Joey Chestnut (right) wins a hot dog eating contest against soldiers Thursday at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, with Impossible Foods promising to eat every For one hot dog, $1,000 will be donated to support military families.
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Joey Chestnut did participate in the July 4th hot dog eating contest after all, but not the Coney Island contest that made him famous.
Chestnut, the 16-time winner of Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, was officially banned from the annual event by the Great Food League in mid-June. Their beef? He signed an endorsement deal with Impossible Foods, a company that makes plant-based proteins.
Although the American Dietetic Association later said it had lifted the ban, Chestnut said he would not return to the stage at the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues without an apology, according to the Associated Press.
The world’s leading competitive eater battles with a group of soldiers at Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas, live-streamed a patriotic charity show on his YouTube channel, followed by “Meat and Greetings.”
“For the first time anywhere, but especially here at Fort Bliss, we’re facing the ultimate hot dog eating challenge,” roared the host, wearing an American flag-patterned polo shirt. “Five minutes, all-beef hot dogs, one man against four of the Army’s best.”
Chestnut, who said on stage that his grandfather, uncle, father and brother all served in the U.S. Army, competed as a team with four soldiers.
For the better part of five minutes, the two tables were nearly evenly matched, but in the end it was Chestnut who came out victorious. As more than 18,000 spectators watched at home and a large crowd chanted his name and “USA,” Chesnutt ate 57 hot dogs and buns, topping his opponent’s 49.
“I love you guys and thank you so much. I’m so happy to be here,” Chestnut said afterward, raising his hard-earned gold-plated belt. “I was busy at first, then I slowed down a little bit – for a moment I thought I might be able to hit 60, but you guys put a lot of pressure on me. Thank you so much.”
In a particularly meaty twist, Chestnut ate nearly as many hot dogs as the winner of Nathan’s famous hot dog eating contest earlier in the day, some 2,000 miles away, but in half the time.
Chestnut said he broke the previous record of 55 hot dogs in five minutes. The 40-year-old holds more than 50 world records for competitive eating (not just frankfurters), including an appetizing 76 hot dogs and buns eaten in 10 minutes 2021 in Coney Island.
When asked at Fort Bliss what he could do in 10 minutes, Chestnut responded: “I’m going at record speed…but no matter what, eventually I’m going to set a new record.”
Impossible Foods officially announced its partnership with Chestnut earlier this week, pledging to donate $1,000 for every hot dog eaten to Operation Homefront, a nonprofit organization that supports military families. That adds up to $106,000.
Chestnut may have been kicked off the island, but he’s still hungry
Chesnutt’s absence loomed over Coney Island Thursday morning and afternoon as 14 women and 14 men each competed in two fast-paced face-offs. Impossible Foods aired several ads on ESPN (for chicken nugget alternatives) as part of its efforts to market to meat eaters.
In the women’s competition, defending champion Miki Sudo of Florida knocked down 51 hot dogs in 10 minutes to take home a medal and set a new world record, while Chicago’s Patrick Bertoletti blasted He hit 58 hot dogs, becoming the third men’s player to win since Chestnut’s winning streak began in 2007 (he was defeated only once, by Matt Stoney in 2015).
Earlier this week, Chestnut told USA Today that he hopes to eat more hot dogs and buns in five minutes than Nathan the winner can eat in 10 minutes, adding, “I Thinking 56 minutes was doable he was a minute above target and two minutes short of beating Bertoletti.
The official account on Fort BlissX (formerly Twitter) publicly invited Chestnut to participate in a hot dog eating contest on June 25, about two weeks after his Coney Island ban made headlines.
Four days later, Chestnut responded that he would be traveling to El Paso on the 4th to “do what I do best, military style” and extended his own invitation to Impossible Foods.
“While I’m squeezing hot dogs, do you want to join in and help feed the hungry?” he added.
A spokesperson for Impossible Foods told NPR via email that even though Chestnut was eating real beef during the competition, they accepted his invitation and set up a “VIP sample tent” at the base.
They also flew banners on planes in Miami and Los Angeles urging people to “Watch Joey Eat.”
At least as of Friday morning, it had more than 113,000 YouTube viewers.
Those who want another chance to watch Kuroko at work can tune in to Netflix on September 2, when Kuroko will go head-to-head with his arch-rival Takeshi Kobayashi for the first time in 15 years.
