The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is no exception to scandal, and this year brings its fair share. Even after the competition's conclusion, in which Patrick Bertoletti consumed 58 hot dogs to take home the mustard belt, some are still trying to call out participants who may have twisted the competition.
Coming in fourth place with a total of 51.75 hot dogs eaten, Nick Wehry, has drawn controversy for his results in the contest. The husband of women's champion and hot dog-eating world record holder Miki Sudo, Wehry is being accused of trying to inflate his hot dog total during the eat-off.
Surpassing 50 hot dogs is the mark of a very accomplished eater, and what Wehry is being accused of would put him in the club on false premises. What exactly are sources saying he did during the Fourth of July staple? Read more to find out.
MORE: Nathan's Hot Dog Contest results
2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest cheating scandal, explained
Two sources closely involved in the competition told the New York Post that Wehry was being accused of "using sleight of hand trickery" during the contest to boost his score.
“100% he cheated,” one source told The Post Tuesday.
When the competition finished, Wehry's score was announced as a respectable 46.75 hot dogs, still good enough for a fourth-place finish. As the official results came out, Wehry's score had jumped five dogs to 51.75.
The way scores are calculated during the Hot Dog Eating Contest is by counting the number of empty plates stacked in front of their spot after the allotted time has concluded. Each plate counts for five hot dogs, and any "debris" left uneaten is subject to the judge's determination on whether it is to be included.
Wehry is being accused of "stealing plates," though there is no video evidence showing him explicitly doing so. Though stealing a plate wouldn't have changed his final standing in the end, it did push him over the 50-hot dog threshold.
The competitive eater responded to The Post in a text that he was "aghast" by the accusations, saying he "stole nothing."
“If (Major League Eating) determines I was miscounted, then fix my number. My placing did not change if this was the case. I would never want to take a placing or number I didn’t earn,” Wehry said. “I would never cheat at a contest, regardless of why. People that know me know that.”
Sudo also responded to the accusations, denying any possibility that her husband's count was off.
“I was watching Nick the entire time. There is a camera on him the entire time. There’s no way the judges got it wrong," she said.
MLE investigated the accusations considering the complaints but have not taken any action against Wehry. They said it is their "policy not to overturn judges' decisions after the final results have been recorded."
MORE: Miki Sudo-Nick Wehry relationship, explained
Who is Nick Wehry?
Other than being married to the best female eater in the world, Wehry has had a respectable career in competitive eating. He is ranked the No. 6 eater by MLE following the hot dog contest, just behind Sudo.
He holds the world record for eating 50 hard boiled eggs in the shortest amount of time, and immediately after earning the record he got on one knee and proposed to Sudo. They are now married and have one child together.