Meet the judges of Nathan’s Famous 4th of July hot dog eating contest

CONEY ISLAND, Brooklyn (PIX11) – Moments before competitive eater Patrick Bertolleti devoured 58 hot dogs in just 10 minutes, the unsung heroes of the Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest took a very serious, hot dog-inspired oath.

With their right hands raised to the Coney Island sky, the judges clad in black-and-white striped shirts and red caps repeated:

“I solemnly swear to uphold the bylaws and regulations of the International Federation of Competitive Eating as set forth in items 32-B-X through 42-B-Y. So help me God, amen.”

After they were sworn in, the judges took their places. Some stood in front of the competitive eaters’ table while others stood behind the eaters, all keeping close count of the hot dogs demolished. It’s a glorious job with some not-so-glorious hazards.

“I was worried about being in the splash zone and also losing count, it seems like a really high-stakes competition,” said Sarah Mercado, who judged this year for the first time with her husband.

When the ten minutes were up, the judges inspected for leftover franks in the competitors’ hot dog dunking cups.

Many first-time judges shared Mercado’s nervous excitement. As the event approached, the group got an email with instructions. Each judge was assigned a men’s and women’s eater and a task, like counting dogs or flipping the scorecards.

First-time judge Nicole Blackman, who traveled in from Chicago, did find herself in the splash zone.

“It’s so cool, it’s so graphic. You’re watching people shovel wet hot dogs in their mouth and it sort of falls all over their face and on you,” Blackman said. “It’s really gross but you have to pay attention and it’s really cool.”

Liam Gayron, a first-time judge who watched Mary Bowers and Max Stanford, was also in a compromising position.

“I’m glad I got to see it in person,” Gayron said. “It was crazy seeing it up close. I was getting little spit droplets, I was glad I had the hat with a brim to block the spit.”

For champion Miki Sudo’s judge, James Cordon, her win was something to behold. For the men’s competition, he watched Geoffrey Esper.

“She was all business,” James Cordon said. “Last night we watched last year’s contest, watched the judges… We were very nervous.”

Cordon and his wife, Samantha Cordon, “lost their minds” when they saw the judge positions at a charity benefit, and were the only ones to bid. Other judges were asked to join the competition.

“It’s just one of those very silly, very Fourth of July things,” James Cordon said.

For Long Island native Alex Rosenthal, who watched Julie Goldberg and Derek ‘Heavy D’ Hendrickson eat, the hot dog eating contest is a perfect slice of New York City.

“I like the ecosystem here, it’s one of the most human events there is. If I can take part in the structure of it, I’ll take any part of it,” Rosenthal said.

Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter from Los Angeles who has covered New York City since 2023. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here.