Nathan's Famous 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest Qualifier in Philadelphia

Sonya Thomas topped Bob Shoudt in Philly, downing 36 HDBs to win the Nathan's Famous qualifier and earn a seat in the Fourth of July championship. Shoudt ate 33, and one viewer claimed that an entire Shoudt plate was missed and that Bob actually ate five more HDBs. However, this claimed was dismissed by a veteran Nathan's judge who counted Bob's dogs throughout the event.

Thomas said she was disappointed that she had not broken the Philadelphia record of 37 that she set last year at the same event. When interviewed after the event, Shoudt stated that the heat may have affected his performance, and this seemed likely to be the case for all competitors. The entire field slowed in the latter minutes of the event under 85-degree sun.

Further controversy swirled surrounding the third-place finish of 27 HDBs by Brian Subich. Two eye witnessess revealed what appeared to be three Subich cups that were crammed full of hot dogs and stacked on top of each other. The allegations could not be confirmed, but if Subich purposefully hid the hot dogs in the cups and if this had been noticed during the match, fourth place finisher Wing Kong Collins would have placed third with 23 1/2.