The Little Reason Joey Chestnut Can’t Make Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest 2024

Joey Chestnut, the undisputed king of competitive eating, has become synonymous with Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, an event he has happily devoured (pun intended) over and over again. Since winning his first candid swallow battle in 2007, Chestnut has been crowned champion 16 times, most recently in 2023. This year, he took an unexpected turn in his career when he landed a sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods. This decision unfortunately means that Chestnut will not be able to participate in the beloved Coney Island tradition.

Major League Eating (MLE), the organization behind the annual pledge, expressed its disappointment with Chestnut’s endorsement in a statement obtained by Static Media: “Major League Eating and Nathan’s have gone to great lengths over the past few months to host Joey and his management team, agreeing to the appearance fee and allowing Joey to compete in an unbranded hot dog eating contest on Labor Day For nearly two decades, we have operated under the same basic stipulations of exclusivity hot dog partnership with another hot dog brand in our long-standing relationship.”

Impossible Foods also released a statement, saying: “We love Joey and support him in whatever contest he chooses. It’s okay to experiment with a new dog.” In a recent campaign aimed at loyal meat eaters, the company is focusing on expanding the definition of “meat” to include both plant-based and animal-based food.

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No, Joey Chestnut was not kicked out of the 2024 contest

Joey Chestnut shared his side of the story on X, formerly known as Twitter, on June 11: “I was gutted to find out from the media that after 19 years (I’m) banned from the Eating Contest nathan’s 4th of july hot dog. I love competing in that event … and I’ve been training to defend my title.” He continued: “To make things clear, I do not have a contract with MLE or Nathans and they are looking to change the rules from last years in terms of other partners I can work with. This appears to be the basis on which I am banned and does not affect the 4th of July event.”

Despite various reports, Chestnut is not banned from the historic event. MLE co-founder Richard Shea clarified to NBC News: “There is no ban. Major League Eating wants it there. The fans want it there. Nathan’s wants it there.” As MLE’s press release stated, “Joey Chestnut is an American hero. We’d love nothing more than to have him at Nathan’s International Hot Dog Eating Contest, which he’s dominated for years. Hopefully he’ll be back when he won’t be. representing a rival brand”.

Until then, fans must be content to watch their favorite food take on new challenges. Whether it’s beef tenderloins or herb dogs, Chestnut can continue to wow crowds with his eating prowess (as long as he’s not served raw oysters).

This is not the first time that the MLE has refused to let a big name compete

While Joey Chestnut’s current situation highlights some of the difficulties of living in a dog-eat-dog world, he’s not the first major competitive eater to break MLE rules. Now retired Takeru Kobayashi became Nathan’s Infamous in 2010 after turning down an exclusivity deal with the league. Perhaps somewhat ironically, his desire for more independence led the MLE to ban him from that year’s Fourth of July hot dog eating contest. Kobayashi, who had previously dominated the event, would end up making it more eventful than usual.

Following a win by none other than Chestnut, Kobayashi rushed the stage. His post-contest hotdogging got him arrested, but ultimately not banned. Chestnut, who at the time expressed sympathy for his stage rival, had won just his fourth championship. Little did he realize that more than a dozen years and a dozen victories later, he might be feeling sorry for himself.

Read the original article on Mashed.