Joey Chestnut devoured 57 scorching canine and buns Thursday in a five-minute exhibition at Fort Bliss Military base in El Paso, Texas on the Fourth of July.
That fell one shy of the profitable complete of the lads’s 10-minute Nathan’s Scorching Canine Consuming Contest on Coney Island from which Chestnut was banned this yr.
Pat Bertoletti ate 58 scorching canine at Nathan’s contest earlier within the day to win the Mustard Belt awarded to the champion. He was one among 4 opponents this yr to eat 50 or extra canine – one thing nobody did final yr when Chestnut received his sixteenth title with 62 scorching canine.
“These guys did nice!” Chestnut informed USA TODAY Sports activities by textual content message. “Quite a bit higher than final yr. I am actually joyful for Pat.”
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Whereas making ready for the exhibition in El Paso, Chestnut, 40, set the objective: eat extra scorching canine and buns in 5 minutes than the Nathan’s winner ate in 10 minutes.
“I might be very joyful to try this,” mentioned Chestnut, who in 2021 set the Nathan’s document with 76 scorching canine and buns.
Chestnut was barred from competing this yr as a result of he signed an endorsement cope with Not possible Meals. The corporate launched a plant-based scorching canine and Nathan’s views Chestnut’s partnership with Not possible Meals as a battle of curiosity, mentioned George Shea of Main League Consuming, which runs the Nathan’s contest.
Although Chestnut’s followers have been denied an opportunity to look at him throughout ESPN’s telecast, his exhibition from the military base was livestreamed on his YouTube web page and seen by about 19,000 folks. He competed towards 4 troopers, who ate a mixed 49 scorching canine and buns.
Of the ban from Nathan’s, Chestnut informed USA TODAY Sports activities final week, “There’s positively lots of ache. There’s a little bit of grief.”
However he mentioned it doesn’t examine to what he endured in 2022, when he competed lower than three weeks after his mom died and on a damaged leg.
“This example is actually unhealthy, however it’s not almost as unhealthy as that one,” Chestnut mentioned. “I used to be capable of get by that one and I used to be capable of get by the yr I misplaced (in 2015 to Matt Stonie) and are available again stronger. I’m going to get by this and we’re going to see the place it takes me.”