For the ninth year in a row, Germantown resident Juliet Lee will the participants in the women’s competition of Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest.

The 2019 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest will take place in Coney Island from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on Thursday, July 4. The annual contest, an American holiday tradition, will be held at the Nathan’s Famous flagship restaurant located at the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in Brooklyn.

Last year, the five-foot, five-inch, 100 pound Lee, finished 25.4 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs and buns in 10 minutes and claimed third place. The 53-year-old Lee was beaten by Miki Sudo, of Las Vegas, who ate 37.2 hot dogs and buns to win the top prize. Second place went to Michelle Lesco, of Tucson, AZ, who finished 28.3 hot dogs. The women’s world record is 45 Nathan’s Famous hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.

Joey Chestnut of San Jose, CA, is the men’s champion. He set a new world record and held on to his championship title, fending off his arch-rival Carmen Cincotti, of Newark, by consuming 74 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.

To earn a seat at the table on July 4, male and female eaters must win one of 16 qualifying events held across the nation in the lead-up to July 4. A total of 18 men and a total of 18 women are expected to compete on July 4. The men’s and women’s contests each offer $20,000 in cash prizes.

Thousands make the pilgrimage to Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island each year to watch the event in person. The ESPN telecast of the contest routinely draws an audience of millions of viewers. An annual part of the event is the Nathan’s Famous donation of 100,000 Nathan’s Famous hot dogs to Food Bank for New York City.

ESPN has exclusive live broadcast rights from 10:50 am to the conclusion of the event, expected to be at 1:05 pm. The women’s competition coverage will begin at 10:50 am and will be telecast live on ESPN3 and the ESPN App. The men’s competition coverage will begin at 12:00 pm and will be telecast live on ESPN2. It will re-air on ESPN2 at 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, and 1:00 am, and on ESPNEWS at 7:00 pm and midnight.

Photo courtesy Shea Communications