Joey Chestnut wins his 18th Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

Chestnut spoke to "GMA" before the annual contest.

By Nadine El-Bawab

July 4, 2026, 11:01 AM

Joey Chestnut was crowned the winner of the 2026 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest for the 18th time on Saturday.

He ate 66 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.

"I knew I was going to be able to get the win," Chestnut said after, adding he realized early on that he would not set a new record.

"I’ve got so much room left," he said.

Asked whether the heat wave slowed him down, Chestnut said he didn’t want to make excuses but admitted, "Yeah it did."

"It slowed me down. There’s room for improvement," he said.

Ahead of the annual contest, Chestnut told "Good Morning America" on Saturday that he was "feeling good."

"Feeling good, I'm hungry, and it's a beautiful day. This is going to be a great Fourth of July," Chestnut said in an interview on "GMA."

Asked if he did some intermittent fasting before the competition, he said, "I’m doing my cleanse, I'm empty and I'm loose," he said. 

Miki Sudo won the women’s contest, downing 38.75 hot dogs to win for a record 12th time.

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The 2026 hot dog eating contest took place at the flagship restaurant in New York's Coney Island.

Chestnut was favored to win his 18th title. He set the men’s world record in 2021 with 76 hot dogs.