Betting controversy hits Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest after score changes

Miki Sudo, a 12-time champion at Nathan’s, and her husband, fellow competitor Nick Wehry, were officially credited with eating more hot dogs and buns and than announced after the initial count. That turned some winning bets into losing bets.

Aggrieved gamblers had wagered on the over/under line — betting that Sudo and Wehry would eat fewer hot dogs and buns than the “under’’ line set by sports books. The New York Post, citing two anonymous sources, reported after the 2024 contest that Wehry was accused of cheating to boost his score.

No other eaters who finished in the top five of the men's and women's contests had their scores adjusted by more than 1.5 hot dogs when the official scores were announced.

The scoring discrepancies have a history. Joey Chestnut, the 18-time champion, was involved in a reported miscount in 2018 that, according to a CBS Sports report, impacted bets placed on the over/under.

Darron Breeden, who participated in the contest from 2017 to 2021, said he thinks the problem stems from inexperienced counters, people tasked with keeping track of hot dogs and buns eaten during the contest.

“I agree that standards need to be raised for the eaters, the fans and especially for anyone that has money tied to it,’’ said Breeden, who finished second twice. "...You want to preserve the integrity of the contest.''

Sudo addresses situation

The reported miscount involving Sudo, 40, who this year won her 12th title in 12 tries, took place first.

DraftKings and BetMGM, online sportsbooks, had set Sudo’s over/under line at 38.5 hot dogs before the contest took place. That meant she would have to eat fewer than 38.5 hot dogs for gamblers to win a bet on the under. FanDuel, another onfline sportsbook, took bets on Sudo's over/under line at 38.3.

Sudo was credited with 34 hot dogs based on the unofficial results, which were announced soon after the contest ended. (The runner-up, Michelle Lesco, was credited with 22 hot dogs based on the unofficial results.) But when the official results were announced, Sudo was credited with 38.75 hot dogs.

George Shea, the host, announced to the crowd Sudo's official result of 38.75 but did not note the adjustment. ESPN announced Sudo's official score as 39. (Major League Eating handles the counting and ESPN broadcasts those results.) -- This comes from an ESPN employee who said he was giving USA TODAY Sports the information on background.

Sudo's adjusted score meant gamblers who wagered on the under of 38.5 hot dogs lost their bets by 0.5 hot dog. If the official result had matched the sportsbook's under line, the bet is a "push'' and the bettor is refunded.

DraftKings waited to settle bets until after Major League Eating clarified the totals, according to a DraftKings spokesman. A FanDuel representative responded by email, "FanDuel settled the market in accordance with Major League Eating’s official results, which is in line with our house rules.''

George Shea, co-founder of Major League Eating that runs the Nathan's contest, said the person assigned to counting Sudo’s totals missed a plate. Each plate holds five hot dogs and empty plates are used to calculate scores.

"The counter had missed a plate,'' Shea wrote to USA TODAY Sports by text message. "Head official judge Sam Barclay caught that.''

But a USA TODAY Sports review of a replay of the contest, watched through an ESPN camera trained on Sudo for the entire time, showed she appeared to eat 34 hot dogs. Sudo and Chestnut are the only eaters with cameras focused specifically on them during the competition.

Plates were not visible on the broadcast from the camera focused on Sudo. Plates could not be carefully tracked on the camera angles used for the main broadcast.

Sudo, who won $10,000 for the victory, addressed the situation in an email to USA TODAY Sports.

“My job is simply to eat the hot dogs, and I stand by the judges’ count of 38.75 (0.25 deduction for a dropped bun),’’ she wrote.

After the initial count, which is considered unofficial, judges conduct an official count. The scores are relayed to ESPN before the broadcast ends.

Sudo also addresses the issue of gambling.

“Furthermore, I have no involvement in wagering in ANY capacity; that would not only be against the rules, but also unethical,'' she wrote.

Former participant's suspicion

The second miscount involved Sudo’s husband, Wehry, 37.

Caesars Sportsbook set Wehry’s over/under at 42.5 hot dogs and Bet365 set his over/under at 44.5 hot dogs.

Wehry was credited with 40 hot dogs, according to unofficial results when the contest ended. When the final results were announced, Wehry was credited with 45 hot dogs.

Geoff Esper, who was competing in his 11th Nathan's contest, was eating to the left of Wehry. Esper, who has finished runner-up in the contest four times and in the top five 10 times, finished with 40.5 hot dogs.

"And I was pacing myself with Nick the entire contest,'' Esper told USA TODAY Sports by text message. "So I'm pretty sure of his number. I made sure to be 1/2 (of a hot dog) ahead of him at the last second. I guess I didn't account for unforeseen circumstances.''

Esper speculated Wehry's adjusted total and Sudo's adjusted total resulted from "a double plate'' -- when two serving plates get stuck together. Five hot dogs are on each plate and empty plates are used in calculating the number of hot dogs eaten.

A plate stuck to another can be a new plate or a used plate, according to Esper.

A used plate would add five hot dogs to a competitor's total. An unused plate would not alter a competitor's score unless counted in error.

"When two new plates are stuck together, it's usually easy to spot because as you can imagine the plates get messy,'' Esper said. "The judge would have to spot the clean plate or the eater would see it and fess up. It happens. It's happened to me. You just tell the judge that you were double plated.''

Added Esper, "A new plate would be perfectly clean. I guess the eater could intentionally mess it up and ask for a recount.''

Esper also said he is unaware of evidence of intentional double plating.

"It's a huge probabilistic anomaly for sure the way it played out though and makes you wonder why those two (Sudo and Wehry) got double plated,'' he said.

Wehry's adjusted score moved from sixth place, which receives no prize money, to fourth place, which receives $1,500. Esper finished tied for fifth, which receives $1,000.

George Shea did not immediately reply to a question about camera footage.

Breeden, who competed in the Nathan’s contest five times, said of the cheating allegations against Wehry in 2024, “there was something sketchy going on. And honestly, I don't think the organization really addressed it until there was enough media pressure to the point.’’

Added Breeden, who said he stopped competing because of family obligations, "I will tell you in my experiences, the folks that I ate with, none of us did any weird, sketchy or anything like that.'' He said people speculated Chestnut ate hollowed-out hot dogs. "That's crazy,'' Breeden said. "He is 100% legitimate.''

In 2024, Wehry denied cheating but, according to Major League Eating, Wehry asked his total that year to be reduced by five hot dogs because he touched the plates after the contest ended. Major League Eating took no public disciplinary action.

Regarding his adjusted score from this year, Wehry said by text message, “In my case the counters just missed a plate (I) guess. After 5-10 (hot dogs) I have no idea where I am. (Barclay, the head official judge) came over, counted 9 empties and (one half) finished dog and I got deducted half a dog for debris.”

Esper, the 11-time participant, defended Sam Barclay, the head official judge who has a key role in the counting.

"Sam is known to be a fair judge,'' Esper said. "But he is stressed and pressed for time to get the count. It wouldn't be fair to blame him. It's a hard spot. The eater is the one that should come forward.''

Chestnut's scoring discrepancy

During Chestnut’s reported miscount in 2018, his unofficial count was 64 hot dogs. When the official score was announced, his total increased to 74.

CBS Sports reported the over/under on hot dogs eaten by Chestnut was 72.5. Bets on the under looked like winners until the official results were announced.

Carmen Cincotti, who finished runner-up, was credited with 45 after the initial count and 64 after the official count.

“We were embarrassed,” Shea, the co-founder of Major League Eating, told ESPN. “And while even NFL referees make mistakes at the highest level, we have to show an effort to change the old way.”

The day after the contest, Shea told the New York Post human judges might be replaced by a digital system.

The next year, Major League Eating invited Jeff McNeil, then in his second year with the New York Mets, to serve as a counter. Breeden said the major leaguer served as his counter.

“…I could feel he was having a hard time keeping up with the chaos on the stage,’’ Breeden said. “I had to slam the table a few times because he was off. They were able to get the correct tally at the end.’’

Breeden suggested McNeil's experience underscored the problem.

“It was frustrating at times as a competitor, because I’d spend months training for this specific event and to see things handled in that manner…I agree that standards need to be raised for the eaters, the fans and especially for anyone that has money tied to it.’’

McNeil, who now plays for the A's, did not immediately respond to a voicemail and text message sent to a phone number listed in his name. Mark Ling, Senior Director of Communications for the A's, did not immediately respond to a request to talk to McNeil.

This year, Derek Hendrickson was credited with 39 hot dogs before his official score was dropped to 30. Hendrickson said the adjusted number was accurate and he told USA TODAY Sports an inexperienced counter caused the discrepancy.

Suspicion spreads on social media

After ESPN aired the official results with Sudo's adjusted score, a flurry of posts expressing suspicion went up on X.

Some posters on social media said they suspected rigging. One poster demanded his money back for a bet he said he placed with BetMGM.

BetMGM spokesman Jack Kirvin said by email, "The over/under for Miki Sudo was set at 38.5 hot dogs, and the over was paid out as the winner in line with the official results.''

Before the contest, Chestnut walked onto the stage for the competition wearing the iced-out Polymarket chain. Shea had proudly called attention to the new sponsor.

Polymarket did not offer individual over/under bets on Sudo or Wehry, but did offer over/under bets on the total number of hot dogs eaten by the field.

The line was 704.8. The total was 701.25.

The fine print at the bottom of the page read:

"If the cumulative total of HDBs (hot dogs and buns) eaten is 705 or more between both the men's and women's field at the 2026 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, this market will resolve to 'Over.' Otherwise the market will resolve to under."

"The resolution source will be official information from Major League Eating; however, a consensus of credible reporting may also" be used.

Polymarket did not respond to a request for comment submitted by email.