Patriotic appetite: Carson Mall hosts first 4th of July Nevada Hot Dog Eating Contest
Dozens of competitors brought their hunger to the Carson Mall in Carson City Tuesday afternoon for the first ever inaugural July 4th Nevada Hotdog Eating Contest.
The three hour feeding frenzy, where hundreds attended, featured 250 hotdogs grilled to perfection from Butler Gourmet Meats and thick slices of juicy watermelon to kickoff a two-round competition, keeping the American traditions alive with delicious food and cold refreshments.
With full stomachs and messy faces, a trophy presentation for the winners capped off an intense matchup of hungry contestants. Results from the hotdog and watermelon showdown are shown below:
Men’s division hotdog eating champion- Casey Peterson, 15 hotdogs eaten
Women’s division hotdog eating champion- Stephanie Wu, 10 hotdogs eaten
Teen’s division hotdog eating champion- Jadacie Cook, 10 hotdogs eaten
Kid’s division hotdog eating champion- Caylee Cook, 12 hotdogs eaten
Kid’s watermelon eating champion- Koda Allen, 20 pieces of watermelon eaten.
First place winner Casey Peterson described his technique on his consumption of so much food.
“I told myself that there was no way anyone else was going to win but me,” Peterson said. “It also helped to saturate the buns in water, making it easier to eat the hotdog.”
After the festivities, Caylee Cook gave her thoughts on the impressive win.
“Although i’m really full right now I was really hungry coming into this so it feels good to win," said Caylee Cook.
Koda Allen also described the feeling of eating 20 slices of watermelon.
“My stomach hurts really bad right now,” Allen said. “But that’s what I needed to do to win is eat as much as I could.”
Coordinator of the event, Maxine Nietz, reflected on the contest.
“It was a super success, and I am very happy with the results,” Nietz said. “I want to thank all of the cooperation coming into this as well, I couldn’t have done all of this without their help.”