Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest, as the name implies, is a competition based on eating hot dogs. It is held at the Nathans Corporations restaurant on the fourth day of July, every year. It is a way for the restaurant to celebrate the Independence Day of The United States of America. This popular event gathers a huge amount of spectators around the restaurant on that day. The popular Sports channel, ESPN has also taken up the job of telecasting this awesome competition.
The origin of this Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest dates back to the 4th of July, 1916. On that day, four immigrants came into the Nathans in order to have a hot dog competition among them selves, just to prove who is the patriotic. Though the excuse for eating hot dogs was a bit absurd, the concept of holding such a competition came into the mind of the people in the restaurant. From the next year onwards, this competition has become a routine for the Nathans.
In order to be eligible for the Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest, one has to be above 18 years of age. 20 contestants are allowed to participate in this competition. A large table is arranged for them on which drinks and buns of hot dogs are kept. And then, like most competition the person who consumes the most number of hot dogs in a time span of twelve minutes is considered the winner.
The International Federation of Competitive Eating, Inc has approved this Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest since the year 1997 and thus also provides special passes for its members to take part in this contest. Moreover, the others who want to participate in this contest must be either a reigning champion or a champion of the qualifying contests that takes place in as many as 20 major cities around the world. People from outside the States can also participate if he qualifies to do so.
The prize money for the Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest is also a big amount. From the year 2007, the organization has started giving cash rewards to the top 5 best hot dog eaters. The first prize is as much as 10,000 U.S dollars while the person finishing fifth receives 1,500 U.S dollars. A person named Joseph Christian Chestnut has been the winner of the competition held this year.
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