Nathan's Hot Dog Contest viewers are angry after the contest banned Joey Chestnut from competing. Instead, Chestnut held a rival competition facing off against soldiers. Now, viewers are calling him the real champ.
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Chicago's Patrick Bertoletti ended up winning the contest, taking home the Mustard Belt. He ate 58 hot dogs in a 10 minute race for first. However, Chestnut has outshined him for many viewers. Chestnut ate 57 hot dogs at his comeptition, which was one less than Bertoletti. But Chestnut did this in only 5 minutes, meaning he realistically could have lapped the competition.
Just take a look at social media. One wrote, "The winner of today's Nathan's hot dog competition ate 58 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Joey Chestnut just did a live stream of his own competition and he ate 57 hot dogs in FIVE minutes. I am shook."
Another wrote, "Give him 10 minutes & he would've set new record. 57 in 5 minutes. Make it 10 & you can double it. That's 114. That would have destroyed any modern record for competition. I love to say it. I'm happy I get to say it again. There is only one Joey Chestnut."
Another wrote, "Grateful that the icon known as Joey Chestnut blessed the soldiers and their friends and families with his presence today." Yet another wrote, "Joey Chestnut was on pace for over 100 downed dogs based on this.. The New Nathans's champ managed just 58 plus buns in ten minutes." Still another wrote, "Joey chestnut is king."
Joey Chestnut Banned
The hot dog competition banned Chestnut after he endorsed the vegan brand Impossible Meats. Chestnut said the ban took him by surprise.
"I was gutted to learn from the media that after 19 years Im banned from the Nathan's July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest," Chestnut wrote on X at the time, adding, "I love competing in that event, I love celebrating America with my fans all over this great country on the 4th and I have been training to defend my title."
He said that he though everything was fine. He wrote, "Everything with [the Impossible Foods affiliation] was perfectly fine by all my previous agreements. They changed terms and conditions [around] exclusivity -- it's the first time they've really changed things after the fact, and I had to say, 'Hey, it's too late, I've already started working with this brand."
However, the company has denied this.
"For nearly two decades we have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provisions," Major League Eating stated. "However, it seems that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with a different hot dog brand over our long-time relationship."
