Joey Chestnut is as reliable as fireworks on the Fourth of July.
Chestnut delivered yet again, winning his 18th Mustard Belt at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on Saturday. He did it by eating 66 hot dogs and buns during the 10-minute contest and demolishing the field on Coney Island in New York. The total was 10 short of his record, 76.
The 10-minute men’s contest was held in blistering conditions, with humidity leaving the heat index at about 100 degrees. The impact was clear: Chestnut averaged almost 10 dogs per minutes for the first three minutes before the pace slowed considerably.
“I’m not going to go into it…looking for excuses,'' he said during ESPN's broadcast. "But it slowed me down."
But thanks to a fast start, Chestnut felt confident during the contest.
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"I knew I was going to be able to get the win,'' he said on ESPN's broadcast. "And I knew early I wasn’t going to be able to break the record. I just had to stay calm, don’t push things and don’t make any big mistakes.''
Earlier, in the women’s contest, Miki Sudo won for the 12th time in 12 tries.
Chestnut, 42, remains unbeaten since 2015, when he lost to Matt Stonie, 62 hot dogs to 60.
Chestnut was banned in 2024 for a dispute over an endorsement deal he had with Impossible Foods. But other than that, it’s been impossible to stop Chestnut.
With the exception of 2024, Chestnut has beat the competition by at least 10 hot dogs every year.
