Have Yours Loaded with Mustard, Onions and Kraut

He's ba-a-a-a-a-ck! Hang on to your hot dogs and buns, My Friends. Joey Chestnut is gearing up to regain his Nathan's Hot Dog championship title this July 4.

 

He lost it last year because he had endorsed another hot dog brand. He was banished and was barred from last year's competition. But now, all is forgiven and he is back in the fold.

Major League Eating and Chestnut made the announcement on Monday morning, a little less than a week after it was confirmed the two sides had been in negotiations to have the biggest name in the sport return to one of its most prestigious events.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. This event means the world to me. It’s a cherished tradition, a celebration of American culture, and a huge part of my life,” Chestnut said in a statement on social media.

Chestnut had been barred from the competition last year over a deal he had struck with Impossible Foods, which had, at the time, recently launched a plant-based, meatless hot dog product.

“While I have and continue to partner with a variety of companies, including some in the plant-based space, those relationships were never a conflict with my love for hot dogs. To be clear: Nathan’s is the only hot dog company I’ve ever worked with,” Chestnut said in his statement.

“The Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest stands as an enduring beacon of freedom for our nation and the world,” Major League Eating Chair George Shea said in a statement. “We look forward to watching the greatest eaters as they compete on a celebrated platform for international sports.”

Chestnut will return to the contest in an attempt to dethrone last year’s winner, Patrick Bertoletti, who scarfed down 58  dogs and buns, and became the first person since 2015 not named Chestnut to win the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Competition.

And while many of us enjoy a good hot dog or two at our Fourth of July barbecue or picnic, none of us would dare indulge our gluttonous fantasies to risk a terrible stomach ache. Or worse. Not for a hot dog.

Of course, unlike the rest of us who will load up our hot dogs with all sorts of delectable toppings, like chili, cheese, kraut, and whatever else we fancy, Joey and the gang will eat theirs plain on a bun, dunked in a glass of water. Not even with the delicious spicy brown mustard.

So, have at it, Joey. That honor is all yours for the taking. And after you are done, relax and watch the Macy’s Fireworks Show as you try to digest all that beef and watch your blood pressure go through the roof.

By the way, Joey Chestnut has won the competition a record 16 times. No one else has ever come close.