The day before Joey Chestnut usurped his own popcorn eating world record — devouring 42 24-ounce servings of popcorn in eight minutes — the Deseret News asked the competitive eating legend the question that was on all of his fans’ minds: Would he be returning to the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island this Fourth of July?
Chestnut, a 16-time time winner of the contest, was banned from competing last year due to striking an endorsement deal with Impossible Foods, which the Major League Eating considered “a rival brand,” as the Deseret News previously reported.
But when asked about a potential return, the man who once downed a record 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes (buns included) didn’t provide a hard yes or no.
“I would love to compete. Everybody knows I love that contest,” he told the Deseret News. “I don’t know if they want me. It’s a weird relationship. We’re gonna see what happens. No matter what, I’ll be competing somewhere.
“I hate to be vague,” he added. “I’m sorry.”
Now, a few weeks later, fans have their official answer: He’s back.
Joey Chestnut is returning to the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest
On Monday, Chestnut announced his return to the contest that means so much to him.
“This event means the world to me,” Chestnut shared in a post on X that has more than 5 million views. “It’s a cherished tradition, a celebration of American culture, and a huge part of my life.”
Last year, Chestnut would’ve gone for his ninth consecutive win in the contest had he been allowed to compete. He shared at the time that he was “disappointed” by the ban.
Major League Eating, which runs the contest, said in a statement at the time that Chestnut could return when he wasn’t “representing a rival brand,” per Deseret News.
“Joey Chestnut is an American hero. We would love nothing more than to have him at the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, which he has dominated for years,” the organization said, per Deseret News.
On Monday, Chestnut expressed gratitude that he and Major League Eating were “able to find common ground.”
“While I have and continue to partner with a variety of companies, including some in the plant-based space, those relationships were never a conflict with my love for hot dogs,” he wrote in his announcement on X. “To be clear: Nathan’s is the only hot dog company I’ve ever worked with.
“I respect that there were differences in interpretation, but I’m grateful we’ve been able to find common ground,“ he continued. ”I’m excited to be back on the Coney Island stage, doing what I live to do, and celebrating the Fourth of July with hot dogs in my hands! Stay hungry!”
Joey Chestnut’s standout Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest moment
In his interview with the Deseret News, Chestnut reflected on a standout moment in his career. It’s tied to the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest — but not the one in 2021 when he created a new world record with his whopping 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
Instead, Chestnut’s mind goes to the following year, when he competed with a broken leg, took down a protester and still managed to scarf down 63 hot dogs.
“Unbelievable that it happened and I was able to get it together and continue eating, even though I had a protester right in front of me,” he told the Deseret News. “He had a Darth Vader mask. That was a wild one.
“I hardly even remember grabbing them,” he continued. “But then there was like a pause where I’m like, ‘I gotta keep eating.’ That’s what I remember. ‘I gotta keep eating, that’s what I’m here for. I gotta eat.’”
Joey Chestnut on the appeal of competitive eating
Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest took a dip in viewership following the Chestnut ban, with its lowest ratings in more than a decade, USA Today reported.
Last year’s broadcast drew 831,000 viewers compared to roughly 1 million in each of the previous two years. One of the highest viewerships in the last several years was the 2014 contest, which drew in 2.7 million viewers, per USA Today.
According to Chestnut, the appeal of competitive eating — particularly when it comes to hot dogs — is that it’s an everyman sport.
“Everybody’s eating hot dogs,” he told the Deseret News. “And they’ve kind of imagined, ‘I wonder how many could I eat?’ so people can kind of relate. A lot of people don’t know how hard it is to hit a home run, so it’s hard to relate, or to kick a field goal. But everybody can kind of relate to how many hot dogs I’m eating.
“And also everybody can kind of relate to what it feels like to overeat or be full,” he continued. “People can see the stress, and sometimes when we’re sweating and there’s a little bit of pain, an old man, woman, child, can all understand that.”
Although Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place on the Fourth of July, Chestnut isn’t entirely sold on the idea that competitive eating is patriotic.
“I don’t know if patriotism and competitive eating go together necessarily, but it’s definitely an American tradition,” he said. “It brings people together on holidays — it’s patriotic-adjacent.
“It really is fun,” he added. “Most people, after they go to a contest, they’re really surprised that they enjoyed it, if they weren’t already a fan.”