(NEXSTAR) — Glance out, competition: Joey “Jaws” Chestnut is coming again to Coney Island then week to compete within the Nathan’s Well-known July Fourth scorching canine consuming game.
“This event means the world to me,” Chestnut wrote on social media Monday morning. “It’s a cherished tradition, a celebration of American culture, and a huge part of my life.”
The famed aggressive eater didn’t take part in utmost past’s tournament, won by Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago, later signing a sponsorship do business in with Inconceivable Meals, a plant-based meat-alternative emblem. Organizers of the Nathan’s Well-known tournament mentioned he would now not be capable of take part as a result of the sponsorship warfare.
Rather of showing on the 2024 tournament, Chestnut competed in a hot dog eating contest at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, as a part of an tournament for army households stationed there.
“We think this is a powerful tribute to our armed forces and we wish Joey the best of luck at his event,” mentioned George Shea, a spokesperson for Main League Consuming (MLE), which oversees the Nathan’s Well-known game.
Main League Consuming in the end conceded the sponsorship factor
Chestnut on Monday said his 2024 Coney Island absence and his emblem do business in, explaining on Monday that, “While I have and continue to partner with a variety of companies, including some in the plant-based space, those relationships were never a conflict with my love for hot dogs. To be clear: Nathan’s is the only hot dog company I’ve ever worked with.”
“I respect that there were differences in interpretation, but I’m grateful we’ve been able to find common ground,” he added.
The Indiana local had competed within the Nathan’s Well-known Fourth of July scorching canine consuming game since 2005, and had now not misplaced since 2015. In 2021 he poised the report of 76 scorching canine in 10 mins. Throughout Netflix’s “Chestnut versus Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef,” a reside scorching canine consuming game held in Las Vegas utmost past, Chestnut broke his own record, consuming 83 scorching canine in 10 mins.
It’s tricky to expect whether or not Chestnut will once more fracture his personal report, however his attractions might in lieu be on turning back the playground he adores.
“I’m excited to be back on the Coney Island stage, doing what I live to do, and celebrating the Fourth of July with hot dogs in my hands!”
The Related Press contributed to this document.
