The Hot Dog Challenge

Since 2015, The Hot Dog Challenge has been working to #MakeHotDogsGreatAgain. What started as an informal “eat a dog, snap a dog” amongst friends has evolved into The Hot Dog Challenge, a 40 day fundraiser to benefit Leader Dogs for the Blind.

As we reach our 5th year, the success we’ve accomplished with your support has inspired us to add a second charity to our cause. Jeff Cortese has become a big part of The Hot Dog Challenge over the past 4 years, and we are proud to be raising money for the New York Presbyterian Hospital for Brain Cancer Research on his behalf.

The Hot Dog Challenge also wants to thank all of the fans, participants, and donors this year. We know not everyone has the stomach to tackle our 40 day challenge, but this year we want to see what the average hot dogger brings to the table. If 40 days of hot dogs are too many, simply post your best hot dog video on Instagram and nominate 3 people to respond within 24 hours. If you are tagged and can’t respond within a day, we ask that you make a donation to the cause of your choosing. PLEASE REMEMBER TO TAG @Official_HotDogChallenge IN ALL VIDEOS. Get creative and have fun! We will be sending an official #MHDGA hat and #Dogginit4Jeff t-shirt to the best video of the season. 

We’re still taking on the 40 day challenge and hope that there are some brave souls out there who will join in too. The rules are simple, eat at least one hot dog every day for 40 days, and make sure you document the dog via Instagram or Snapchat. The challenge begins on May 26th and ends on July 4th 2020. The challenger with the most dogs over that span is the 2020 TOP DOG.

We know that COVID-19 has changed the way we live, but we are doing everything we can to make our 2nd Annual #MHDGA Hot Dog Eating Contest happen again. We are working with New Canaan’s The White Buffalo to find a date to host the contest later this summer or fall if possible. We had a blast getting to interact with everyone last year, and look forward to seeing all of you again. Will Brian O’Callaghan defend his title, or will a new contender be the 2020 champ? 

Welcome to the 2020 Hot Dog Challenge, if you have any questions you can reach out to Frank.Granito@gmail.com or @Official_HotDogChallenge on Instagram.

And as always, stay Guldens pony boys,

The Dogfather

2020 HDC Rules

  • Challenger: Min. one dog per day for 40 days. (May 26th – July 4th, 2020)
  • Daily Dogger: Submit video eating a dog, nominate three people on Instagram (@official_hotdogchallenge) for the next 24hrs to respond and post.
  • Contributors: Pledge to sponsor a challenger/individual donations.

Causes

Jeff Cortese

Jeff has been slowly losing his vision over the past few years with first signs showing in his senior year at Michigan State University. Jeff has since been diagnosed with a rare brain tumor known as glioma of the hypothalamus.

We are going into our 5th year of the Hot Dog Challenge which we have been full supporters of The Leader Dog Foundation. However, with Jeff’s health changing we have decided to add a foundation that will help support Jeff and other patients who are undergoing similar treatments and obstacles similar to Jeff. We ask if you can please donate to this cause whether its $1 or $100 we appreciate every penny donated.

#Dogginit4Jeff #Dogs4Dogs


Leader Dogs for the Blind

Leader Dogs for the Blind is an organization that helps to empower blind, visually impaired or Deaf-Blind people with lifelong skills for safe and independent travel. All of their services and programs are offered completely free of charge and without the help of any federal or state funding. 35 years ago, my Uncle Kevin O’Callaghan lost his vision suddenly as a result of juvenile diabetes and after five surgeries and dozens of laser procedures, was left completely blind at the age of 23. In that moment, he had lost his job, his education and his independence and had to figure out what to do next. Leader Dogs for the Blind was there for my uncle over 35 years ago and gave him back his independence, the ability to graduate from college, to get a job and to live a normal life. Kevin, now on his 4th leader dog, currently serves as Chief Talent Officer at Leader Dogs for the Blind and hopes to be able to continue to help people as Leader Dogs did for him so many years ago.


Donate

Donate to the Leader Dogs
Donate for Brain Cancer

The Daily Dog

ANNOUNCEMENT: We can not wait to see everyone tomorrow at @thewhitebuffalonc but want to remind everyone to follow COVID rules in place. Masks will be required to enter the restaurant and if you are not at a table. Tables will be spaced appropriately by the staff and we encourage everyone to practice good social distancing habits. Imagine a distance that is safe from a contestants vomit range 😉. Doors open at 12 and the hot dogs get eaten at 1:15. #dogginitforjeff #mhdga ...

Happy to announce that summer isn’t quite over yet! We hope everyone enjoyed the Labor Day festivities this past weekend but saved room for some more 🌭🌭🌭. Please join us on Saturday, September 19th for our 2nd annual #dogginitforjeff Hot Dog Eating Contest. @thewhitebuffalonc will open at noon and the contest will start at 1:30. Stay tuned for more updates as the date approaches and more importantly stay hungry! #dogsfordogs #mhdga #leaderdogsfortheblind ...

We regret to announce that due to the impending inclement weather on Saturday, the 2nd annual #dogginitforjeff Hot Dog Eating Contest has been postponed. We are looking forward to seeing everyone at a later date which we are working on setting with @thewhitebuffalonc Thank you again to everyone for their support and we looked forward to getting together and enjoying some 🌭 #mhdga #dogsfordogs #leaderdogsfortheblind ...

6 of our 10 contestant spots have been filled. If you would like to compete in the 2nd Annual #DogginItForJeff 🌭Eating Contest send us a message! We’ll see everyone next Saturday, August 29th, at @thewhitebuffalonc ...

We are happy to announce that the 2nd annual #dogginit4jeff Hot Dog Eating Contest will be held on August 29th. Special thanks to @thewhitebuffalonc for hosting us again and we look forward to seeing all of our competitors and supporters soon! #mhdga #dogs4dogs #leaderdogsfortheblind ...

And in the blink of an eye 5 years of the Hot Dog Challenge are behind us. Can’t express enough how much we appreciate everyone’s support from Day 1 - Day 40. Still time to visit thehotdogchallenge.com and get ready for our 2nd annual #dogginitforjeff Hot Dog Eating Contest coming up @thewhitebuffalonc ...

Trying to get the most out of these final two days of the #2020HDC Always enjoy ending the challenge with @brothercal and thanks to @elliesmith8 and @odennis26 for jumping in. Please send us your 4th of July hot dog videos and show us how you’re #dogginitforjeff on this season’s final day. ...

Awesome work as always by @james_shea1 and incredible to see the true face of the Hot Dog Challenge, Jeff Cortese making his big screen debut. Move over Cohen brothers @jeffreycortese and @nickycheesedog are here to steal your thunder. Hard to believe there’s only 5 days left. Let’s see if anyone can top our new favorite film as we make the final push towards our goal! ...

Tonight on To Catch a Vegetarian we find out just why @k_cognetta won’t eat hot dogs. For more on this exclusive story go to TheHotDogChallenge.com #mhdga #dogsfordogs #dogginitforjeff ...

By no means is a hot dog a sandwich! Though putting my favorite sandwich on top of some worked out pretty well. The Cubano Dog with Swiss cheese, pickles, shredded pork, and mustard FTW. Thanks to @brothercal for the idea and checkout the movie Chef starring @jonfavreau after you hit thehotdogchallenge.com for some more Cubano love! #mhdga #dogginitforjeff #dogsfordogs ...

4 weeks down. Time truly flies when we’re #dogginitforjeff and @leader_dog In honor of week 5, we are giving away a free #MHDGA hat to the first person to comment the correct answer to tonight’s trivia question. ...

When @nickycheesedog turns up dead in his department there’s only one unit fit to work the case.
Loved working with everyone on this and another incredible effort by @james_shea1 to turn our awful acting into internet gold. What should our next #HDC2020 #dogginitforjeff video be?
...

Behind the scenes on the set of the next James Shea joint. Unbelievable working with @nickycheesedog @james_shea1 @tommmycalo and others in the next great hot dog film. Can’t wait for its release on Monday. #dogginitforjeff #dogsfordogs #MHDGA #HDC2020 ...

Just out here enjoying the #2020HDC while it lasts. If you haven’t checked out thehotdogchallenge.com there’s still time to get on and show your support. #mhdga #dogsfordogs #dogginitforjeff ...

Happy Tuesday, week 3, and summer vacation to all you students out there! Day 22 of the #2020HDC and I want to thank @leader_dog for for their help over the past four years. We are proud to partner with great organization and love helping in every way we can. @maureen513 it’s your turn to participate in the Hot Dog Challenge #dogsfordogs #dogginitforjeff ...

Day 19 and going strong! If you haven’t yet check out @james_shea1 newest #HDC2020 video. In a world of movie making there is Tarantino, Shea, and then everybody else. We’re at 27k and only halfway home. Keep up the great work and keep #dogginitforjeff ...

Week 3 is underway and we have passed 25k in donations! Hard to believe we’re not even halfway home, but don’t worry we’ve got plenty of 🌭 to go. Since we missed taco Tuesday I want to dedicate this pizza dog to @bcog Grayson, Addie and Pey-Pey. Don’t be like Aunt @k_cognetta and try to eat a carrot. #dogginitforjeff #dogsfordogs #hdc2020 ...

2 weeks behind us and things are starting to heat up. Make sure you check out everything on thehotdogchallenge.com and continue sending us your videos! Can’t wait to see what #billsmafia member @tlynott23 brings to the table, hopefully he’ll break one! #dogsfordogs #dogginitforjeff #hdc2020 #mhdga ...

Day 13 time for some brotherly love. Let’s get the #ncpuck boys involved. @pkriegs @kriegs1 @tkrieger5 can’t think of better crew to start it off. Don’t forget to visit thehotdogchallenge.com for all of the #2020hdc info. #dogginitforjeff #dogsfordogs #mhdga ...

Day 12 of the #2020HDC able to sneak a dog in before this weather breaks. Check out thehotdogchallenge.com and make sure to send us your hot dog videos! #dogginitforjeff #dogsfordogs #leaderdogsfortheblind CLOSE THE WINDOW, STORMS A COMIN! ...

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2019 Recap
Thank you all for supporting the 4th Annual Hot Dog Challenge! We are …
Instagram: @official_hotdogchallenge