It’s that time of year again. On Tuesday, July 4 in Coney Island, 20 contestants will compete for the Mustard Belt and part of a $40,000 purse. They’re not your average athletes, these competitors are part of Major League Eating – an international body that governs competitive eating contests.

The 2017 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest will feature defending champion Joey Chestnut. A big deal in the eating world, Chestnut has won the competition every year from 2007 to 2016, aside from his only defeat in 2015.

His defeat came at the hands of YouTube sensation Matt Stonie, who upset Chestnut by eating 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes. That was two more than Chestnut could get through. The following year, Chestnut came back with a vengeance. He regained the belt by eating 70 hot dogs – buns included.

 

Chestnut and Stonie Head-to-Head Odds

The two foes are at it again this year. Chestnut is a –450 favourite in a head-to-head matchup against Matt Stonie (+275). You can also bet on how many hot dogs either competitor will consume within the first minute and at the five-minute halfway mark. Oddsmakers have pegged Chestnut with 46 hotdogs at the halfway point, and 12.5 within the first minute. As for Stonie, he’s going to have to eat more than 36.5 by the halfway point and more than 9 in the first minute for the OVER to pay out at –140.

Both Chestnut and Stonie have made headlines this year. On May 29, Stonie set a record for eating the most Æbleskiver – a Danish puff pancake pastry. In eight minutes, Stonie ate 87 pastries. As for Chestnut, he set a record of his own in a taco-eating competition on May 7. Chestnut downed 126 tacos is eight minutes, beating the previous record of 103 with ease.

Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Miki Sudo will be competing once again. She’s the top dog in the women’s competition and is a –450 favourite to beat Sonya Thomas (+275). After winning the competition in 2014, 2015, and 2016, the Las Vegas competitor has become the fourth-best competitive eater in the world – after No. 1 Chestnut, No. 2 Stonie and No. 3 Carmen Cincotti.

Cincotti (–280 head-to-head), who will take on Geoffrey Esper (+185), is fairly new in the world of competitive eating, joining the scene in 2016 when he ate 101 Siegi’s Brats in 10 minutes at the Linde Oktoberfest. He secured a seat at the Fourth of July contest by winning the Washington DC qualifier.

If you’re unsure who will win, you can simply bet on how many dogs will be eaten by the winner. There are several totals you can bet on the over or under, including: 65.5, 67.5, 69.5 and 71.5. May the best contestant win.

 

*Odds as of June 29, 2017