The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest has a new champion: Pat Bertoletti, who ate 58 hot dogs.
Bertoletti’s win came as people across the country were celebrating Independence Day, when thousands of fans gathered on Conley Island to watch a hot dog eating contest in which competitors devoured as many hot dogs (and buns) as they could in 10 minutes.
However, one high-profile contestant was missing from this year’s list: 16-time winner Joey Chestnut.
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Patrick Bertoletti wins the men’s title with 58 hot dogs at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, 2024 in New York City. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
Chestnut has reportedly been barred from competing in this year’s competition after recently signing a deal with Nathan’s rival Impossible Foods, which has launched a vegan sausage line. New York Post report.
Joey Chestnut to take on hungry soldiers in Independence Day hot dog contest
Instead, he will take on soldiers at a U.S. military base in El Paso starting at 5pm ET.
With Chestnut out, Brooklyn’s traditional event could see a new men’s winner, leaving mustard lovers around the world to compete for the coveted mustard belt.
FILE – Joey Chestnut, winner of the 2021 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, poses for a photo at Maimonides Park in Coney Island on July 4, 2021, in Brooklyn, New York. (AP Photo/Brittany Newman, File)
Chestnut, from Indiana, won the title last year by eating 62 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. In 2021, he set a new record of 76.
He was initially disinvited from the event due to his sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods, a company that specializes in plant-based meat alternatives.
Hot dogs are prepared for the Nathan’s Famous 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest 2024 at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York on July 4th, 2024. (LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images)
Major League Eating, which puts on the Nathan’s Famous contest, later announced it had lifted the ban, but Chestnut decided to spend the holiday with military personnel anyway.
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Chestnut said he would not return to the Coney Island contest without an apology.
An Impossible Foods spokesperson said the company will also make a donation to organizations that support military families based on the number of hot dogs eaten at the event.
Fox News’ Ryan Mollick contributed to this report.
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