Let’s Eat Hot Dogs 🌭
When do you think of Joey Chestnut other than when he’s woofin’ wieners?
Entertainment rumors have been furiously swirling that hot dog-eating champion Joey Chestnut will make his way back to Major League Eating and the competition that made him famous—Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Challenge.
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Better Together
It’s not official, but, seriously, Joey Chestnut and Major League Eating (MLE) have the most symbiotic relationship since bees have been drinking nectar from flowers and spreading their pollen. Both sides win, right? And if these two can’t see that they’re far better with, rather than against, each other, then they need to sponsor a beer-drinking contest so they can see things a bit more clearly.
The beef began when Joey signed a deal with Impossible Foods; MLE got mad and said Impossible was a rival brand—how they construed that is anyone’s guess—but Joey contended he had no contract with MLE or Nathan’s and he could damn well do what he pleased.
The legendary Joey Chestnut is in talks to return to the iconic Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4th next month, per @TMZ_Sports.
The 16-time champion competitive eater was banned last year due to his sponsorship deal endorsing plant-based vegan hot dogs. pic.twitter.com/v9PYkYInsq
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 10, 2025
Well, Major League Eating doesn’t draw the same numbers as the NBA, and Jayson Tatum’s dresser drawer probably has more spare change than Joey Chestnut’s yearly endorsement fee from Impossible, so it’s not like either party is calling the shots.
Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest is a known commodity, but so too is Joey Chestnut. Yet, who knows of any MLE events other than Nathan’s, and when do you think of Joey Chestnut other than when he’s woofin’ wieners?
So is Joey Chestnut returning to the @originalnathans Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating contest after skipping last year. Out friend the great @gcshea has the update on @1010WINS pic.twitter.com/bNWRacVAWq
— glenn schuck (@glennschuck) June 11, 2025
Has the King Returned?
Google “Joey Chestnut Netflix,” and you’ll witness him vanquishing the only real threat to his throne, Takeru Kobayashi, by setting another hot dog-eating contest record when he downed 83 hot dogs and gave the channel the entertainment news they had been desperately seeking.
But that was then, and this is now. Chestnut won $100,000 for beating Kobayashi, but that money’s spent. What’s he doing now? Joey Chestnut’s records are a mile long, but you can’t sell them. Competitive eating is not exactly a cash cow, and I think MLE is starting to figure out that they need Jaws and he needs them.
Joey Chestnut wins his 1️⃣5️⃣th Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating championship 🏆 pic.twitter.com/oyk84XEa0z
— ESPN (@espn) July 4, 2022
Apparently, the two sides are actively negotiating to bring Joey back to the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest after he sat out last year’s event because of the contract squabble. Chestnut has won the event 16 times and naturally holds Nathan’s record, eating 76 hot dogs and buns at the 2021 event.
My question is, how the hell does a human being eat 76 dogs along with the requisite buns? I’m tapped out at three, which means I have no idea how these guys do it.
In case you were wondering, Patrick Bertoletti was Joey’s placeholder last year and gobbled 58 dogs to win the prize, which will forever have an asterisk by his name. Let’s hope Jaws and MLE can reach an equitable resolution because right now, America needs a hero, and his name is Joey Chestnut.
