: In 2013, he housed a whopping 69.

For those who are morbidly curious, Time has done the dirty work and drawn up a graph of all 1,377 wieners ever eaten by Nathan's Famous hot dog champs since the Coney Island stand started keeping official records in 1972. And ah, how times have changed — Jason Schechter, the 1972 winner, only ate a mere 14 dogs.

Article continues below

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.