Competitive eater Joey Chestnut, right, celebrates after eating 13 olive burgers in five minutes before a minor league baseball game at Jackson Field in Lansing, Michigan on Aug. 10, 2023.

How Joey Chestnut fared compared to Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest winner

Joey Chestnut devoured 57 scorching canines and buns Thursday in a five-minute exhibition at Fort Bliss Military base in El Paso, Texas on the Fourth of July.

That fell one shy of the successful complete of the lads’s 10-minute Nathan’s Scorching Canine Consuming Contest on Coney Island from which Chestnut was banned this 12 months.

“I used to be hustling originally,” Chestnut mentioned after consuming the 57 scorching canines and buns. “I slowed down a little bit bit. For a second I assumed I would be capable of hit 60.

“I wasn’t holding again.”

Pat Bertoletti ate 58 scorching canines at Nathan’s contest earlier within the day to win the Mustard Belt awarded to the champion. He was certainly one of 4 opponents this 12 months to eat 50 or extra canines – one thing nobody did final 12 months when Chestnut gained his sixteenth title with 62 scorching canines.

“These guys did nice!” Chestnut instructed USA TODAY Sports activities by textual content message. “Lots higher than final 12 months. I am actually blissful for Pat.”

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Whereas getting ready for the exhibition in El Paso, Chestnut, 40, set the aim: eat extra scorching canines and buns in 5 minutes than the Nathan’s winner ate in 10 minutes.

“I might be very blissful to try this,” mentioned Chestnut, who in 2021 set the Nathan’s report with 76 scorching canines and buns.

Chestnut was barred from competing this 12 months as a result of he signed an endorsement cope with Unimaginable Meals. The corporate launched a plant-based scorching canine and Nathan’s views Chestnut’s partnership with Unimaginable Meals as a battle of curiosity, mentioned George Shea of Main League Consuming, which runs the Nathan’s contest.

Although Chestnut’s followers had been denied an opportunity to observe him throughout ESPN’s telecast, his exhibition from the military base was livestreamed on his YouTube web page and considered by about 19,000 folks. He competed towards 4 troopers, who ate a mixed 49 scorching canines and buns.

Of the ban from Nathan’s, Chestnut instructed USA TODAY Sports activities final week, “There’s undoubtedly a number of ache. There’s a little bit of grief.”

However he mentioned it doesn’t evaluate to what he endured in 2022, when he competed lower than three weeks after his mom died and on a damaged leg.

“This example is actually unhealthy, but it surely’s not almost as unhealthy as that one,” Chestnut mentioned. “I used to be in a position to get via that one and I used to be in a position to get via the 12 months I misplaced (in 2015 to Matt Stonie) and are available again stronger. I’m going to get via this and we’re going to see the place it takes me.”