A Darkhorse Candidate For The Nathan's 4th Of July Contest

I don't ever remember there being this much fanfare leading up to the Nathan's 4th of July Hot Dog contest.

First, undisputed champ Takeru Kobayashi's mother passed away, and it was unknown whether he was going to participate in this year's event. Don't worry, he'll be there.

Then, Joey Chestnut, who actually led Kobayashi for much of last year's contest, broke Kobayashi's hot dog eating record at a satellite contest in Arizona.

Now, a new challenger by the name of Juliet Lee, a 107-pound woman originally from China, has entered into the fray by eating 26 hot dogs in 12 minutes. Her reason for success differs a little from some of the other competitors that concentrate on training.

"Lee said she grew up in China and was often hungry. Now, she's making up for it."

Yeah, eating chinese usually has that same effect on me, though I don't consume massive quantities of hot dogs to quell my hunger. However, if it helps her beat Chestnut and Kobayashi, then it's worked out well for her.

I haven't been able to track down the odds for all of the competitive eaters, though I did hear that right now Chestnut is the favorite with Kobayashi a close second. It will be interesting to see what odds Lee gets, and she could make a great longshot winner candidate.