National eating champion Joey Chestnut will miss the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Competition in New York for the first time in more than 15 years because he violated his agreement with the Frankfurter company by signing up to represent a company that makes vegan hot dogs.
Chestnut is the biggest name in competitive eating and has won the Nathan’s event every year since 2016, the New York Post reported.
But dog gone it, not this year.
Nathan’s has said that they are done bending over backward for Chestnut’s demands because he has finally gone too far by signing up to endorse the meatless hot dogs produced by plant-based food company Impossible Foods.
The organization Major League Eating (MLE), which oversees the Nathan’s event, noted that they have made a number of concessions to Chestnut to ensure that he attends their event in New York, including allowing him to film a Netflix special based during a non-Nathan’s contest, paid him a fee of $200K to attend last year, and even offered a $1.4 million contract to sponsor him for four years.
But when he turned to a non-meat brand, that was the final straw.
“We are devastated to learn that Joey Chestnut has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs rather than competing in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest,” MLE said in a statement.
“MLE and Nathan’s went to great lengths to accommodate Joey and his management team, agreeing to the appearance fee and allowing Joey to compete in a rival, unbranded hot dog eating contest on Labor Day,” they added.
Joey Chestnut reacts after winning first place, eating 63 hot dogs in 10 minutes, during the 2022 Nathans Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, 2022, at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images)
“For nearly two decades, we have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provisions. However, it seems that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with a different brand over our long-time relationship.,” the statement continued.
“Joey Chestnut is an American hero. We would love nothing more than to have him at the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. We hope he returns when he is not representing a rival brand,” MLE concluded.
Chestnut has not yet commented on his exclusion from this year’s Nathan’s event.
Chestnut made a splash in 2022 when he took down an animal rights nut who tried to take the stage at the 15th annual Nathan’s event.
When the animal rights extremist bumped Chestnut aside as the eaters stood on stage, the champion grabbed the intruder by the neck and flung him bodily to the ground.
Chestnut just obliterated him🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/dry7Oy8KZK
— jonah block (@JonahBlock05) July 4, 2022
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