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Legendary competitive eater Joey Chestnut will not be participating in Nathan’s Famous 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2024.
Chestnut, who has won the event 16 times and is the eight-time defending champion, recently signed a deal to represent Impossible Foods, a competing vegan brand to Nathan’s.
a Statement from major league edibles He said organizers tried to accommodate Chestnut and his team, but to no avail.
“MLE and Nathan’s have gone to great lengths in recent months to accommodate Joey and his management team, agreeing to an appearance fee and allowing Joey to compete in a competitive unbranded hot dog eating contest on Labor Day.
For nearly two decades, we’ve operated under the same basic terms of hot dog exclusivity. However, it appears that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with a different hot dog brand over our long-term relationship.”
“Joey Chestnut is an American hero. We’d love nothing more than to have him at Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. We hope he returns when he’s not representing a competing brand.”
Chestnut said he was “devastated” by the decision, which he posted on social media later Tuesday night. He also said he had no contract with MLE or Nathan’s, and that the decision to ban him was merely an attempt to “change the rules”.
Chestnut also said he learned of the decision through reports on Tuesday.
(1/3) I was devastated to learn from the media that after 19 years I was banned from participating in Nathan’s 4th of July hot dog eating contest. I love competing in this event, and I love celebrating America with my fans across this great country on the 4th, and I’ve been training to defend my title.
– Joey Chestnut (@joeyjaws) June 11, 2024
(3/3) Unfortunately, this is a decision that Nathan’s and Major League Eating are making, and it will deprive great fans of their usual holiday joy and entertainment. To my followers, I love and appreciate you. Rest assured you’ll be watching me eat again soon!! Stay hungry!
– Joey Chestnut (@joeyjaws) June 11, 2024
“I was devastated to learn from the media that after 19 years I was banned from participating in Nathan’s 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest,” Chestnut wrote on social media. “I love competing in this event, and I love celebrating America with all my fans in this great country on the 4th of this month, and I have been training to defend my title.
“To put things into perspective, I do not have a contract with MLE or Nathan’s and they are looking to change the rules from years past regarding other partners I can work with… Rest assured you will be seeing me dining again soon.”
Nathan’s requires competitors not to endorse any competing brands.
Coney Island, New York, has hosted the event on the Fourth of July every year since 1979.
According to the New York PostChestnut received $200,000 to participate in the 2023 hot dog eating contest, and was offered a four-year deal worth $1.2 million.
The 40-year-old chestnut holds the world record for eating the most sausages and buns when he ate 76 in 10 minutes in 2021.
Last year, Chestnut won for the 16th time after eating 62 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, 14 times more than the second-place finisher.
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