Tag: Nathan’s Hot Dog Competition

Joey Chestnut nearly beat the 2024 men’s Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest winner … in half the time

Joey Chestnut is unstoppable, even when he’s not in the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

We were robbed of what could have been a masterful performance on July 4th.

Patrick Bertoletti took the Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest crown from Joey Chestnut on Thursday after Chestnut had to bow out due to his partnership with Impossible Foods. Bertoletti ate 57 hot dogs in the allotted 10 minutes, which is pretty impressive.

But perhaps Chestnut knew he had to make a statement. So at Fort Bliss in Texas later that day, Chestnut did a five-minute contest and ate … 57 hot dogs.

That’s pretty wild and means we could have seen him perhaps deliver another incredible record-setting day in Coney Island.

Watch:

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Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest: The top-10 record-holders for most eaten (all by Joey Chestnut)

A look back at the top-10 of most hot dogs eaten — it all belongs to Chestnut.

Joey Chestnut won’t be back to defend his crown at the 2024 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Well, it was the crown that he’s had for the past eight years — he was last defeated in 2015, when Matt Stonie beat him 62 to 60. But it’ll be interesting to see if someone else competing — say, Geoffrey Esper — breaks Chestnut’s record from 2021 of 76 dogs.

And if you’re here, you might be wondering: What are the records that Chestnut has set and broken over the years that he’s won? Fun fact: The top-10 of all time all belongs to him.

Let’s run through the list:

The Joey Chestnut and Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest controversy: Everything we know so far

Everything to know about this controversy, with Joey Chestnut out for the 2024 edition.

Seems like there’s now a chance we might not see Joey Chestnut and his record-breaking mouth and stomach at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, an event he’s won so many times.

On Tuesday, there was an initial report that he was out. Then, there was talk that he could be in. Then, we heard from Chestnut himself, and now we’re not totally sure what’s up.

Confused? Need to catch up on the latest news? Fear not. We’re here to help explain what’s going on and give you everything we know at the moment about this whole thing.

An initial report said Joey Chestnut was out of the 2024 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

Per the New York Post, Chestnut made a deal with Impossible foods to promote a plant-based hot dog. That was a wiener too far for Major League Eating, which provided a statement to the Post that said this:

We are devastated to learn that Joey Chestnut has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs rather than competing in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.

MLE and Nathan’s went to great lengths in recent months to accommodate Joey and his management team, agreeing to the appearance fee and allowing Joey to compete in a rival, unbranded hot dog eating contest on Labor Day.

For nearly two decades we have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provisions. However, it seems that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with a different brand over our long-time relationship.

Joey Chestnut is an American hero. We would love nothing more than to have him at the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. We hope he returns when he is not representing a rival brand.

Then, there was talk that he wasn’t banned from the contest

In other words: he’s not banned for life. But he’s ineligible thanks to this deal he has with a rival brand, and that makes sense given that it’s an event involving Nathan’s.

Joey Chestnut spoke out on Tuesday night on X (formerly Twitter) and claimed MLE rules have changed

What’s next for him?

Sounds like he’s out from the Nathan’s event, but perhaps we’ll continue to see him at other eating contests.

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Mother Nature, not Joey Chestnut, won the 2023 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

This may be devastating to Pepto Bismol’s stock price.

UPDATE: Because of the inclement weather, the 2023 men’s Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest was canceled, per ABC7 in New York. However, not long after the reported cancellation, ESPN announced that the contest was back on after a lengthy delay.

In the midst of a pandemic and the live sports desert that followed, the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest offered a glimmer of hope. The Fourth of July staple, broadcast annually from Coney Island, shifted indoors for a socially distanced version of the competition as COVID-19 changed lives across the world.

Joey Chestnut did what Joey Chestnut does, eating a truly ludicrous amount of pork and bread and celebrating America in an extremely American way.

But on Tuesday three years later, the weather in New York did what a global pandemic could not: It canceled the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, which won’t be held on Independence Day for the first time since 1978. In the end, Mother Nature won.

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While the cancellation doesn’t leave much competitive intrigue — Chestnut has effectively lapped his rivals in general and Miki Sudo claimed the women’s belt minutes before the weather stoppage — it’s still a bummer. Across the country, a pre-cookout tradition involves watching dedicated men and women house hot dogs, watching 15 minutes of pro cornhole or slippery stairs or whatever else ESPN2 has planned for the day and then heading out to celebrate the nation with friends and family.

In 2023, raging thunderstorms instead forced the world to watch the ESPYs nomination show; the network’s answer to, “Is there anything more pointless and boring than the ESPYs?” After an hour-long delay, the New York Police Department reportedly pulled the plug on the event in the name of public safety.

So, in summation, dang. The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest has woven itself into the fabric of the Fourth of July. It’s an entertaining rest stop on a day-long journey of cookouts, pool time and fireworks. But nature cut a four-decade tradition off with torrential downpours and lightning that made the whole event even more of a safety hazard than it already was (for contestants, at least).

On the plus side, we know when the next contest will be; 366 days from now.

MORE:

Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest announcers: Who’s calling it on ESPN in 2023?

Here’s who will be on the mic on ESPN for the July 4th tradition.

Get ready for another July 4 filled with hot dogs being crammed into professional eaters’ mouths.

The 2023 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is here, and that means we’ll see Joey Chestnut once again try to win another round of the annual competition in New York’s Coney Island, as will Miki Sudo or Michelle Lesco on the women’s side.

If you’re here, you’re probably wondering: Who is calling the contest on ESPN?

We have answers! Longtime SportsCenter anchor John Anderson will pair with Rich Shea, the president of Major League Eating, will be on the call, and Renee James will be reporting.

There you have it!

The strategic reason why Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contestants dunk the buns in water

Dunking the buns in water is gross, but there’s a point to it.

The Fourth of July means freedom, summer and — above all else — eating ridiculous amounts of grilled food. One of the mainstays of Independence Day is the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest where competitive eaters flock to Coney Island to consume gut-bursting numbers of hot dogs and buns.

You may have noticed something that ups the grossness of the entire production: the contestants will dunk the hot dog buns in water before shoving them down their gullets.

If you’re anything like me, the idea of consuming not just wet bread but soggy buns makes you want to immediately dry heave. But, there’s a point behind the madness.

By dousing the carb portion of the contest in water, it makes them easier to eat. The water is simply a lubricant to help get the buns down faster.

Makes sense, but still. Gross.

Miki Sodu ate 40 hot dogs and buns in the women’s competition, returning from her one-year absence (she was pregnant during the 2021 eat-off) with a vengeance.

The men eat at noon on ESPNNews.

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