Ronnie Hartman

US Army Specialist Ronnie Hartman was serving his nation in Afghanistan and he was dreaming of home. And those dreams smelled like Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs and Buns and they were good dreams. From his base of operation (undisclosed, due to security concerns), Hartman registered for the Atlanta Qualifier of the 98th Annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, daring to dream that one day, he would stand on the main stage at Coney, shoulder-to-shoulder-to-shoulder with our sport's best. He ate 16 HDBs to take second in Atlanta. It was not enough. Undeterred, he competed again in New Jersey, this time downing 23.5 HDBs. He did not win the contest. In recognition of his services to this great nation, MLE invited Hartman to compete on the Fourth. The Brooklyn faithful clapped as one as Hartman took the stage, saluting the crowd and soaking in the atmosphere, an atmosphere that could be described as both "electric" and "humid." He ate 22. In the Taste of DC Ben's Chili Bowl Military Round, he ate half a gallon of chili in one minute, 34 seconds for the win. When not focussing on competitive eating or defending our nation against mortal threat, Hartman is preparing for his next life challenge: Training to become a professional wrestler.