Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest to draw super eaters to Ocean City

Come to Ocean City hungry this summer — there's a new food eating contest in town, and its name is Nathan's.

The Boardwalk will see the strongest-stomached devour as many hot dogs as possible in the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Richard Shea, president of sanctioning organization Major League Eating, said the Ocean City event will be a qualifier for the final competition hosted on Independence Day in Coney Island, New York.

"You're going to have top-ranked eaters from around the country very likely flying in," Shea added.

Winners of the Ocean City male and female divisions will go belly-to-belly against returning champions Miki Sudo and Joey Chestnut. Major League Eating characterizes Chestnut as "the greatest eater (in) history."

Chestnut sat atop the Nathan's Hot Dog leaderboard for eight years and has earned nine titles in the competition, Major League Eating's website states. He currently holds the world hot dogs eating record: 74 Nathan's Famous hot dog and buns in 10 minutes.

Sudo is a legend in her own right, too. She made her Major League Eating debut in 2013 by eating 40 Nathan's Famous hot dogs and buns. The following week, she consumed 7.5 pounds of San Joaquin Valley deep-fried asparagus in 10 minutes.

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Division winners at Coney Island will take home $20,000 cash purses, according to Shea.

The Ocean City mayor and town council green-lighted the event at a Tuesday, Feb. 18, meeting, with unanimous approval.

A proposal submitted to the mayor and council states: "There will be a total of 12 site selections across the US, and the winners of each will go on to compete in the final contest in Coney Island, NY."

Shea said additional qualifier events will take place in Salt Lake City, Utah; Hershey, Pennsylvania; Washington, D.C.; and Pleasanton, California.

"We're excited that we're going to be in Ocean City," Shea said. "From Major League Eating's perspective, it's always fun to hit a new town."

The contest is tentatively scheduled to take place between Second and Third streets on Saturday, June 13, which the same day as the OC Air Show, according to the proposal. 

Special Events Coordinator Lisa Mitchell, who presented the proposal to the mayor and council, said the event time will be determined after the air show releases its event schedule.

The contest's proposed date was a subject of some contention among council members.

Said Councilman Tony DeLuca: "I'm certainly in favor of the event. My question is, why does it have to be during the air show?"

Major League Eating identified June 13 as one of the only dates available for this year, noted Russell Laurenzano, the Ocean City Nathan's Famous franchisee who submitted the request.

"I let them know that it was during the air show. They said it would be great to pair it with another event that's large enough to get it off the ground — and perhaps in the following years, it would be an event that could stand on its own," Laurenzano responded.

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Councilwoman Mary Knight commended Laurenzano for working with the air show, adding that the contest would provide eventgoers with more entertainment options during lulls in the air show.

"It will give an enhancement for people to see something else," Knight said. "It's exciting and I can't wait to see it," Knight said.

Shea said Thursday that event registration had not yet opened and that there is no cost to sign up. He recommended checking the websites of Major League Eating and Nathan's Famous for details in the coming week.

Lucas Gonzalez is a trending and breaking news reporter for Delmarva Now, and the curator for the "What's Going There in Salisbury, Ocean City, and Rehoboth Beach" Facebook group. He can be reached at lgonzalez@delmarvanow.com, 410-845-4646 or via Twitter @fez_irl.

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