It’s not the Fourth of July without a hot dog-eating contest. Joey Chestnut, the Bay Area native, has taken his talents to Texas this year. The event begins at 2 p.m. PDT.
“Chestnut, a former San Jose and Vallejo resident who now lives in Indiana, will compete against soldiers in Fort Bliss, in El Paso, in a 5-minute hot dog eating contest. That’s instead of the 10-minute Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, where he competed against the world’s top competitive eaters since 2005 and hadn’t lost since 2015. In 2021 he set the current record of 76 hot dogs, in 10 minutes,” according to the Associated Press.
The dispute started last month when Nathan’s barred him “after he agreed to endorse a plant-based hot dog manufacturer Impossible Foods,” according to a report from this news organization. “Chestnut devoured an astounding and record-breaking 76 hot dogs and buns to win the Nathan’s contest in 2021, and took first place in 2023 by putting away 62 hot dogs and buns.”
Today’s contest isn’t the only hot dog-eating event that Chestnut will participate in this year. In September, he will compete one-on-one against rival Takeru Kobayashi in an event to be broadcast live on Netflix. “The event – promoted as “CHESTNUT VS. KOBAYASHI: UNFINISHED BEEF” – will air live on the streaming platform on Labor Day, Sept. 2,” according to a report by this news organization.