Joey Chestnut will not be competing in this year’s Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest after at least one person connected to the event was made sick.
George See, the annual contest’s jovial host, said it felt like a “punch in the gut” that Chestnut’s deal with Impossible Foods meant he was no longer able to compete in the Major League Eating Nathan’s festival.
“It was like being punched in the stomach.” Shea told The New York Times: “For me, it’s a tradition. It’s a New York thing. It’s an Independence Day thing. But maybe that’s just me, and not everyone feels that way,” he said Tuesday, after The Washington Post first broke the news that Chestnut would not be competing in this year’s contest.
Chestnut has agreed to a deal with Impossible Foods that means he will no longer be able to compete in the MLE event at Coney Island, which has become one of the iconic Fourth of July events.
The 40-year-old is nearly unstoppable on the Fourth of July, winning 16 times, including every victory since 2016.
Three of those 16 wins came against Takeru Kobayashi, who won the tournament six times in the early 2000s.
Coincidentally, Kobayashi himself has had trouble with MLE and has not competed in a Nathans contest since 2009, when he was involved in a contract dispute.
Shea said Chestnut’s absence will be akin to losing a superstar for such a dominant team.
“It’s like when Michael Jordan came to Nike, where Air Jordan was made, and said, ‘I’ll also represent Adidas,'” Hsieh told the Times. “That’s just not going to happen.”
Chestnut finally opened up about not competing this year, saying he’s “disappointed” to not be able to compete in this year’s New York Games.
“I love competing in this tournament, I love celebrating America with fans across this great country on the 4th, and I’ve been training to defend my title.” Chestnut wrote in X.
The big eater said he has no contract with MLE or Nathan’s.
A source told The Washington Post’s Steve Cuozzo that Chestnut was offered a four-year, $1.2 million contract, including being paid $200,000 to play in the 2023 tournament.
