After split with NYC July 4 hot dog competition, Joey Chestnut heads to army base event in Texas
NEW YORK — Competitive eater Joey “Jaws” Chestnut will take his talent as a hot dog eater to an army base in Texas for America’s Independence Day this year. This after he fell out with the organizers of the event that made him famous: the annual Fourth of July eating contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn.
Chestnut, of Indiana, will compete against soldiers at Fort Bliss in El Paso in a five-minute hot dog eating contest. That’s in place of the 10-minute Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, where he has competed against the world’s best competitive eaters since 2005 and hasn’t lost since 2015. In 2021, he set the current record of 76 hot dogs, in 10 minutes.
The organizers of that event initially announced that he could not attend due to a sponsorship conflict. According to Chestnut, the conflict involved a deal with Impossible Foods, a company that makes plant-based hot dogs.
Chestnut said that he “ stripped “He was unable to attend the Coney Island event, where he said he enjoyed the atmosphere and sometimes sultry crowd.
“These people have been sitting in the sun, waiting. They know what to expect. And they’re not shocked. They’re cheering and screaming and pushing me,” Chestnut said in a telephone interview Thursday.
But Chestnut says he won’t sit back and do nothing. And he’s hopeful the soldiers will goad him into action. Fearing “lazy” competition from amateurs, the perennial world champion will try to outsmart four soldiers, pitting his downright gulping total against theirs combined. If they work together, they might even beat him.
“If they (each) make it to 10, that would be pretty good,” Chestnut said Thursday as he fasted on water, lemon juice and liquid calories as part of his pre-game routine.
About 15,000 people, mostly soldiers and their families, are expected at the annual “Pop Goes the Fort” celebration at Fort Bliss. It will also include fireworks and performances by the El Paso Symphony Orchestra and the 1st Armored Division Band, Fort Bliss Morale Welfare and Recreation organization spokesman Marlo Brestar said.
Chestnut said he will do an exercise routine Friday and then take oils to “make sure the highway is clear and there won’t be any traffic jams in his digestive system” before heading to Fort Bliss, the sprawling desert Army base where the 1st Armored Division is housed. It will be his first visit to El Paso.
“Maybe I’ll get on a tank,” he said.
Fans can check out Chestnut compete on Netflix against rival Takeru Kobayashi in September.
He’s hopeful he’ll be able to compete again next year on July 4, either with Netflix or the Nathan’s Famous contest. But to return to his beloved Coney Island event, he’ll have to make amends with the event’s organizers, Major League Eating.
“I feel bullied,” he said. “If I ever work with them again, they’re going to have to apologize,” Chestnut said.
Major League Eating says it has ultimately conceded the sponsorship issue, according to a statement from spokesman George Shea.
“Unfortunately, this was not enough to reach an agreement,” the statement said. “We feel this is a powerful tribute to our armed forces and wish Joey the best of luck in his event.”
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This story has been updated to correct the first name of the Fort Bliss spokesperson. It’s called Marlo, now Marlow.