Joey Chestnut, the legendary competitive eater, will not participate in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Chestnut, who has won the event 16 times and is the 8-time defending champion, recently signed a deal to represent Impossible Foods, a rival vegan brand to Nathan’s.
A representative from Major League eating said that organizers tried to accommodate Chestnut and his team, but to no avail.
“MLE and Nathan’s went to great lengths in recent months to accommodate Joey and his management team, agreeing to the appearance fee and allowing Joey to compete in a rival unbranded hot dog eating contest on Labor Day. For nearly two decades we have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provisions. However, it seems that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with a different hot dog brand over our long-time relationship.”
“Joey Chestnut is an American hero. We would love nothing more than to have him at the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. We hope he returns when he is not representing a rival brand.”
Nathan’s has a requirement for competitors that they are not to endorse any rival brands.
According to the New York Post, Chestnut received $200,000 to take part in the 2023 hot dog eating competition at Coney Island in New York and he was offered a 4-year, $1.2 million.
Coney Island has hosted the event every Fourth of July since 1979.
The 40-year-old Chestnut is the world record-holder for most hot dogs and buns eaten when he consumed 76 in 10 minutes in 2021.
Last year, Chestnut won for the 16th time after taking down 62 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, 14 more than the second-place finisher.
Source Agencies
