• Loading stock data...
Friday, September 5, 2025
Fox Analyst and Media Entrepreneur Greg Olsen to Speak at Tuned In Get your ticket now!

Meatless Makeover: Joey Chestnut Is Out of Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest

  • The champion eater won’t go for his 17th Nathan’s hot dog victory this July.
  • He’s banned from the event over his partnership deal with Impossible Foods.
Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

America’s classic Fourth of July tradition, the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, will look unrecognizable this year without its superstar Joey Chestnut. And a business decision is to blame.

Chestnut’s partnership with Impossible Foods, which makes plant-based meat alternatives to burgers and hot dogs, is what’s blocking him out of the event, according to the New York Post. Major League Eating said a Labor Day competition on Netflix with no brand promotion was offered, but the Nathan’s competition has had the same “basic hot dog exclusivity provisions” for nearly 20 years.

“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,” MLE said in a statement. “MLE and Nathan’s went to great lengths 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.”

The Post reports that Chestnut made $200,000 competing in last year’s contest, and was offered a $1.2 million contract to stick around for the next four years. Whatever Impossible offered ultimately was more enticing.

An Accomplished Eater

Chestnut, 40, is the star of the competitive eating world, and has won 16 Nathan’s competitions while gaining national acclaim. He holds the world record for eating 76 dogs and buns in 10 minutes in 2021, and has won the Fourth of July competition every year since ’16. In ’23, he sailed to victory with 62 dogs.

MLE’s own website calls him the “greatest eater in history.” 

“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,” MLE said.

MLE and Chestnut did not immediately respond to Front Office Sports’ requests for comment.

Chestnut’s biggest rival, Takeru Kobayashi, won six straight Nathan’s contests before also dropping out due to business quarrels with MLE. He hasn’t entered the competition since 2009 because he refused to sign an exclusive deal with the organization. Kobayashi retired in May, saying: “I no longer feel hunger.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Tennis

The US Open Is Groaning Under the Weight of Its Own Success

New York’s tennis major is more popular than ever.
Blue Jays
exclusive

MLBPA, DraftKings Agree to Settle NIL Suit

MLBPA said DraftKings and other sportsbooks improperly used players’ NIL.
Dec 21, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston (12) makes a 12-yard touchdown catch in front of Detroit Lions defensive back Dwight Bentley (41) in the fourth quarter of the game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
exclusive

Marques Colston Wants You to Invest in Sports Assets With Him

The former NFL star is launching a fund anyone can invest in.
Dec 21, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) gets ready to take the field prior to a game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

How Brazil Game Fits Into NFL’s Plans for World Domination

Friday night’s Chiefs-Chargers game in São Paulo is big by design.

Featured Today

Oct 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) celebrate their touchdown pass during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field.

TV Ratings Just Changed Again. The NFL Will Be the Big Winner

Nielsen’s new viewership system will have a big impact on sports.
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates with offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (74) after a touchdown catch against Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20, 2025.
August 30, 2025

The Most Expensive Roster Year in College Football History

The House settlement created revenue-sharing—and a big NIL loophole.
August 26, 2025

‘You’re Going to Get Beat Up’: The Liberty’s All-Male Practice Squad

A select group suits up weekly to take on the defending champs.
August 24, 2025

The Honey Deuce Effect: How Tennis Perfected the Signature Cocktail

Sold every 1.5 seconds, they total more than $12 million in sales.
Angel Reese

Angel Reese Suspended For Half-Game After Ripping Teammates

The team is disciplining Reese for criticizing her teammates publicly.
James Harden
September 4, 2025

James Harden’s Houston Restaurant Shut for Falling $2 Million Behind in Rent

A sign on the door says the locks have been changed.
Caitlin Clark
September 4, 2025

Caitlin Clark Says She Won’t Return From Injury This Year

She only played 13 games this season.
Sponsored

Trailblazer Cal Calamia Is Racing for ‘Advocacy, Storytelling, and Performance’

The marathoner wants excellence—not just inclusion—to be the goal for non-binary athletes.
exclusive
September 3, 2025

Angel Reese Faces Uncertain Future In Chicago After Publicly Torching Teammates 

Some sources say Reese’s future in Chicago may not be reparable.
September 3, 2025

No American Men in US Open Semifinals After 2024 Breakthrough

Two American men played in the semifinals last year.
September 1, 2025

Gareth Bale: MLS Quality Hurt By Low Salaries

Bale said MLS salaries aren’t competitive enough to lure stars from Europe.
Aug 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Son Heung-min poses during an LAFC introductory press conference at BMO Stadium
August 31, 2025

Son Heung-Min Effect Will Hit Big for MLS and L.A.

With a record signing, the South Korean supernova has landed at LAFC.