Hot-Dog-Eating-Contest's Count Doesn't Cut the Mustard

The counting went awry on Independence Day at the nation's premier hot dog eating contest on Coney Island, ESPN reported, but perennial champion Joey Chestnut was still crowned the champion.

Chestnut was initially credited with eating 64 hot dogs during the contest, but it was later discovered that the people doing the counting had missed two cleared plates, upping his total to a record-setting 74 hot dogs.

The miscount of Chestnut's main competitor, Carmen Cincotti, was even worse, ESPN said. Cincotti was at first credited with eating 45 hot dogs, but after calculating in uncounted plates, officials agreed he actually downed 64 hot dogs.

"We were embarrassed," Rich Shea, the president of Major League Eating, told ESPN on Thursday. His outfit sanctions the event. "And while even NFL referees make mistakes at the highest level, we have to show an effort to change the old way. This isn't your father's hot dog eating contest. There's a lot on the line."

According to the contest's website, it was Chestnut's 11^th title for eating as many hot dogs as possible in 10 minutes.

On the women’s side, Miki Sudo won her fifth straight title, beating Michelle Lesco and Juliet Lee by gulping down 37 hot dogs.

Chestnut told NBC's "Today" he doesn’t always feel well after shoveling down so many hot dogs.

"I don't feel great," he told the morning show the next day on Thursday. "I feel amazing that I won and I got a record, but like a marathon runner, you feel like garbage after a marathon."

Offshore sportsbooks had taken more than $1 million in bets on the contest, ESPN noted, pointing out the money that surrounds the contest and the importance for accuracy in counting.

"I doubt we can put the microchip on the tongue or in the esophagus," Shea told ESPN. "Some sort of monitoring associated with the plate weight would be more practical."

Shea added that new technology would also help organizers clear the stage more.

"There's no doubt we have to have fewer people up there," Shea said. "It contributes to the confusion."

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