Joey Chestnut will still be eating hot dogs on the Fourth of July, just not in Coney Island.
Chestnut will be taking on soldiers at Fort Bliss, Texas, after a sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods put him at odds with Nathan’s Famous.
Due to a contract with his company, Chestnut will not participate in the hot dog eating contest.
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Joey Chestnut, winner of the 2021 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, poses for a photo at Maimonides Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York on July 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Brittany Newman, File)
Chestnut, who holds the record for eating 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes during the 2021 tournament, said he was “disappointed” to learn he would not be able to compete. He said he loves the atmosphere of the tournament and the fans who come to watch the competition.
Chestnut ends up fighting starving soldiers on America’s Independence Day.
“If (each person) can get past 10, that’s a pretty good achievement,” he told The Associated Press.
He said he would play a practice round on Friday and then take the oil to make sure his digestive system “has a clean highway and no traffic jams.”
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Competitive eating contestant Joey Chestnut poses with his mustard yellow championship belt during a game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Ball State Cardinals at Sanford Stadium on September 9, 2023 in Athens, Georgia. (Brandon Slaughter/Images for Sports/Getty Images)
Chestnut said he hopes to return to the Nathan’s tournament next year, although he will have to overcome the hurdles of Major League Eating.
“I feel like I’ve been bullied,” he said. “If I ever work with them again, they owe me an apology,” Chesnut said.
Major League Eating spokesman George Shea told The Associated Press that sponsorship deals are the issue.
“Unfortunately, that was not enough to reach an agreement,” the statement said. “We believe this is a powerful tribute to our nation’s military and wish Joey the best of luck at his event.”
Joey Chestnut stuffs his mouth full of hot dogs during the men’s division of the Nathan’s Famous July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, 2019 in Coney Island, New York. (AP Photo/Sarah Steer, File)
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Chestnutt’s fans will have to wait until September to see him face off against Kobayashi Takeru on Netflix.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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