Sports

Curious Scoring Changes Spark Suspicions Of Hot Dog Eating Cheating Scandal Involving Husband, Wife

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USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Miki Sudo and Nick Wehry are at the center of a hot dot eating controversy.


The 4th of July Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Competition came and went with few surprises. Joey Chestnut dominated the field to win the men’s race. Defending champion Miki Sudo did the same in the women’s division.

While there was little drama as to positioning, post-event totals created some controversy. One professional sports bettor hinted at potential scandal.

He would not go as far as to accuse any parties of guilt, but he did take issue with scoring adjustments that followed the competition.

Is there a hot dog eating cheating scandal?

In a recent episode of his A Numbers Game podcast, VSiN’s Gill Alexander spoke on the score changes. He disagrees with the final count.

Alexander personally dug into the controversy by reviewing the tape. He does not believe the final result for women’s champion Miki Sudo was correct. He also questioned the score for husband Nick Wehry.

Let’s first address the changes that were made by scoring officials. Sudo finished her competition with 33 hot dogs eaten. Her total jumped to 38.75 after official review. For reference, no other finisher in the women’s Top 5 had their total adjusted by more than 1.5 franks.

Wehry, meanwhile, totaled 40 at the initial count. His total was increased to 45 after the fact.

Neither impacted the final result. Sudo would’ve won either way. Wehry did jump from 5th to 4th with the adjustment, though he was far off Chestnut’s pace.

The changes did, however, affect sports bettors. Both competitors finished well below their projected totals at the sportsbooks on first count. Both barely hit the over with the adjusted results.

Scandal? Conspiracy? Gill Alexander provided his thoughts.

Miki Sudo, Nick Wehry totals spark controversy.

“ESPN, as it turns out, had a dedicated camera on Miki Sudo,” he said. “Not the camera that was the broadcast where they’re cutting from contestant to contestant… This is a camera literally looking up her nose…

“I decided I was going to watch all 10 minutes and count for myself. I’m telling you right now. She ate exactly 34 hot dogs and buns.”

Sudo has addressed the situation, saying, “My job is simply to eat the hot dogs.” She also added that she is not involved in betting the event, which would violate Major League Eating rules.

George Shea, co-founder of MLE, provided explanation for the miscount. He referenced a missed plate.

“The counter had missed a plate,” Shea wrote to USA TODAY Sports by text message. “Head official judge Sam Barclay caught that.”

Final tallies are counted by empty plates, not necessarily by a visual of hot dogs consumed. Every plate has five hot dogs. Gill Alexander did not see any plates missed in his review. He counted 34 wienies eaten by Sudo.

Adding more fuel to the fire is Nick Wehry’s adjustment. Not only did his total jump by five hot dogs, like his wife’s, but he’s also been accused of tampering with plates in the past.

In 2024, Wehry was accused of swiping a plate from a nearby contestant to add five hot dogs to his score.

Wehry said, “I would never cheat,” following the allegations. The decision was not overturned by MLE officials. His 51 hot dogs stood for that event. Two years later, he’s back in the spotlight.

Who would benefit from the cheating?

As we mentioned earlier, the scoring changes had little impact on the final results. Miki Sudo, who won $10K with her victory, would’ve finished first with her original total. Wehry would’ve secured a Top 5 spot before the adjustment, too.

While outputs could impact the Major League Eating rankings, it seems there would be little motivation for the contestants to risk punishment. There is prize money at stake. Rule breaking might put those earnings at risk, which seems especially silly for the top-ranked woman in the sport.

Given Wehry’s controversial past, and Sudo’s marital link, it can’t be tossed out completely. I’ll admit that it’s fishy. Outside of rankings, a motive would include wagering. They’d have to have some serious skin in the game to make it worth their while.

That brings us to sports betting where the biggest impact was seen. The final totals flipped the outcome from well under to just over. Still, there are also issues in the argument that gambling played a role.

This is not an event where bettors are placing thousands and thousands of dollars on the outcome. Sportsbooks would likely flag that activity in a hurry, if not reject the wager altogether.

Most viewers are throwing $25 on the competition to make things a little more interesting. Four-, five-, and six-figure bets would raise eyebrows. For Sudo or Wehry to have real value, they’d need boatloads of bettors to throw money down on that final result.

The same would be true for Major League Eating officials. It seems unlikely.

As for the sportsbooks themselves, they likely had action on both sides of the total. I don’t know the official numbers, but they probably would’ve made money either way. The book always wins.

That leaves us with more questions than answers.

Is there a hot dog eating cheating scandal? Was it simply coincidence that the husband-wife duo both had scores significantly adjusted to affect the over/under? Who benefits from nefariousness?

Alexander believes he’s onto something. He’s just not quite sure what it is.