New Jersey woman speaks out after being disqualified from Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

New York Post

08-07-2025

The New Jersey woman who was disqualified from Friday's Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest has broken her silence on the possibly unprecedented ruling.
Madison Barone, 24, of Manville, New Jersey, was able to compete in this year's edition of the contest — won by Miki Sudo for the 11th time — due to finishing second at a qualifier.
But her moment in the spotlight did not go as planned, as she couldn't keep down the nine hot dogs she ate and vomited in a trash can in plain sight, which is a rule violation.
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3 The official results of the Women's Hot Dog Eating Contest.
'As soon as I got off the stage and everything came up, it wasn't even like I was sick,'' Barone told USA Today. 'It was more of force. It was more of my body just letting it go.
'And I was like, 'Oh, man, everybody saw that. Now I'm disqualified.''
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It's potentially the first time a competitor has been disqualified from the annual Fourth of July event in Coney Island, as George Shea, the contest's announcer since 1991, said he's unaware of a previous occurrence.
'Ms. Barone experienced urges contrary to swallowing after the contest but before the conclusion of presentations and the awarding of places,' Sam Barclay, the director of operations at Major League Eating — which runs the hot dog contest — told USA Today. 'By Major League Eating rules, urges contrary to swallowing before the conclusion of the event, including presentations and the awarding of prizes, results in a DQ.'
3 The competitors from the women's Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in action on July 4, 2025.
Paul Martinka
3 Miki Sudo wins the women's Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, 2025.
Paul Martinka
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Barone was not embarrassed by the outcome, she told the outlet.
But she is hoping for a chance at redemption next summer.
'If I do [return], it's going to be the biggest comeback ever,' she told USA Today.