NJ mom and daughter to compete in Nathan’s hot dog eating contest

Summer time is the time for family fun, right? For one New Jersey family that includes participating together in the Nathan’s Famous July Fourth Hot Dog-Eating Contest.

According to a story on MyCentralJersey.com, René Rovtar of Basking Ridge and her daughter Kristina Rovtar Dunne of Flemington will scarfing down hot dogs side by side come July 4, becoming the first mother-daughter pair to compete in the contest in the 105 year history of the event.

This year’s contest will be the second time the two have squared off in the event: in 2018, mom beat her daughter by 1 ½ hot dogs. Dunne told MyCentralJersey, “Yes, we’re competing against each other, but because we know we’re not going to be at the top of the pile, it’s just a fun experience for us. It’s nice to have those mother-daughter moments. I think they’re really important.”

The hot dog eating contest is a big deal; it draws tens of thousands of people to Coney Island and will be televised by ESPN, so I guess it’s a sport. The one-hour telecast marks the 18th consecutive year ESPN has televised the event. Coverage for the women’s championship kicks off at 11:30a.m. ET on ESPN3, followed by the men’s championship at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Joey Chestnut has won the men's competition five straight years, and 13 of the past 14 contests. Miki Sudo has won the women's side for each of the past seven years. Sudo is not participating this year, however, so Rene and Kristina have a better chance, I guess.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Doyle. Any opinions expressed are Bill Doyle's own.