Master Pho in Atlanta, GA will hold a pho eating contest on May 31 awarding free pho for one year to the winner and an iPhone 17 to the runner up. 3rd and 4th places will receive $500 and $200 gift cards.
Jersey Roll in Seaside Heights, NJ will hold a pork roll eating contest on June 20 awarding $500.
The Reading, PA Fighting Phils will hold a tribute to Joey Chestnut at their May 30 game. A bobblehead doll will be available.
2026 Sun Bum banana eating contest
update The Philadelphia Inquirer has a contest report
Official results are on Instagram:
| 1st | 15 | 1m53s | Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti |
| 2nd | 15 | 1m55s | James Webb |
| 3rd | 15 | 2m20s | Jerome Burns |
| 4th | 15 | 2m28s | Max Stanford |
| 5th | 15 | 2m34s | Radim Dvoracek |
| 6th | 15 | 2m41s | Nick Wehry |
| 7th | 14.95 | 2m41s | Cameron Meade |
| 8th | 14.74 | 2m41s | Tanner Gray |
| 9th | 14.5 | 2m41s | Miki Sudo |
| 10th | 9.3 | 2m41s | Camille O’Brien |
| 11th | 8.5 | 2m41s | Crazy Legs Conti |
| 12th | 6.6 | 2m41s | Cherish “Five Pounds” Brown |
| 13th | 4.9 | 2m41s | Ben Gravy |
| 14th | 3.7 | 2m41s | Rene Rovtar |
The HAAPI Food & Music Festival in St. Petersburg, FL will hold Pad Thai eating contests on May 22, 23 and 24 awarding $250 to the winner.
The Japan Reporter has a 10 minute documentary titled "Rise and Fall of Japan's Big Eating Culture"
Nick Wehry has the field for Saturday's Sun Bum Banana Eating World Championship in Wildwood, NJ: himself, James Webb, Pat Bertoletti, Mik Sudo, Rene Rovtar, Cherish Brown, Jerome Burns and Crazy Legs Conti.
Joey Chestnut pleads guilty to battery
update May 21Front Office Sports reports that Joey Chestnut will not be penalized by MLE or Nathan’s for the incident.
update US Magazine has posted the terms of Joey Chestnut’s 180 day probation: no alcohol, drugs or firearms. He must also submit to drug and alcohol testing, enter a treatment program and have all travel outside Indiana approved by his probation officer.
US Magazine reports that Joey Chestnut plead guilty in April to a misdemeanor battery charge stemming from an altercation at Joe’s Grille in Westfield, IN on March 21. He received 180 days probation, which will be in effect for Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest on July 4. Presumably, the terms of Chestnut’s probation will allow him to leave Indiana and travel to New York, but the article did not explicitly state that. Here is the description of the incident:
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The Heart Attack Attack Grill announced they will not be renewing its lease in Las Vegas. The restaurant's "Octuple Bypass" is probably the most iconic burger challenge in the USA. They are looking to reopen in an alternate location. updateThe Las Vegas Review-Journal has an article. The restaurant closed Monday morning.
The Lebanon, MO Route 66 Festival will hold a wing eating contest on June 6 awarding $500 to the winner.
Number of Nathan’s qualifiers by contest year
Here is the number of Nathan’s Famous hot dog qualifiers in the database since 2002 by contest year. The list does not include non hot dog competitions like the 2005 UK sausage eating contest that awarded a finals spot.
| 2025-26 | 2 |
| 2024-25 | 6 |
| 2023-24 | 7 |
| 2022-23 | 6 |
| 2021-22 | 2 |
| 2020-21 | 0 |
| 2019-20 | 3 |
| 2018-19 | 16 |
| 2017-18 | 19 |
| 2016-17 | 19 |
| 2015-16 | 12 |
| 2014-15 | 15 |
| 2013-14 | 15 |
| 2012-13 | 12 |
| 2011-12 | 14 |
| 2010-11 | 15 |
| 2009-10 | 15 |
| 2008-09 | 18 |
| 2007-08 | 19 |
| 2006-07 | 14 |
| 2005-06 | 16 |
| 2004-05 | 14 |
| 2003-04 | 14 |
| 2002-03 | 13 |
A list of all the qualifiers follows after the jump
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Sidewinder in Phoenix will hold a hot dog eating contest on May 24 awarding $5,000 to the winner. Entrants must purchase $5 lottery tickets to obtain a spot.
Joey Chestnut will face off against teams of three at a gyro eating contest at Nick the Greek in San Diego on May 19. The winner will receive $1000.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Route 66, The Big Texan will do a tour offering its 72 ounce steak along the famed highway in June. The trip will begin on June 4 in Santa Monica and end on June 25 in Chicago. Naader Reda plans to attempt the challenge in Barstow, CA.
Millie's Smash Bar in Patchogue, NY will hold a Smashburger eating contest on June 14 awarding $500 to the winner.
Pat Bertoletti was the guest on this morning's epsidoe of "Toon in with Me" on MeTV.
The Rusty Wheel in South Beloit, IL will hold a hot dog eating contest on May 25 awarding $500 to the winner.
The Sausage Slam in Sedalia, MO will hold amateur-only hot dog eating contests on June 13 awarding $500 to the top man and woman.
2026 Ultimate Bologna Showdown
update WVLT and WATE have articles
Full results are in an Instagram story
| 1st | 16 | Joey “Jaws” Chestnut | contest record |
| 2nd | 12.75 | James Webb | |
| 3rd | 10 | Nick Wehry | |
| 4th | 9 | Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti | |
| 5th | 8 | Cameron Meade | |
| 6th | 7.5 | Radim Dvoracek | |
| 7th | 5.25 | Tanner Gray | |
| 8th | 3 | Andrew “The Bear” Kogutkiewicz | |
| 9th | 2.75 | Matthew Raible | |
| 10th | 2.5 | Crazy Legs Conti | |
| 11th | 2 | Cherish “Five Pounds” Brown | |
| 12th | 1.5 | Rene Rovtar |
WVLT8 will livestream the Ultimate Bologna Showdown from Knoxville, TN.
La Lupita in Houston will hold a taco eating contest on May 23 awarding $300 to the winner. $500 will be awarded if the winner eats 45 tacos or more.
Island Pacific in Las Vegas will hold a halo halo eating contest on May 9 awarding $500 to the winner and $250 to the runner up. Raina Huang is expected to compete.
Park Bench in Atlanta will hold a banana eating contests on Friday and Saturday game awarding $500 to the winner.
The Bulldog in Lafayette, LA will hold a crawfish eating contest on May 9 awarding $500 to the winner.
The NY Post has an article about the pancake challenge at Nappi’s Nook in Nesconset, NY. About 40 people have finished the challenged out of 400 attempts, but no females have been successful.
Joey Chestnut will oversee the Rural King Popcorn Showdown in Terre Haute, IN on Memorial Day, May 25.
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