Joey Chestnut gobbles up new record, defends hot dog-eating crown

America's competitive eaters faced their fears of failure and indigestion during July 4 celebrations, and at the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, the reigning champs defended their titles by shoving dozens of hot dogs down their gullets.

Eater extraordinaire Joey Chestnut, from San Jose, Calif., swallowed 69 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes at the annual Coney Island competition, according to the Associated Press. He beat his own record and won for the seventh year in a row, to the disgust and fascination of spectators.

Before the competition, he told the news wire he was going to try and eat "more gracefully" this year. He's the ballerina of gluttony. Although in fact, his nickname is "Jaws."

Sonya Thomas from Alexandria, Va., no doubt relished her win in the woman's competition, eating 45 hot dogs with buns, according to Associated Press. Thomas, who weighs 100 pounds, has earned the nickname "Black Widow" for her eating.

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The Wall Street Journal's health blog addressed the science of competitive eating several years ago, one day before Chestnut won his second contest. A study on how these big eaters digest suggests their stomachs become trained to expand as they eat, growing bigger and bigger, and virtually never leaving them feeling full.

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