The crowd yelling, American flag regalia and red, white and blue painting the scene, hot dogs being smashed and thrown down ...

Editor's Note: Takeru Kobayashi won the world hot dog eating contest on the Fourth of July, breaking his own world record with 50½ hot dogs -- but the victory did not come without controversy.

It is also the biggest day of the year for competitive hot dog eating. The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest has returned - with some delays this year, thanks to poor weather - to New York ...