There’s a new top dog in town.
Patrick Bertoletti was crowned champion at the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest in Coney Island on Thursday.
A 39-year-old man from Illinois ate an astounding 58 frankfurters and buns in 10 minutes as the sun beat down on the iconic Nathan’s flagship store during the annual Fourth of July contest.
This feat marks the first time in 16 years that anyone other than world champion competitive eater Joey Chestnut has won the title.
Chestnut, known as “Jaws”, was dramatically booted out of this year’s beef-eating contest after signing a deal with rival brand Impossible Foods, best known for its meatless Impossible Burger.
Major League Eating, which licenses Nathan to run the event, argued that it was aware of the hot dog exclusivity clause throughout the nearly two decades that Chestnut has been gobbling down record-breaking hot dogs.
“Joey is not banned. He chose not to compete the moment he decided to sign an endorsement deal with one of Nathan’s rivals,” the agent said when the controversy first broke.
Chestnut, who had been holding out hope that he would be allowed to compete, said he was “devastated” and would instead travel to Fort Bliss Army Base in El Paso, Texas, to compete with soldiers on Independence Day in a hot dog-roasting talent contest.
Chestnut, who was named the world’s fastest eater by Major League Eating, has won every Nathan’s hot dog eating contest except for one since 2007.
Last year, Chestnut won a Coney Island competition by eating 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes, and in 2021 he set a new record by downing 71 links.
