Joey Chestnut, 16-time hot dog champion, banned from competitive eating – because he has a vegan sponsor
Disqualified because of vegan sponsor: 16-time hot dog champion Joey Chestnut
© Andrew Schwartz/SIPA / Action Press
A sponsorship dispute leads to the exclusion of the master of hot dog eating, Joey Chestnut, from a traditional eating contest. His new sponsor produces – and that too – plant-based meat substitutes.
This news is hard to swallow for many fans of the traditional hot dog competition in New York’s Coney Island district: 16-time champion Joey Chestnut has been excluded from the event this year. The reason: The high-speed sausage devourer has signed a contract with a company that competes with his previous sponsor. Chestnut’s new partner is, of all things, Impossible Foods – a manufacturer of plant-based meat substitutes.
Major League Eating, co-organizer of the annual hot dog competition held on July 4th in the beach district of Coney Island, said on Tuesday that it was “devastated” by Chestnut’s deal with the rival company. Since the 40-year-old now represents a different hot dog brand, he is not allowed to take part in the event in Coney Island, an association spokesman told the US sports broadcaster ESPN.
Chestnut “bitterly disappointed” about his disqualification
The competition is organized by Major League Eating in conjunction with Nathan’s Famous, a restaurant chain that specializes in the hot dog in a soft bun. The event, which takes place on the Coney Island peninsula in the borough of Brooklyn and takes place in front of a long-established, iconic company diner, features Nathan’s hot dogs being gobbled down. The tradition of the competition dates back to 1916.
Despite the move to Impossible Foods, Major League Eating praised Chestnut as an “American hero.” The tabloid New York Post called his exclusion “hard news to swallow.” Chestnut himself said he was “bitterly disappointed” about his disqualification.
“I love taking part in this competition,” and he has been training to defend his title, Chestnut explained on the online platforms Instagram and X. But he sent a combative message to his fans: “Rest assured, you will see me eating again soon!”
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Hot dog eating contest between Chestnut and Kobayashi on Netflix
But Chestnut should be encouraged by the news from the streaming service Netflix. On Wednesday, Netflix announced a live duel between Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi for September 2nd. It would be the first direct duel between the two most famous hot dog eating contestants in 15 years.
Netflix is quickly taking advantage of Chestnut’s ban from the traditional hot dog eating contest in New York on US Independence Day the day before.
Kobayashi was one of the pioneers of competitive eating, winning Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest six times. However, in 2010, he was banned from the competition by event organizer Major League Eating due to a contract dispute. The rivalry between Kobayashi and Chesnut was once the main attraction at Nathan’s contests.
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Chestnut holds world record for most hot dogs in ten minutes
Chestnut has not only won the Coney Island competition 16 times, but also set a world record there in 2021 by devouring 76 hot dogs in ten minutes. Last year he won with 62 cooked sausages. To increase the pace, the participants usually let the sausages slide into their stomachs unchewed. They soak the bun in water to make it easier to swallow. Anyone who vomits is disqualified.
Chestnut also holds records for devouring other foods, from asparagus to gyozas, or Japanese dumplings. But the gluttony contests are not without controversy in the United States. Critics say they send the wrong message in a country where more than one in three adults is obese.
rw AFP DPA
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