Joey "Jaws" Chestnut isn't letting a disqualification get in the way of defending his title at the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Per USA Today, the 16-time champion of Nathan's worldwide famous contest is hosting his own contest at the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas this Fourth of July. He will be facing off against soldiers at the base, but he also hopes to beat the number of hot dogs consumed by the winner of Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest despite a tighter time restriction.
Nathan's contest runs for ten minutes, while Chestnut's rival event will last just five. The record at Nathan's is 76 hot dogs and buns, which he set in 2021, and now he's planning to eat as many as 56 in half the time. The event will be livestreamed on YouTube and will open with a pizza eating contest before getting to the main event, which will be followed by a Q&A with the throat goat himself.
"I wish them luck on that," said Major League Eating's George Shea, who serves as the emcee for the event. " I guess it’s possible that Joey’s such an amazing eater that he could do that [eat more hot dogs than the Nathan's winner in half the time] and that may be a way to snub us on Coney Island. But it’s just not going to the Nathan’s Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest."
Chestnut was disqualified from the annual July 4th event last month because he signed a deal with one of Nathan's biggest competitors, vegan brand Impossible Foods.
"I was very disappointed to learn from the media today that after nearly 20 years I am banned from the Nathan's 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest," he said in a statement. "To set the record straight, I do not have a contract with MLE or Nathan's and they are looking to change the rules from past years as it relates to other partners I can work with. This is apparently the basis on which I’m being banned, and it doesn’t impact the July 4th contest."
Shea offered to "set aside the exclusivity issue" and let Chestnut compete, but only if he signed a multiyear deal with Nathan's and ended his partnership with Impossible Foods. "I think it’s fair to say that Impossible or any other brand that chooses Joey is doing so because of his recognition as a hot dog eater," added Shea. "In fact, what they're promoting and selling is a hot dog. So I don’t thnk it is fair to suggest it’s not a conflict."
