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Not everyone can partake in Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Competition, and Joey Chestnut is one of them this year. Why? There's a catch…
One of the world's greatest hotdog-eating champions, who would more than likely have won the July 4th event, is out. The NY Post reports that he made a deal to rep a different wiener brand — that's vegan.
That's right; he's connected with Impossible Foods. The company recently launched a vegan frankfurter that's entirely plant-based.
Joey Chestnut is the hotdog-eating champion. What's next?
As a world record holder, the guy can chomp down hotdogs like no other. He's won the Nathan's even an impressive 16 times. He hasn't lost since 2016. In 2021, he set a record for handling 76 hotdogs.
He must have received quite the offer from Impossible Foods, considering he was paid $200,000 to attend last year's Nathan's event and was offered a four-year contract for $1.2 million.
Major League Eating (MLE) rep stated that they are not allowing him to devour another brand of dogs.
“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,” a rep said.
“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,” the statement continued. “For nearly two decades, we have worked under the same basic hot dog provisions. However, it seems that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with a different brand over our long-time relationship.”
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It concluded with, “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.”
Joey Chestnut banned from 2024 Nathan’s hot dog eating contest in beef over vegan franks https://t.co/FkoZP2N2b0 pic.twitter.com/YPOEtacHnY
— New York Post (@nypost) June 11, 2024
Maybe he changed from Nathan's to Impossible because of health.
Back in February, he told The Post, “I think it's the best job in the world. As long as I can stay healthy, I'm gonna stay involved one way or another. It's hard on the body. A lot of these contests, I'm gonna gain weight. Practicing, then it takes a toll to get back to my healthy weight. But it's something I love.”
He noted that he's been eating healthier, too. When he talked about what he ate for the Super Bowl, it was much better food than what many people consume.
“It's always wings, but for most of the games I've been watching this year, dude, I've been crazy about celery and carrots with blue cheese,” he said. “I go through so much. And since it's kind of healthy, I don't feel guilty. That's kind of been my big one lately.”
So, we'll see if Joey Chestnut will ever return to Nathan's. As of now, it seems like he's using a plant-based approach. Maybe an Impossible Foods hotdog eating competition is in his near future?
