Josh Peter of USA Today has has written an article about the post contest jumps for Miki Sudo (33->38.75) and Nick Wehry (39->45) in Saturday’s Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest. The increments enabled over/under bettors who wagered on overs to declare victory. Sam Barclay was responsible for boosting Miki Sudo’s count by 5, claiming a missed plate. In the ESPN Miki Sudo camera, it appears that she came into contact with at most 34 hot dogs for the duration of the contest. Retired eater Darron Breeden had the following quote:

I agree that standards need to be raised for the eaters, the fans and especially for anyone that has money tied to it,’’ said Breeden, who finished second twice. “…You want to preserve the integrity of the contest.

Miki Sudo did a radio interview for Q105. When asked about the counting issues, she said she did not know where the extra five hot dogs came from. (AI transcript from youtube)

So uh explain the fact that they initially had you had at 33 hot dogs eaten and then they jammed you up another, what 5.75?

Yeah. So uh so the last hot dog count if you look so I eat two hot dogs followed by two buds. And sometimes when I’msecondstired, I I do one hot dog and then one bun. So, what you see on camera in the final few seconds is I’d already eatenthe meat and I’m finishing the bun. Um I I forgot with how many seconds to go. I’m finishing that bun, but then with probably still only two seconds to go, I shove another full hot dog in my mouth. that’s where the count should have gone up by one and then immediately another another one. Um but they missed that. Is this what you know I think I think all of this is they’ve got eyes at table level and it makes it very very hard like doesn’t like I believe okay with all the advances you know I know we like to do Americana and tradition and all that but I think it’s time to maybe introduce some technology where we’ve got like digital counters and maybe off-site cameras watching. Yes.

All this chatter about AI. How about having some AI hot dog counters? Let’s put it to good use.

Right. Just don’t replace my job. Um, but beyond that, um, so I I can I can explain the last, um, hot dog, like the one and a half bump because if you look, I shove another full hot dog in my mouth with two seconds to go. Um, but, uh, you know, beyond that, I’m going to be really honest with you. During thecontest, I have no concept of time. And I don’t know if I’ve eaten 12 hot dogs, 17 hot dogs, 22, 42. Like, there’s somelike I know when I’m having a good day and I know when I’m having like a a bad day, but anywhere in between. And that’s where I’m just telling people like any sort of discrepancy or or anything beyond what I I know that I can explain. It’s just like look, my job is to eat the hot dogs. The the rest of those we’ve got professionals watching me. So I I leave that job to them. Um but you know, it was uh you know, all I know is at the end we count up the plates and then that’s what that’s what it said.

Yeah. The official count was 38 and three/4ers. George Sheay, who’s the the very funny uh co-founder of Major League Eating. He’s the guy with the straw hat with the the really funny in the well-written funny intros and everything. So, he said he he explained that the counter missed the plate. Uh and head coach Sam Barlay caught that. Sam Barklay is the head judge.

So yeah, I uh I I because I’m standing right beside Sam Barkley when he’s counting because obviously we’ve got counters, we’ve got judges, we got refs, all that at the table, but there’s a lot of chaos and and some of this is on me because sometimes I’m eating two hot dogs, sometimes I’m catching up withtwo buns. Sometimes I get tired and I switch to one hot dog by one bun. They they don’t know my cadence. Like there, you know, you could try to watch somebody, but you know, I feel like maybe it’s it’s it’s easier than said. So, at the end they do count the plates and obviously it’s five to a plate and uh you know it’s I was there standing there with Sam when he counted up the seven plates plus the last eight that I was eating off of

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