Latest news with #Nathan'sHotDogEatingContest
New York Post
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Five hungry goats set to compete in Manhattan in first-ever goat eating competition
Move over Joey Chestnut, there's going to be a new food contest GOAT in town. Five of the stubborn barn yard animals will go horn-to-horn this Saturday for the first-ever competitive eating event involving the barnyard species — and they're all hungry for the new title. 'The Great Goat Graze-Off' is an evolution of the annual Running of the Goats at Riverside Park, which sees the hairy little beasts use their chompers to clear acres of invasive species, like poison ivy and mugwort, from the Manhattan Park. Advertisement 4 This Saturday will mark the first-ever eating competition between goats. Riverside Park Conservancy¿ 'We know that the girls are very excited and they've been practicing — we've heard — getting ready for the big moment this weekend,' Merritt Birnbaum, the CEO and President of the Riverside Park Conservancy, told The Post. 'Really, it's just a taste of what is to come for their summer that they'll be spending in the park with us.' Advertisement The gobbling goat contest will kick off the sixth summer that the four-legged weed whackers are being shipped in from upstate to help clear the grounds. Last year, the conservancy celebrated the start of the grazing season with a literal Running of the Goats, but quickly realized 'running' wasn't really in the animals' nature. 4 The goats will be given pre-prepared bundles of mugwort, an invasive species. Riverside Park Conservancy¿ 'We were thinking about what would really be the best way to welcome them to the park this year, and the idea of letting them do what they do best came to mind,' Birnbaum said, explaining how the eating contest was born. Advertisement And the contest will be just as serious as the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island. The goats will each have their own coaches and counters, much like Chestnut was equipped with when he soared to victory after downing 70.5 glizzies last week. The five goats — Romeo, Mallomar, Butterball, Kash and Rufus — will be given just five minutes to scarf down a pre-prepared bubble of mugwort as a crowd of eager onlookers cheer on their favorites. 4 This will be the sixth summer the goats are shipped in from upstate to help clear the brush from the park. Riverside Park Conservancy¿ George Shea, host of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and chair of Major League Eating, will be emceeing the blockbuster event. Advertisement It's not yet clear who the favorite is to win the 'The Great Goat Graze-Off — though Birnbaum teased that Kash, a newcomer to Riverside Park, has 'perhaps a stronger jaw than some of the other goats.' 'But that's really just speculation. We know that the goats don't really love to be told what to do, so it's kind of anyone's guess who will triumphing in this,' she continued. 4 'We know that the goats don't really love to be told what to do, so it's kind of anyone's guess who will triumphing in this,' said Merritt Birnbaum. Riverside Park Conservancy¿ 'I think we can expect to witness a world-breaking weed-eating, but unsure what that world record will be.' The five competitors will stick around at Riverside Park for the rest of the summer, munching their way through a two-acre plot at West 143rd Street that every year becomes overtaken with invasive species, like mugwort and poison ivy. The animals are so efficient that in the past that some goats were relieved of their duties and sent home early.
USA Today
10-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Joey Chestnut responds to viral Usain Bolt challenge
Joey Chestnut vs. Usain Bolt. At least one of them is ready for a showdown. 'Of course I'd do it,'' Chestnut told USA TODAY Sports. The PGA Tour recently revived the idea when they asked golfers who would win a head-to-head competition with this format: Chestnut, the 17-time champion at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, and Bolt, the eight-time gold medal-winning sprinter, each would have to eat a hot dog before starting the race. Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala predicted the winner would be Chestnut. Jordan Spieth and Maverick McNealy predicted Bolt would win. And what does Chestnut think? 'It could be really close,'' he said. Chestnut said he'd be less concerned with how fast the 38-year-old Jamaican can run than how fast Bolt can eat a hot dog. Chestnut, who recently won the Nathan's contest on July 4 by eating 70.5 hot dogs and buns during the 10-minute competition, said he can eat a hot dog in about 2.5 seconds and likely would need it to take Bolt about 12 seconds. 'It's possible,'' Chestnut said. 'I forget that some people aren't the fastest eaters. So if there was a judge that didn't let him start until he swallowed the hot dog…'' One problem: Chestnut said he has plates and screws in his right leg after breaking it two years and his left leg is a half inch longer than his right leg. 'It's not ideal,'' he said, adding, 'Every once in a while, I jog a little bit with the dog.'' Another hitch: Chestnut said the idea was broached a year or two ago and 'it didn't seem like he was interested.'' Nevertheless, Chestnut said he might start training for the hot-dog-and-100-meters race. 'I'm going to try it,'' he said. 'We have a long straightaway not too far from my house. I'm only going to get faster unless I hurt myself.''
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Joey Chestnut responds to viral Usain Bolt challenge: 'I'd do it'
Joey Chestnut vs. Usain Bolt. At least one of them is ready for a showdown. 'Of course I'd do it,'' Chestnut told USA TODAY Sports. The PGA Tour recently revived the idea when they asked golfers who would win a head-to-head competition with this format: Chestnut, the 17-time champion at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, and Bolt, the eight-time gold medal-winning sprinter, each would have to eat a hot dog before starting the race. Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala predicted the winner would be Chestnut. Jordan Spieth and Maverick McNealy predicted Bolt would win. And what does Chestnut think? 'It could be really close,'' he said. A post shared by PGA TOUR (@pgatour) Chestnut said he'd be less concerned with how fast the 38-year-old Jamaican can run than how fast Bolt can eat a hot dog. Chestnut, who recently won the Nathan's contest on July 4 by eating 70.5 hot dogs and buns during the 10-minute competition, said he can eat a hot dog in about 2.5 seconds and likely would need it to take Bolt about 12 seconds. 'It's possible,'' Chestnut said. 'I forget that some people aren't the fastest eaters. So if there was a judge that didn't let him start until he swallowed the hot dog…'' One problem: Chestnut said he has plates and screws in his right leg after breaking it two years and his left leg is a half inch longer than his right leg. 'It's not ideal,'' he said, adding, 'Every once in a while, I jog a little bit with the dog.'' Another hitch: Chestnut said the idea was broached a year or two ago and 'it didn't seem like he was interested.'' Nevertheless, Chestnut said he might start training for the hot-dog-and-100-meters race. 'I'm going to try it,'' he said. 'We have a long straightaway not too far from my house. I'm only going to get faster unless I hurt myself.''
New York Post
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
New Jersey woman speaks out after being disqualified from Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
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. Advertisement 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.'' Advertisement 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 Advertisement 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.
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Disqualified Nathan's hot dog competitor speaks out
Madison Barone, disqualified at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on Friday, July 4 because she couldn't keep the food down, said she feels no embarrassment about what happened. 'Nope,'' Barone, 24, told USA TODAY Sports three days after the contest in Coney Island, N.Y. 'It was very discreet. All part of the sport.'' Barone, who lives in Manville, New Jersey, was making her debut at the 2025 contest. Overshadowed by the likes of Joey Chestnut and women's champion Miki Sudo, she still managed to gained notoriety for violating contest rules. It started with her eating nine hot dogs and buns by the time the 10-minute contest ended. Then, before the top five finishers had been announced, she started to feel uncomfortable and found a trash can, according to Barone. 'As soon as I got off the stage and everything came up, it wasn't even like I was sick,'' she said. '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.' ' Indeed, she was. "Ms. Barone experienced urges contrary to swallowing after the contest but before the conclusion of presentations and the awarding of places," Sam Barclay, director of operations at Major League Eating, told USA TODAY Sports. "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." George Shea, who has served as the contest announcer since 1991, said he was unaware of any such incident taking place at Nathan's since then. Barone, who was a wild-card entrant after finishing second at a qualifier, said she hopes to compete at Nathan's next year. 'If I do,'' she said, "it's going to be the biggest comeback ever.'' The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter.
