Joey Chestnut has been offered a way back into the 2024 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest after being banned from the event.
Chestnut, a 16-time winner and current recorder for the most dogs eaten at the competition, claimed he was “gutted” after learning of his ban on Tuesday.
However, Major League Eating commissioner George Shea has suggested that all is not lost, though the 40-year-old is currently ineligible due to his partnership with Impossible Foods.
Shea insisted that MLE didn’t have an issue with Chestnut’s deal with the aforementioned company and had been very understanding whenever there was an opportunity for him to make money outside MLE.
However, Chestnut eating a competitor’s dogs while holding the Nathan’s hot dog eating title was not something they could allow, especially as his representatives didn’t offer space for negotiating.
“It’s a catastrophe. We did not want this,” Shea told 560 WQAM’s Hoch and Crowder (H/T Audacy). “What happened is, his reps came to us and said we have signed with a plant-based meat company that does hot dogs and that’s that. …
“He didn’t come to us and say we have this other offer and let’s talk. It was, ‘This offer is signed,’ so it made it very difficult to negotiate it.”
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George Shea Says He Wants Joey Chestnut Back In The Competition
Despite the above, Shea still wants the parties to figure out a way for Joey Chestnut to participate in Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
“Everybody wants him there,” he continued. “He is not banned. We would love to have him there this year, next year. Anytime. But it is a conflict to have him be the Nathan’s champ while he’s representing a rival hot dog brand.”
“[I] would work it out tomorrow. I would work it out on July 3. I would work it out on July 3 of next year. Joey is always welcome at the Fourth of July. He is, in my opinion, the Fourth of July. He is freedom-made man. America needs that hero.”
Chestnut has won the dog-eating contest every year since 2007, save 2015, when he placed second. He boasts the 10 best performances in the competition and is the record holder with 76 dogs eaten at the 2021 contest.
Shea’s explanation is pretty interesting, and it appears there’s still plenty of time for Chestnut to be reinstated if some form of compromise could be reached.
