Can Joey Chestnut hoist his record 10th Mustard Belt? Chestnut has won nine of the last 10 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contests and is the most famous competitive eater in the world. The Kentucky native crushed the competition last year, eating 70 hot dogs in 10 minutes, crushing second-place finisher Matt Stonie by 17 hot dogs. Chestnut won $10,000 for his gluttony and will be looking to eat his way to more first-place prize money. However, challengers loom in Stonie and others looking to make their mark.
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Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Will Joey Chestnut win the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest?
Yes -345
No +285
Number of hot dogs eaten by the winner
Over 69.5 +120
Under 69.5 -150
Does Chestnut deserve to be this much of a favorite?
The short answer is yes. Chestnut came back with renewed vigor after losing the title to Stonie in 2015. He admitted that he had become complacent after winning the most revered tournament in competitive eating for eight straight years.
In the run-up to get his revenge, Chestnut won events in a number of disciplines but trained especially hard with hot dogs. He ate a record 73 hot dogs in one of the qualifiers for the main event, sending a message that he was back with a vengeance.
The championship was an afterthought. Stonie had never eaten more than 60 hot dogs in a competition before his triumph in 2015 and regressed back to his average with 53 consumed last year.
Stonie has been unable to come close to matching what he did in 2015 and that makes it hard to imagine that he can knock off Chestnut. Stonie is currently ranked No. 2, but typically eats a total in the low 50s in hot dog eating competitions.
If Chestnut is going to go down, it will likely be newcomer Carmen Cincotti that does the job. Cincotti is a 24 year old from New Jersey who has burst onto the competitive eating scene in a big way. He downed 42 hot dogs at the championship last year and has steadily improved his total ever since that time.
Cincotti ate 101 bratwursts in 10 minutes in Tulsa to claim his first crown and hasn’t looked back. He ate 158 croquetas in March to win his second title and 61.75 ears of sweet corn in April to earn his third.
Currently, Cincotti is ranked No. 3 according to Major League Eating. He ate 53 hot dogs at the qualifier in Queens on June 18 and has been trending upward since then. Cincotti should have his best performance yet on Independence Day and will likely finish top two.
There really isn’t a threat to Chestnut outside of Cincotti and Stonie. Sure, there’s a chance that someone else wins, but it would take a monumental performance.
How many hot dogs will be eaten?
A more interesting wager is whether or not the winner will eat 70 or more hot dogs. Chestnut accomplished the feat in his return to glory last year and gobbled down 73 before that. He has eaten 68 hot dogs twice on his way to a title and 69 hot dogs once.
The main question will be whether or not Chestnut wants to get there. Chestnut is the only competitor that has proven he can reach these heights, but may or may not feel the need to push himself. Neither Cincotti nor Stonie are capable of getting to 70, but one of the two could give Chestnut enough of a challenge to make him feel like he needs to send a message.
That’s especially the case with Cincotti. Chestnut knows he is the future and may want to try to discourage the youngster with an overpowering performance. The under is probably a decent play at this price based on history alone.
At BookMaker Sportsbook, our team of writers breaks down every betting matchup on the wagering board. Open an account and get in on the action today!
