Joey Chestnut devoured 57 sizzling canines and buns Thursday in a five-minute exhibition at Fort Bliss Military base in El Paso, Texas on the Fourth of July.
That fell one shy of the successful complete of the lads’s 10-minute Nathan’s Scorching Canine Consuming Contest on Coney Island from which Chestnut was banned this 12 months.
“I used to be hustling at the start,” Chestnut mentioned after consuming the 57 sizzling canines and buns. “I slowed down slightly bit. For a second I assumed I would be capable to hit 60.
“I wasn’t holding again.”
Pat Bertoletti ate 58 sizzling canines at Nathan’s contest earlier within the day to win the Mustard Belt awarded to the champion. He was one in all 4 rivals this 12 months to eat 50 or extra canines – one thing nobody did final 12 months when Chestnut gained his sixteenth title with 62 sizzling canines.
“These guys did nice!” Chestnut instructed USA TODAY Sports activities by textual content message. “Rather a lot higher than final 12 months. I am actually joyful for Pat.”
The USA TODAY app will get you to the guts of the information — quick.Obtain for award-winning protection, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and extra.
Whereas making ready for the exhibition in El Paso, Chestnut, 40, set the objective: eat extra sizzling canines and buns in 5 minutes than the Nathan’s winner ate in 10 minutes.
“I would be very joyful to do this,” mentioned Chestnut, who in 2021 set the Nathan’s document with 76 sizzling canines and buns.
Chestnut was barred from competing this 12 months as a result of he signed an endorsement cope with Unimaginable Meals. The corporate launched a plant-based sizzling canine and Nathan’s views Chestnut’s partnership with Unimaginable Meals as a battle of curiosity, mentioned George Shea of Main League Consuming, which runs the Nathan’s contest.
Although Chestnut’s followers had been denied an opportunity to look at him throughout ESPN’s telecast, his exhibition from the military base was livestreamed on his YouTube web page and considered by about 19,000 individuals. He competed in opposition to 4 troopers, who ate a mixed 49 sizzling canines and buns.
Of the ban from Nathan’s, Chestnut instructed USA TODAY Sports activities final week, “There’s positively lots of ache. There’s a little bit of grief.”
However he mentioned it doesn’t examine to what he endured in 2022, when he competed lower than three weeks after his mom died and on a damaged leg.
“This example is de facto dangerous, nevertheless it’s not practically as dangerous as that one,” Chestnut mentioned. “I used to be capable of get by way of that one and I used to be capable of get by way of the 12 months I misplaced (in 2015 to Matt Stonie) and are available again stronger. I’m going to get by way of this and we’re going to see the place it takes me.”