Joey Chestnut to battle soldiers in July 4 hot dog eating contest

NEW YORK — This Independence Day, competitive eater Joey “Jaws” Chestnut will be showing off his hot dog skills at a military base in Texas. After an argument with the event organizers What made him famous was the eating contest held every July 4th at Coney Island in Brooklyn.

Chestnut, from Indiana, will compete against soldiers in a 5-minute hot dog eating contest at Fort Bliss in El Paso. He is not participating in the famous Nathan’s 10-minute July 4 hot dog eating contest, but Chestnut has been competing against the world’s top competitive eaters since 2005 and has not lost since 2015. In 2021, he set a record by eating 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

Organizers of the event initially said he could not attend due to a sponsorship conflict, which Chestnut said involved a deal with Impossible Foods, which makes plant-based hot dogs.

Chestnut said he I’m sorry I can’t take part in the competition. At Coney Island, he said he enjoyed the atmosphere and the sometimes stuffy crowds.

“Those guys had been sitting in the sun waiting. They knew what was going to happen. They weren’t surprised. They were cheering and yelling and shoving me,” Chestnut said in a phone interview Thursday.

But Chestnut says he won’t sit around doing nothing. He hopes the soldiers will encourage him to perform well. The perennial world champion is wary of “slacking off” in a match against amateurs, so will try to beat four soldiers to compare his frankly swallowed totals to their combined totals. If they work together, they might even be able to beat him.

“If they can break 10 (each), that’s pretty good,” Chestnut said Thursday, who fasted and drank water, lemon juice and liquid calories as part of his pre-tournament routine.

About 15,000 people, mostly soldiers and their families, are expected to attend the annual “Pop Goes the Fort” celebration at Fort Bliss, which will also include a fireworks display and performances by the El Paso Symphony Orchestra and the 1st Armored Division Band, according to Marlo Brestar, a spokesman for the Fort Bliss Morale Welfare and Recreation Organization.

Chestnut said he will conduct a routine training exercise on Friday and then take essential oils to “make sure the highways are clear and there’s no traffic jams” before heading to Fort Bliss, the sprawling desert military base that’s home to the 1st Armored Division. It will be his first visit to El Paso.

“Maybe I’ll get in a tank,” he said.

Fans can watch Chestnut Competing with rival Kobayashi Takeshi on Netflix In September.

He hopes to be back competing next July 4, either on Netflix or with Nathan’s Famous. But returning to his favorite Coney Island event would require him to reach a settlement with the event’s organizer, the Professional Competitive Eaters of America.

“I feel bullied,” he said. “If I work with them again, they have to apologize,” Chestnut said.

Major League Catering spokesman George Shea said in a statement that the league ultimately acknowledged the sponsorship issue.

“Unfortunately, this was not enough for us to reach an agreement,” the statement said. “We view this as a powerful tribute to our armed forces and we wish Joey well at the event.”