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The eating to eat is back.
Joey Chestnut returned to Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest Friday after being unjustified last year and he was back as he never left.
Chestnut lowered 70.5 hot dogs and buns to his 17th title in his last 18 events (he lost against Matt Stonie in 2015).
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Joey Chestnut is preparing to compete in men’s competition at Nathan’s annual Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, 2025 in New York City. Joey Chestnut returns to Nathan’s famous July 4th Hot Dog Eating Competition to compete for a 17th victory after missing the event in 2024 due to a sponsorship convent with Major League eating. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
Nathans Hot Dog Eating Competition: Joey Chestnut returns to Coney Island as heavy favorite
Chestnut lowered 30 dogs in the first three minutes, already far ahead of his competition, and he never looked back. He was in the process of crushing his record of 76 dogs and buns in the 10 minute timeframe, where he set up 46 in the first half of the competition.
He started braking and put only 11 down in the next two minutes, but he had practically already squeezed the victory. As a reference, he ate 58 hot dogs, the winning number last year, in the first seven and a half minutes. Now it was a hunt for the record.
Fatigue went in and he came under his record with five. However, it was the best performance in the event since he set the record back in 2021. This is the seventh time that Chestnut broke the 70 mark.
This was Chestnut’s 20. Performance in the event and ties all-time record.
Last year’s champion, Patrick Betoletti, ended with 46.5 dogs and buns.
Chestnut was not eligible to attend last year’s event after signing an agreement with Impossible Foods, a rival from Nathans.
Last month, however, Chestnut announced that he and the organizers had found common grounds for sponsorships.
Joey Chestnut, winner of 2021 Nathan’s famous fourth July International Hot Dog Eating Competition, is for photos in Coney Island’s Maimonides Park, July 4, 2021 in Brooklyn Borough of New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman, File)
“I am excited to return to Nathan’s famous July fourth eatery competition. This event means the world to me. It is a loved tradition, a celebration of American culture and a huge part of my life,” Chestnut wrote on X.
“While I have and continues to collaborate with a number of companies, including some in the plant -based space, these conditions were never a conflict with my love for hot dogs. Being clear: Nathan’s is the only hot dog company I’ve ever worked with.
“I respect that there were differences in interpretation, but I am grateful that we have been able to find common ground. I am excited to be back on the Coney Island scene, do what I live to do, and celebrate the fourth of July with hot dogs in my hands! Stay hungry!”
Joey Chestnut visits “The Claman Countdown” with host Liz Claman in Fox Business Network Studios on July 2, 2025 in New York City. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
Chestnut was obviously the overwhelming favorite to win it all-he set a popcorn-eating world record back in May.
