Joey Chestnut on his return to Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest: 'I'm looking to push the record'
The 16-time Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champion and world's top-ranked competitive eater spoke to Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz about competing in this year's contest after missing the 2024 edition, the number of hot dogs he's targeting to eat and which competitors could challenge him for the crown. Joey joined Yahoo Sports on behalf of Major League Eating.
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Video Transcript
Jason Fitz with Yahoo Sports hanging out with Joey Chestnut.
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You love him.
You can't wait to see him.
Gonna be back at Nathan's famous hot dog eating contest, Fourth of July.
All right.
What's it mean?
Cause last year you weren't there, right?
And everybody always pays attention to Joey Chestnut.
So Joey, what's it mean to be back at the contest?
Oh, it's awesome to be back.
4th of July.
Uh, no matter what, I'll be eating hot dogs somewhere on 4th of July, and it's, it's great to be back on Coney Island.
This is where I, uh, took down Kobi Achi for the first time and I, um, I'm I'm making, I'm hopefully gonna make a new record.
You educated me.
The first time I was ever the sideline reporter on the hot dog contest.
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You taught me a very important thing that the overall, the humidity, the weather, all of these things matter to how the dogs go down.
So now we sit here a few years later.
Are there any, as far as, as many of these contests as you've done, are there any tips or tricks that you've figured out that sort of help you get through the speed?
Oh, there, there, yeah, so eating humidity are tough.
Uh, you'll see a lot of the eaters hanging out in, in, in like the green room or staging area.
I'm, I'm, I've been talking to the Nathan's people I hang out in the freezer or the fridge.
I, I can make sure I'm cool and I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm that heat scares me sometimes on Coney Island when it's humid, uh, if, if I'm sweating too much, it starts slowing me down midway through the contest.
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So I, I'm, I'm working hard to stay cool before the contest starts.
And uh and during the contest, it's, it's just, I, I stay calm, stay calm.
I'm in my happy place and uh just keep, just keep breathing and swallowing.
So let's look left to right now because you didn't do the contest last year, you're back.
Everybody's been working to try and take down Joey Chestnut.
Is there somebody that you've got an eye on around you that you're thinking, man, this is the guy that might be able to give me a bit of a bump this time.
Oh, there's always awesome eaters.
Pat Bertoletti, he won last year with a personal best of 58, and there's James Webb from Australia, and he's beaten me in chicken wings, but I'll tell you what, 58 is not gonna cut it.
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We're not eating chicken wings.
I'm going out.
I'm looking for 70s, I'm looking to push the record.
It's, yeah, so if I'm, if my game's going well, I should blow it right away.
In my entire career, for everything I ever did at ESPN or now at Yahoo, or even in music, I don't think I've ever been more blown up on my phone than every year on the 4th of July that I did the hot dog eating contest, just being around it.
For you, where's the weirdest place you've ever been stopped and recognized for being Joey Chestnut?
Oh my God, I don't know, the weirdest thing.
It happens way too often.
Guys recognize me in the bathroom and try to get to take pictures like this, that's not acceptable, brother.
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At one time I had traffic court one time, and the judge recognized me.
And the judge recognized me.
Did you still get the ticket or did he give you the, oh, I got the ticket, but then he told me it was a fan, but it made it a little bit less painful.
But it made it a little bit less painful.
But yeah, I guess it's always nice people usually, happy people.
Well, Nathan's hot dog eating contest is a 4th of July tradition for a lot of us, me included, brother, and it's a it's just better when you're in it.
So we're all glad that you're back.
Best of luck.
Crush it on the 4th of July.
I know you will anyway, but most importantly, stay healthy out there, because I don't know how you do it.
You know, I go in knowing that it's gonna be uncomfortable and I put the work in the recover, and thank you.
I'm gonna be pushing hard.
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