Joey Chestnut devoured 57 hot dogs and buns during a five-minute demonstration at Fort Bliss Army Base in El Paso, Texas, on July 4.
That was one point shy of winning the 10-minute Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest for men on Coney Island, from which Chestnut was excluded this year.
“I was rushing at first,” Chestnut said after finishing the 57 hot dogs and buns. “I slowed down a little bit. For a moment I thought I could do 60.
“I didn’t hold back.”
Pat Bertoletti ate 58 hot dogs earlier in the day at Nathan’s contest to win the Mustard Belt awarded to the champion. He was one of four competitors this year to eat 50 or more hot dogs – something no one did last year when Chestnut won his 16th title with 62 hot dogs.
“Those guys did a great job!” Chestnut told USA TODAY Sports via text message. “Much better than last year. I’m really happy for Pat.”
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While preparing for the exhibition in El Paso, Chestnut, 40, set himself a goal: eat more hot dogs and buns in five minutes than the winner of Nathan’s ate in 10 minutes.
“I love doing that,” said Chestnut, who broke the Nathan’s record in 2021 with 76 hot dogs and buns.
Chestnut was disqualified this year because he signed a sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods. The company launched a plant-based hot dog, and Nathan’s sees Chestnut’s partnership with Impossible Foods as a conflict of interest, said George Shea of Major League Eating, which organizes the Nathan’s contest.
Although Chestnut’s fans were denied the chance to see him during ESPN’s broadcast, his demonstration was streamed live from the base on his YouTube page and watched by approximately 19,000 people. He competed against four soldiers, who ate a total of 49 hot dogs and buns.
Regarding Nathan’s ban, Chestnut told USA TODAY Sports last week: “There’s definitely a lot of pain. There’s a little bit of sadness.”
But he said it was nothing compared to what he went through in 2022, when he competed with a broken leg less than three weeks after his mother died.
“This situation is really bad, but it’s not nearly as bad as that one,” Chestnut said. “I was able to get through that one and I was able to get through the year I lost (to Matt Stonie in 2015) and come back stronger. I’m going to get through this and we’ll see where it takes me.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Joey Chestnut Compared to Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest Winner