Fort Mill man competes in Nathan’s hot dog eating contest Saturday. How he fared.
A Fort Mill man who’s a recognized name on the wolf-down-lots-of-food circuit made it to the stage of Saturday’s Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, N.Y.
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Tanner Gray finished near the back of the back, but merely qualifying for the event is a big-time gastrointestinal achievement few mortals can ever claim.
Gray’s final count wasn’t immediately available, but results of the top few finishers listed by ESPN had perennial champ Joey Chestnut far outdistancing the field with 66 dogs officially consumed.
With roughly 6 1/2 minutes left, Chestnut had devoured 32 dogs to Gray’s 10, according to live unofficial results on the broadcast. Results for anyone not in the top three or five then vanished from the screen through the end of the event.
Gray is well known in gorging-on-food circles.
Major League Eating proclaimed him 2024 Rookie of the Year in the competitive eating world.
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“The future of competitive eating is here, and his name is Tanner Gray,” Major League Eating officials said on Instagram at the time. “In his debut season, he showed up, showed out, and hit the podium SIX times.”
Gray logged “jaw-dropping numbers” that year, according to the site.
In separate contests, he inhaled 35 tamales, 20.25 pork rolls, 19 sausages, 8.625 bagels with cream cheese, and 15.5 sloppers (cheeseburgers “smothered with red or green chili and usually topped with chopped onions,” according to the Denver Foodie).
“From tamales to pork rolls, bagels to bratwurst, Tanner had an incredible rookie season and has proved that he can eat anything, anywhere, anytime,” Major League Eating reported.
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This story was originally published July 4, 2026 at 2:18 PM.
