• Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

Hot Dog Eating Contest live on ESPN

The Hot Dogs will be in full flow and in HD on ESPN America © ESPN.co.uk

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ESPN America and ESPN America HD will bring viewers in the UK live and exclusive coverage of the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest as the world's best professional eaters compete to devour as many hot dogs as possible in ten minutes. The annual Independence Day tradition, which takes place in Coney Island, New York, will be live on Monday 4th July at 5pm. The Major League Eating contest has been a hit in the US since ESPN began televising the event in 2004, annually drawing more than one million viewers.

Japan's Takeru Kobayashi dominated the competition between 2001 and 2006, winning six consecutive titles and setting four world records along the way. He was overtaken in 2007 by America's homegrown star Joey Chestnut, who has reigned as champion for the past four years, and taken the competition to new heights, eating a record 68 hot dogs and buns in 2009 - one every nine seconds. Chestnut will be up against 19 other men, including Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti, Sean "Flash" Gordon, Tim "Gravy" Brown and "Eater X" Tim Janus.

For the first time this year, there will be separate divisions for men and women. Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas is one of the top contenders in the female division, going up against a number of other competitors in the inaugural women's contest. Thomas is currently ranked as the fifth best competitive eater in the world. She has participated in the last eight contests, consuming a personal best of 41 hot dogs in 10 minutes in 2009.

The competition will see not just professional eating supremacy on the line - the men and women are also competing for a prize purse of $20,000 as well as the coveted mustard belt.

ESPN America's hour-long high definition broadcast will include commentator Paul Page alongside the Shea brothers, Richard and George, president and chairman of MLE respectively.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.