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Catch up on notable Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest champions

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Jul 3, 2022

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They don't call him "Jaws" for nothing! The 14-time hot dog eating champion Joey "Jaws" Chesnut holds the world record of eating 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes. The 38-year-old Indiana native weighs in at 230 pounds and is sure to be looking for another victory this weekend.
They don’t call him “Jaws” for nothing! The 14-time hot dog eating champion Joey “Jaws” Chesnut holds the world record of eating 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes. The 38-year-old Indiana native weighs in at 230 pounds and is sure to be looking for another victory this weekend. Getty Images

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Even though she's a slight 125 pounds, queen of big eats Miki Sudo, AKA the No. 1 ranked female for hot dog eating, knows how to get down and dirty. With competitive eating records in ice cream and kimchi in addition to hot dogs, the 36-year-old originally from Tampa, Florida isn't messing around when it comes to her big eats.
Even though she’s a slight 125 pounds, queen of big eats Miki Sudo, AKA the No. 1 ranked female for hot dog eating, knows how to get down and dirty. With competitive eating records in ice cream and kimchi in addition to hot dogs, the 36-year-old originally from Tampa, Florida isn’t messing around when it comes to her big eats.
WireImage

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You don't earn a name like "Tsunami" by taking it easy. The 44-year-old Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi, weighing in at 160 pounds and hailing from Nagano, Japan, is a legend in the competitive eating world. Kobayashi won Nathan's hot dog eating content six consecutive times before a contract dispute with Major League Eating led to his ending his relationship with the competition.
You don’t earn a name like “Tsunami” by taking it easy. The 44-year-old Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi, weighing in at 160 pounds and hailing from Nagano, Japan, is a legend in the competitive eating world. Kobayashi won Nathan’s hot dog eating content six consecutive times before a contract dispute with Major League Eating led to his ending his relationship with the competition.
Getty Images

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"The Black Widow" is a name for those that kill, and if there's one thing 55-year-old Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas knows how to do, it's kill a hot dog or two. Thomas, weighing in at a slender 105 pounds and hailing from Alexandria, Virginia, stunned fans when she won the hot dog eating content in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
“The Black Widow” is a name for those that kill, and if there’s one thing 55-year-old Sonya “Black Widow” Thomas knows how to do, it’s kill a hot dog or two. Thomas, weighing in at a slender 105 pounds and hailing from Alexandria, Virginia, stunned fans when she won the hot dog eating content in 2011, 2012, and 2013.
FilmMagic

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Fiere competitor Hirofumi Nakajima is one of several Japanese eaters to take home the gold over the years at the contest, winning it in both 1997 and 1998.
Fiere competitor Hirofumi Nakajima is one of several Japanese eaters to take home the gold over the years at the contest, winning it in both 1997 and 1998.
AFP via Getty Images

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Sixty-one-year old Michael “The Scholar” Devito (left) is an expert on schooling the hot dog eating competition. The Manalapan Township, New Jersey resident, weighing in at 200 pounds, is a three-time hot dog eating champion, winning in 1990, 1993, and 1994.
freelance

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The 300-pound Ed Krachie (left) gulped down 22 hot dogs to win the contest in 1996, breaking the world record at the time.
The 300-pound Ed Krachie (left) gulped down 22 hot dogs to win the contest in 1996, breaking the world record at the time.
AFP via Getty Images

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Michelle Lesco, also known as "Cardboard Shell," dethroned Miki Sudo's seven-year run as Nathan's champion in 2021. When she isn't chowing down on hot dogs, she still works with numbers by being a math teacher in Arizona.
Michelle Lesco, also known as “Cardboard Shell,” dethroned Miki Sudo’s seven-year run as Nathan’s champion in 2021. When she isn’t chowing down on hot dogs, she still works with numbers by being a math teacher in Arizona.
Andrew Schwartz / SplashNews.com

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You may have seen him on YouTube, but when Matt Stonie showed up for the Nathan's hot dog eating competition in 2015, he ended Joey Chestnut's eight-year winning streak.
You may have seen him on YouTube, but when Matt Stonie showed up for the Nathan’s hot dog eating competition in 2015, he ended Joey Chestnut’s eight-year winning streak.
Photo by Andrew Renneisen/Getty Images

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