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Pro NYC eater says Chestnut’s hot dog departure sets the table for a 'maelstrom of meat’
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Jun 12, 2024
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Kathryn Scott Osler/The Denver Post via Getty Images
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Jun 12, 2024
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Joey “Jaws” Chestnut won’t be competing in the summer’s hot-dog-eating competition that helped make him world famous — and while fans may be sad to see him go, aspirants to the crown say they plan to cry havoc and let slip the hot dogs of war.
“I know the fans will be sad not to see Joey – he’s an American icon,” said New York City competitive eater Crazy Legs Conti in an interview. “But what an amazing opportunity for the maelstrom of meat, the top male competitors, who can’t quite get to Joey’s level of 76 hot dogs and buns.”
He said that Chestnut’s absence is “a new dawn” for the annual Coney Island Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Competition.
Chestnut made a name for himself in the competitive eating world for the dozens of hot dogs he routinely slammed down his gullet at the July 4 event. He took home the yellow mustard belt 16 out of the 17 times he competed, including his most recent win last year after gobbling down 62 franks – which is still less than his record of 76.
But the athlete’s reign is coming to an end after Chestnut signed an exclusive deal with a rival brand that made him ineligible for this year’s competition, a Major League Eating spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Chestnut signed with Impossible Foods, which has its own line of plant-based hot dogs, the New York Post reported.
Crazy Legs Conti participates at the 2023 Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island on July 4, 2023.
Bobby Bank/Getty Images
Conti said the talent pool was still deep, and next month’s competition will be a “bun buzzer beater.”
He predicted that longtime competitors Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti will take the title – just edging away competitors James Webb and Geoff Esper without Chestnut at the table. Esper came in second to Chestnut last year with 49 hot dogs.
In the meantime, Conti described Chestnut as a Tom Brady-esque figure who “certainly retires as the G.O.A.T., the greatest of all time.”
Chestnut has become almost “ubiquitous” with Nathan’s Famous and Conti compared the two’s breakup to the splitting up of famous rock duo Hall and Oates.
Conti has yet to reach out to Chestnut – but said he plans to do so once the attention has died down.
“He can’t be a pro-athlete forever, so everybody should have an exit strategy,” Conti said. “I, of course, don’t have one. I’m pretty happy being a table-ender in my 23rd year. I don’t have a plan to hang up the esophagus anytime soon.”
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Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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