Chestnut, Sudo Defend Nathan's Titles as 90-Degree Heat Tests 10-Minute Contest

Q: Did extreme heat prevent Joey Chestnut from devouring his own world record?

It cannot be said from the available information that extreme heat prevented Joey Chestnut from breaking his own record. The reporting confirms that Coney Island was expected to be unusually hot for the 2026 contest, with temperatures in the low-to-mid 90s and some forecasts even higher. Analysts and ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap said those conditions would make record-breaking difficult. Historical evidence supports that concern: in 2010, when the temperature reached 96 degrees, Chestnut won with 54 hot dogs, one of his lowest championship totals, while his 76-dog world record in 2021 came in much milder weather. That said, the material provided is largely pre-event coverage. It identifies the heat as a likely obstacle, but it does not include Chestnut’s final 2026 total or any post-contest confirmation that weather was the decisive reason he failed to surpass 76, if he did fail. So the strongest fact-based answer is that the heat was widely expected to hurt his chances, and past results suggest it could have mattered, but the available reporting does not prove that it actually stopped him from setting a new record.

3 articles · Updated · Bleacher Report · Jul 4

Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo return Saturday to defend their Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest crowns at Coney Island, with the women's event set for 10:45 a.m. ET and the men's for noon.
90-degree temperatures are forecast by 10 a.m., adding strain to the 10-minute competition in which eaters race through hot dogs and buns, with ties broken by a five-dog eat-off.
Chestnut enters as the men's record holder at 76 hot dogs and won last year with 70.5, while Sudo holds the women's record at 51 and took the 2025 title with 33.
FanDuel lists Chestnut at -2500 and Sudo at -1500, leaving challengers including Patrick Bertoletti, James Webb, Domenica Dee and Michelle Lesco chasing a major upset.
ESPN2 and the ESPN app will carry the contest live, with ABC joining in a 12:30 p.m. ET simulcast as the event opens July 4 festivities on the United States' 250th birthday.