Hotdog eating contest 2026: Champion eater Joey Chestnut successfully defended his title on Saturday despite consuming fewer hot dogs than a year earlier. Battling not only other competitors but also extreme heat at the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City’s Coney Island, Chestnut scored his 18th Mustard Belt win by downing 66 hot dogs. Chestnut, who ate 70.5 dogs at the 2025 event, said the historic heat pummeling much of the East Coast kept him from making a run at his own record of 76, set in 2021.
“I knew early that I was going to win, but I also knew early I wasn’t going to break the record,” he told ESPN after his victory.
