Joey Chestnut (right) won a hot dog eating contest against soldiers at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas on Thursday, with Impossible Foods pledging to donate $1,000 to support military families for every hot dog eaten.
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Joey Chestnut finally entered a July 4th hot dog eating contest, but not the Coney Island one that made him famous.
Chestnut, a 16-time winner of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, was officially banned from the annual event by Major League Eating in mid-June. Their problem? He had signed a sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods, which makes plant-based proteins.
Although Major League Eating has since said it has rescinded its ban, according to the Associated Press, Chestnut said he will not return to his stage at the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues without an apology.
The world’s best competitive eater instead faced off against a group of soldiers at Fort Bliss military base in El Paso., Texas, in a patriotic charity performance streamed live on his YouTube channel and followed by a “Meat and Greet.”
“For the first time, and especially here at Fort Bliss, we have the ultimate hot dog eating challenge,” said a presenter wearing an American flag polo shirt. “Five minutes, 100% beef hot dogs, one man against four of the Army’s best.”
Chestnut, who said on stage that his grandfather, uncles, father and brother all served in the U.S. Army, competed against four soldiers as a team.
The two tables were neck and neck for most of the five minutes, but it was ultimately Chestnut who came out on top. With more than 18,000 viewers watching at home and a horde of spectators chanting his name and “USA,” Chestnut devoured 57 hot dogs and buns, outdoing his opponents’ 49.
“I love you guys, thank you so much. I’m so happy to be here,” Chestnut said afterward as he hoisted his hard-earned gold-plated belt. “I was in a hurry at first and I slowed down a little bit — for a second I thought I might make it to 60, but you guys pushed me. Thank you so much.”
In a particularly meaty twist, Chestnut ate nearly as many hot dogs as the winner of Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest earlier in the day, about 2,000 miles away, but in half the time.
Chestnut said he beat his previous record of 55 hot dogs in five minutes. The 40-year-old holds more than 50 world records for competitive eating (and not just frankfurters), including a stomach-churning 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. at Coney Island in 2021.
When asked at Fort Bliss what he could have done in 10 minutes, Chestnut replied, “I was on a record pace…but I’ll eventually break a new record anyway.”
Impossible Foods, which officially announced its partnership with Chestnut earlier this week, has pledged to donate $1,000 for every hot dog consumed to Operation Homefront, a nonprofit that supports military families. That’s $106,000.
Chestnut may have been kicked off the island, but he’s still hungry.
Chestnut’s absence loomed large over Coney Island Thursday morning and afternoon, as 14 women and 14 men gorged themselves in two separate, fast-paced showdowns. Impossible Foods aired several commercials (for chicken nugget alternatives) on ESPN during the broadcast, as part of its marketing efforts to meat eaters.
In the women’s event, defending champion Miki Sudo of Florida wolfed down 51 hot dogs in 10 minutes to win the medal and a new world record, while Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago wolfed down 58 to become the third man to win since Chestnut’s winning streak began in 2007 (he has been beaten only once, by Matt Stonie in 2015).
Chestnut told USA Today earlier in the week that he hoped to consume more hot dogs and buns in five minutes than the Nathan’s winner did in 10, adding, “I think 56 is doable.” He finished a minute over that goal, and two minutes shy of beating Bertoletti.
The official Fort Bliss account on X (formerly Twitter) publicly invited Chestnut to a hot dog eating contest in a June 25 post, about two weeks after his Coney Island ban made headlines.
Chestnut responded four days later that he was heading to El Paso on the 4th “to do what I do best, military style,” and extended his own invitation to Impossible Foods.
“While I’m crushing hot dogs, will you come help me feed the hungry crowd?” he added.
An Impossible Foods spokesperson told NPR via email that while Chestnut was eating real beef at the contest, they accepted his invitation and set up a “VIP sampling tent” at the base.
They also unfurled banners on planes in Miami and Los Angeles urging people to “watch Joey eat.”
And more than 113,000 viewers on YouTube have done so, as of at least Friday morning.
Those who want another chance to watch Chestnut at work can tune in to Netflix on September 2, when Chestnut will face off against his arch-rival Takeru Kobayashi for the first time in 15 years.
