Joey Chestnut vows to reclaim Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest crown after being barred last year

New York Post

8 hours ago

He's relishing his return!
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest legend Joey Chestnut vowed at Thursday's weigh-in to kick his rival's buns — after he was forced to skip the competition last year due to a sponsorship dispute with a vegan wiener brand.
'My body feels amazing,' Chestnut, 41, told The Post before tipping the scales at 238 pounds. 'Some days, you wake up and your body is not cooperating, but I feel like everything is going well today.'
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'I should be able to get that title back,' Chestnut, who is 6 feet 1 inch tall, said at the event at Hudson Yards in Manhattan.
4 Chestnut weighs in at 238 pounds, and is 6 feet 1 inch tall.
Paul Martinka
The competitive eating king — who has won the celebrated Fourth of July scarf-fest a belt-popping 16 times — was dethroned last year by Chicago native Patrick Bertoletti after he was barred from competing.
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Chestnut was bounced from the contest in June 2024 over his deal with Impossible Foods, which had recently launched a plant-based hot dog.
But last year's beef won't hold him back, Chestnut said Thursday.
'We didn't burn any bridges. I love this event. I was willing to keep talking and I'm happy we figured it out,' he said of the dust-up with Major League Eating.
4 Patrick Bertoletti snatched the crown from Joey Chestnut at last year's hot dog eating contest.
Paul Martinka
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Frankly, he said, he could even beat his past hot dog record.
'That's possible, it's possible,' Chestnut said of shattering his own record of 76 dogs in 10 minutes. 'Things have to be perfect, you know.'
'I am hoping to find a really, really ridiculous rhythm tomorrow…and just keep going.'
Bertoletti, who won the contest last year by wolfing down 58 dogs, said he's happy Chestnut is back.
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'It's extra motivation. It didn't feel right last year with him not being there,' said Bertoletti, who weighed in at 230 pounds, and is 6 foot 2 inches tall. 'You wouldn't want to bet against me or Joey.'
4 Chestnut set the contest's record for most hot dogs ever eaten at 76.
Paul Martinka
Ultimately, the weight of competitive eaters isn't directly linked to success — rendering the weigh-in largely ceremonial, an organizer said.
Some experts, however, have theorized that thin competitors generally do better because people with more abdominal fat may have a reduced stomach expansion capacity.
4 Joey Chestnut has won Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 16 times.
Justin Hamel for the NY Post
Chestnut set the contest's all-time record for most hot dogs eaten by scarfing down 76 in 10 minutes on Fourth of July 2021.
This year's contest will be held at Nathan's Famous flagship restaurant on Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.