Joey Chestnut Banned :This year’s July 4th Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Competition will be considerably different because Joey Chestnut, the event’s renowned champion, won’t be competing. Chestnut, who has dominated the field for almost 20 years, is no longer allowed to compete after signing a new endorsement agreement with Impossible Foods, a business that sells plant-based meat substitutes.
The decision was made, according to a Major League Eating (MLE) spokesman, after learning about Chestnut’s collaboration with the vegan company, which just introduced its own line of plant-based frankfurters. The competition’s long-standing exclusivity agreement with Nathan’s Famous, the event’s traditional sponsor and supplier of hot dogs, is directly at odds with this arrangement.
MLE revealed that they went to considerable lengths to keep Chestnut involved, even granting his management team’s requests. As long as no rival brands were mentioned, they agreed to allow him to participate in a rival hot dog eating competition on Labor Day that was scheduled to be videotaped by Netflix. But the talks broke down, which is why there is currently a prohibition.
The MLE official informed the New York Post, “We are devastated to learn that Joey Chestnut has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs rather than competing in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.” Even though they were prepared to give in to Chestnut’s demands, in the end, his new collaboration was more important.
Chestnut has been a competition winner and a legend, so this year’s tournament will be very different without him. Chestnut turned down a lucrative $1.2 million four-year contract from Nathan’s last year, which paid him $200,000 to play, in favor of the new arrangement.
Some may view Chestnut’s choice to support a vegan company as a stain on his legacy. It’s unclear how this decision will impact his reputation among supporters and the competitive eating scene. With the competition drawing near, all attention will be on the new competitors challenging Chestnut for the title. It’s now anyone’s guess as to how this year’s competition will turn out, making for a thrilling and unexpected event.