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Ten contestants will flex their binge chops on Saturday at Nathan’s Famous July 4th Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest, but won’t be cheered on by regular crowds of onlookers with foam hot dog hats, plastic noises, and homemade signs.
“While we won’t have the crowd, I think we will have the same level of excitement,” Nathan senior vice president of restaurants James Walker told FOX Business on Friday.
During the hour-long televised event on ESPN, five men and five women will gather at a location in the Coney Island metropolitan area whose location has been kept secret to prevent viewers from gathering and spreading COVID-19, the pandemic. Viral that shut down the United States economy earlier this year and has reshaped American lifestyles.
NATHAN HOT DOG COMPETITION OPEN FOR LEGAL BET FOR THE FIRST TIME
Nathan’s Hot Dog Food Contest on July 4 at Coney Island, New York on July 4, 2019. (Paul Martinka)
They will delight in the comfort of air conditioning, rather than eating in the often grilling heat, and the facility will be protected by a series of coronavirus-related security measures.
While the event won’t feature the Coney Island boardwalk crowd, it may be the most-watched contest in competition history, Walker said. One reason is that it will not compete with other major television events like Wimbledon.
Nathan’s Hot Dog Food Contest on July 4 at Coney Island, New York on July 4, 2019. (Paul Martinka)
Security measures, considered since March, which include cutting the number of participants from the usual 15 men and 15 women. Everyone who enters the contest must wear a mask and submit to a temperature check, and competitors will be placed at least six feet apart with Plexiglass barriers between them.
The judges, who wear face masks and shields, will be kept at least six feet back, and the stage will be completely disinfected between the men’s and women’s championships.
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Eating indoors can give contestants an advantage this year, and Walker believes he’ll even see another record set.
Nathan’s Hot Dog Food Contest on July 4 at Coney Island on July 4, 2019 (Paul Martinka).
For fans who can’t see the event in person but still want to put some skin on the game, it will be open to legal gambling in three states, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Colorado, for the first time in its history. .
Last year, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut ate 71 sausages and buns to secure his 12th title, while Miki Sudo won the women’s competition with 31 hot dogs.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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