Why a new winner is guaranteed at this year’s Nathan’s hot dog eating competition

The 16-time winner of the Nathan’s Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, Joey Chestnut, will not participate in this year’s competition after agreeing to a sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods, a plant-based competitor to Nathan’s, Major League Eating announced last month.

Chestnut, who ate a world-record 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes in 2021, said he was “gutted” to learn he was banned from the annual Coney Island competition.

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The move opens the door for another contestant to win the coveted mustard belt for the first time since 2016.

Why was Joey Chestnut banned?

Chestnut reportedly struck a deal with Impossible Foods, a plant-based hot dog brand.

“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,” MLE said in a statement. “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 hot dog brand over our long-time relationship.”

Chestnut argued in a Tuesday interview with Sports Illustrated that MLE had “changed terms and conditions [around] exclusivity” after the fact.

“Everything with Impossible was perfectly fine by all my previous agreements,” he said.

Who will win this year’s competition?

Fourteen eaters will compete for this year’s men’s title, which also comes with a $10,000 prize.

“With Joey out, there is a pretty big door open,” Nick Wehry, one of this year’s competitors, told the New York Post.

Geoffrey Esper, who came in second place at last year’s contest with 49 hot dogs, is the favorite to win.

Following Esper are James Webb, who came in third last year with 47 hot dogs, and Wehry, who earned fourth place with 45.

Another 14 eaters will compete in the women’s event, with nine-time winner Miki Sudo being the overwhelming favorite to win. Sudo won last year’s competition with 39.5 hot dogs and holds the women’s world record of 48.5 hot dogs eaten in 10 minutes. 

To take part in the hot dog contest, participants must compete in a regional qualifying event, have won the competition in the past, or be invited by MLE, according to the New York Post.

Competitors must eat as many hot dogs as possible within a 10-minute period. Utensils and condiments are banned, and any eater who vomits during the competition is disqualified. 

Nonalcoholic beverages are allowed, and eaters are permitted to dunk the hot dog and bun in a cup of water for up to five seconds.

Will Chestnut be back in the future?

MLE said they would “love nothing more” than to have Chestnut back in the competition.

“We hope that he returns when he is not representing a rival brand,” the organization said.

Chestnut said that “nothing is out of the question.”

“I’m not burning any bridges,” he told Sports Illustrated. “I love the Fourth of July and that contest. I’m always willing to try. I don’t hold grudges.”

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This Fourth of July, Chestnut will compete in a 5-minute hot dog eating contest at an army base in El Paso, Texas.

He will also face off against his longtime rival Takeru Kobayashi on Labor Day in “Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef,” which will air live on Netflix on Sept. 2. Kobayashi has not competed in the Nathan’s contest since 2009 due to a contractual dispute with MLE.