It's that time of the year again, folks. All eyes this Tuesday will be on the ultra-competitive feast of hot dog-eating down in New York, as several men with appetites bigger than the rides at Coney Island compete for the prestigious Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest titles. Now, let's get down to the details.

When is the 2023 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest?

The highly anticipated event is set to take place this Tuesday, July the fourth. The coverage of the women's contest will start at 10:45 a.m. Eastern Time. The main event, the one that features the reigning, defending, and still undisputed king of hot dog eating, Joey Chestnut, will have its broadcast scheduled to start at around noon, also following Eastern Time.

How to watch Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest?

As the owner of the exclusive rights to the event's coverage, ESPN is the only one who can broadcast the contests in their entirety. That will continue to be the broadcasting setup until at least 2029. Will Chestnut still be the champ when that time comes? Who knows? The women's event will be broadcast via ESPN's streaming app, while the men's side can be watched through the same app and on ESPN2.

2023 men's contest odds

There is no doubt who the favorite to win the men's side of this contest, and it's no other than Joey Chestnut, who at least one day every year transforms into someone that has the combined greatness of Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali, and Babe Ruth when it comes to eating hotdogs. FanDuel has Chestnut priced at -3000 to win the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest — again. Chestnut has a total of 15 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest titles. He ate 63 hot dogs to top the field in 2022. He also owns the record (of course) for most hot dogs eaten in this event with 76 back in 2021.  As of this writing, FanDuel has a Chestnut priced at -112 to eat more than 72.5 hot dogs. He also odds of +300 to break the record and eat over 76.

Meanwhile, Geoffrey Esper appears to be the biggest threat to the Chestnut's throne, considering that he's the one with the next shortest odds to win the contest at +1400. The 48-year-old Esper is a veteran with documented success in many other disciplines of competitive eating. He once scarfed down 83 slices of John's Incredible Pizza in only 10 minutes.

“Yeah if I have a good day, it should be no problem getting it,” Esper said about the idea of finishing second to Chestnut (via Cam Jandrow of Spectrum News 1). “But you know, if you don't have that good day, it will be close.”

Nick Wehry has odds of +3000 to pull off a monster upset, and he's coming with some confidence. He is the world record holder for the most hard-boiled eggs consumed (50 in three minutes and four seconds). James Webb and Gideon Oji have prices of +3500 and +5000, respectively, to shock the world of competitive eating as long shots.

2023 women's contest odds

Miki Sudo is the Joey Chestnut of men's hot dog eating contest. She has the most Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest titles with eight. She won the iterations of this event from 2014 to 2020 in consecutive fashion and then again in 2022 when she returned to the top by gobbling up 42 hot dogs. Sudo, who has odds of -4000 to win this Tuesday, is the record holder for most Nathan's Hot Dogs eaten with 48.5 in 10 minutes.

FanDuel has Sudo at -112 to gobble up more than (or fewer than) 48.5 hot dogs. A 48.5 line is out there as well for Sudo's chances to beat her personal best at odds of +300.

Michelle Lesco presents the biggest challenge for Sudo. Lesco is a former champion herself, having won the event in 2021 when she consumed 30 3/4 hotdogs in 10 minutes. It's worth noting, though, that Sudo did not participate in the event that year due to pregnancy. Lesco is +2000 to win this Tuesday.

Larell Marie Mele and Kathryn Prettyman are the two dark horses, with prices of +2600 and +34000 to win.

Mele is nicknamed “The Real Deal” for a good reason.  The 55-year-old native of Long Pond, PA, once ate a total of 21.25 Nathan's Hot Dogs in 10 minutes back in 2012. Prettyman, on the other hand, once won a ticket to the major event in Brooklyn when she won the 2019 qualifier in Vallejo, California with 14.5 hot dogs eaten before snacking on 11 hot dogs on the big day. She finished third in the 2020 edition of the women's Nathan Hot Dog Eating Contest by eating 15 in 10 minutes.