Samantha CrookNothing says American Independence Day quite like Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest. This year, the winner ate 70 hot dogs and buns in just 10 minutes time.
Joey Chestnut was crowned the winner this year, making him a nine-time champion. In the women's division, Miki Sudo took home the title after eating 38 1/2 hot dogs and buns before time was up.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the competition. Nathan's says legend has it the contest started in 1916 when four people had a dispute at a Nathan's Famous stand in Coney Island over who was the most patriotic. Their solution? Eat a bunch of hot dogs to find out.
But in 2016, what exactly is the payoff for eating upwards of 50 hot dogs in 10 minutes? It turns out, first place takes home $10,000. That's like winning about $142 per hot dog in Chestnut's case or a grand a minute.
Even though the second-place winner got just $5,000, it's certainly more than most of us are compensated to chow down on the Fourth of July.
This video includes images from Getty Images and clips from Nathan's Famous. Music provided courtesy of APM Music.
