How to watch the 2025 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest for free

It isn’t July Fourth without hot dogs, but to be more specific, it isn’t July Fourth without the traditional Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

After missing last year’s contest, 16-time champ Joey Chestnut is back in the field this year. Last year, Chestnut was handed a ban following a dispute due to his conflicting sponsorship with Impossible Foods. While Chestnut still works with Impossible Foods, a deal for Chestnut to return to Nathan’s was struck in June 2025, paving the way for the record-holder to defend his record again.

RELATED: Joey Chestnut gives behind-the-scenes look at ‘hungry’ prep for Nathan’s return

Last year’s champ Patrick Bertoletti, who earned the belt after eating 58 hot dogs in 10 minutes, is also returning to this year’s contest.

Miki Sudo, who set the world record in the 2024 contest with 51 hot dogs, will return to the women’s field this year, to defend her unbeaten streak.

When and where is the 2025 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest?

The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is today, July 4, near the original Nathan’s store in Coney Island.

The women’s contest begins at 10:45 a.m. ET, while the men’s contest kicks off at 12 p.m. ET.

How to watch the 2025 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest for free:

If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream Gold Cup matches for free. One option we love is DIRECTV, which comes with five days free and starts at $59.99/month, with plenty of subscription options that include the ESPN family of networks.

The women’s contest will air on ESPN3, before moving over to ESPN2 for the men’s contest.

You can also take advantage of free trials of fuboTV (seven days) and Hulu + Live TV (three days).

2025 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest participants:

Top competitors from around the globe, including champions Chestnut and Sudo, will compete in this year’s contest.

Men’s field

Joey Chestnut: 41 years old, from Westfield, Indiana
Patrick Bertoletti: 40, from Chicago, Illinois
James Webb: 36, from Sydney, Australia
Nick Wehry: 35, from Tampa, Florida
Geoffrey Esper: 50, from Oxford, Massachusetts
Max Stanford: 37, from Brixton, England
Derek Hendrickson: 37, from Las Vegas, Nevada
George Chiger: 46, from Pocono Pines, Pennsylvania
Ricardo Corbucci: 38, from Brasilia, Brazil
Gideon Oji: 33, from Morrow, Georgia
Adrian Morgan: 42, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Radim Dvořáček: 34, from Ostrava, Czech Republic
Darrien Thomas: 26, from Ontario, Canada
Cameron Meade: 21, from Valparasio, Indiana
Jerome Burns: 33, from Danbury, Connecticut

Women’s field

Miki Sudo: 39 years old, from Tampa, Florida
Michelle “Cardboard Shell” Lesco: 41, from Tucson, Arizona
Domenica Dee: 33, from Westchester, New York
Tandra Childress: 39, from San Francisco, California
Katie Prettyman: 42, from Marysville, Washington
Larell Marie Mele: 55, from Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Isabeau Prettyman: 18, from Marysville, Washington
Jocelyn Young: 44, Sherman, Texas
Kelly Lewis: 32, from Overland Park, Kansas
Camille O’Brien: 38, from Jeffersonville, New York*
Elizabeth “Glizzy Lizzy” Salgado: 33, from Kern County, California
Cherish Brown: 36, from Edon, Ohio
Madison Barone: 24, from Manville, New Jersey
Laura Beitler: 30, from Batavia, Illinois

2025 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest prize purse:

A prize pool of roughly $40,000 is split between the men’s and women’s event. The winner of each portion of the event receives $10,000. Second place gets $5,000 and third place receives $2,500.

2025 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest rules:

Though the rules aren’t overly complicated, there are a few that the competitors must follow.

Each competitor has 10 minutes to eat as many hot dogs as possible.
Competitors receive one plate of five hot dogs and buns at a time.
Ketchup and mustard are not permitted.
Any non-alcoholic beverages are allowed, but only water is given. If competitors bring their own beverages, they are limited to 13 cups.
Competitors can separate the hot dogs from the buns but must eat an equal amount. If an uneven amount is eaten, the lower number is the competitor’s score
Competitors are allowed to dunk the hot dog and bun in a cup for as many as five seconds.
No utensils are allowed. Eaters are allowed to break up the hot dogs but must do so with their hands.
Any eater who vomits during the competition is disqualified.
The competitor with the most hot dogs and buns eaten within 10 minutes wins.

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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Writer/Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping and New York Post’s streaming property, Decider. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews

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