Despite not being at Coney Island, competitive eater Joey Chestnut was still devouring hot dogs at a record pace this Fourth of July.
Because Chestnut was sponsored by vegan hot dog maker Impossible Foods, he was left out of Nathan’s hot dog eating contest in Brooklyn this Independence Day.
So instead he traveled to Fort Bliss in Texas to hold his own hot dog eating contest against a few hungry soldiers.
Chestnut showed no signs of slowing down as he devoured 57 hot dogs and buns in five minutes, besting the combined total of 49 achieved by four Army rivals.
His 57 dogs in five minutes was not only an impressive feat, but also unique compared to what Nathan’s contest winner Pat Bertoletti accomplished in just ten minutes.
Joey Chestnut devoured 57 hot dogs at an event in Fort Bliss, Texas, on July 4
That was just one of 58 hot dogs that Nathan’s winner Pat Bertoletti ate in ten minutes.
At that rate, Chestnut would have smashed his world record of 76 hot dogs eaten that he set in 2021.
Major League Eating attempted to overturn a “ban” placed on Chestnut by rival sponsorship in an attempt to keep him in the competition.
MLE CEO Rich Shea had nothing but praise for Chestnut when ESPN spoke to him on the contest broadcast.
“He’s just a great competitor, a great guy, a grown man and a man who chose not to be here today,” Shea said.
“But fortunately for us, tens of thousands of people flock to Nathan’s Famous. It’s a pilgrimage that happens every year. This isn’t a paid Hollywood crowd. This is excitement.”
Chestnut drew a few hundred fans in Texas, where he acknowledged the military service of his father, brother and grandfather.
Impossible Foods sponsored the event at Fort Bliss, however its vegan products were not used in the competition.
The company’s chief executive, Peter McGuinness, presented a check for $106,000 to Operation Homefront, a charity that supports military families.