There’s nothing better than digging into a good meal. But when eating turns into a competition, things can spiral from fun to fatal. Every year, we see hot-dog eaters fasting for days, pushing their bodies to the edge just to compete in the iconic Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. And now, as the 2025 edition looms just four days away, the excitement is building. Joey Chestnut, Patrick Bertoletti, James Webb, and more are ready to battle it out. But while fans are counting down to the fireworks and the franks, there’s a darker memory attached to this day, one that reminds us of the dangers of speed eating contests. Because not everyone walks away from it alive.

What was meant to be a festive Fourth of July celebration in Custer, South Dakota, turned tragic in 2014 when 47-year-old Walter Eagle Tail choked during a local hot dog eating contest. The crowd had gathered for fun and excitement — but instead, the day ended in shock and sorrow. “There was someone doing CPR when we arrived,” said then Custer County, Sheriff Rick Wheeler. “He probably just suffocated. It got lodged in his throat and they couldn’t get it out. It all happened within minutes.” Despite immediate efforts at the scene, he was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The aftermath was somber. Following the heartbreaking incident, the organizers at the Custer Chamber of Commerce made the difficult but respectful decision to cancel the pie-eating contest scheduled for the next day. Walter Eagle Tail was known for his joyful spirit, kindness, and fun-loving nature. Friends and neighbors remembered him as someone who was fun loving, caring, and kind.

Still, speed-eating contests remain wildly popular. In fact, just a day after Walter’s death, Joey Chestnut took center stage in Coney Island, consuming 61 hot dogs in 10 minutes, falling short of his record 69 from the year before, but still claiming victory. “I will not stop until I reach 70. This sport isn’t about eating. It’s about drive and dedication, and at the end of the day, hot dog eating challenges both my body and my mind.” Chestnut once said in an earlier interview. He would later make good on that promise. On July 4, 2021, Chestnut shattered expectations by eating 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes, a contest record that still stands, marking his 15th Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest’s title.

But no amount of planning can erase what happened to Walter. And though many will watch this year’s contest with excitement, somewhere in the crowd or even in the silence before the buzzer, his memory lingers. But, he’s sadly not the only person to have lost their life in eating competitions.

The dark side of speed-eating before Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest’s return

You’d never expect a pie-eating contest to turn deadly but in 2013, a 64-year-old Australian man named Bruce Holland choked mid-competition and didn’t survive. Just a few years later, a KFC speed-eating promo in Indonesia ended in tragedy when a 45-year-old man lost his life. The pattern continued in 2017, when a 20-year-old college student from Sacred Heart University died after choking during a pancake-eating challenge. And in 2019, 41-year-old Dana Hutchings collapsed while competing in a taco-eating contest at a minor league baseball game in Fresno, California. Even marshmallows proved fatal.

In 2023, 37-year-old Natalie Buss, a mother of four, died during a charity marshmallow-eating fundraiser in Wales. Despite quick CPR, she couldn’t be saved. As the Fourth of July rolls around again and the competitive eating spotlight returns, here’s hoping everyone stays safe this time around. Meanwhile, guess who’s back? Joey Chestnut is making his return to the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island after being banned last year over a sponsorship drama with Impossible Foods.

The man’s a legend- 16-time champ, dominant for nearly two decades. According to DraftKings, he’s a massive favorite again at -2500. The rest of the field? Patrick Bertoletti, James Webb, Geoffrey Esper, and Nick Wehry, all long shots. But hey, in a sport where you’re eating dozens of hot dogs in 10 minutes, anything can happen. Let’s just hope this year it’s about the competition, not any close calls.