Joey Chestnut Breaks His Own Record, Chows Down 76 Hot Dogs to Claim Annual Contest
Joey Chestnut celebrated the Spirit of 76 on Sunday.
No, not 1776 when the Founding Fathers declared this raucous nation free to celebrate freedom any way the American people pleased.
As in the 76 hot dogs the legendary champion of hot dog eating contests gobbled down during the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on Sunday.
For those of you keeping score at home, that breaks down to 22,800 calories in 10 minutes, according to the folks at TMZ.
“It’s a staple of New York,” said Valerie Gagnon, 45, of Long Island, who attended the event, according to the New York Post. “This is what Fourth of July is –– it’s American, it’s hot dogs.”
It was the 14th championship for Chestnut, and one better than last year, when in his 10 allotted minutes he ate 75 hot dogs — with buns, of course.
Chestnut said there was an added zest to the hot dogs this year after the contest was held without fans last year due to the coronavirus.
“It just felt good. Even if I was uncomfortable, having everybody cheer me and push me, it made me feel good,” he told ESPN.
“I’ve been looking forward to this all year,” he said.
Chestnut, who is ranked No. 1 by Major League Eating, has only lost the contest once since he began competing in 2006, according to the New York Post.
“I had a pretty good idea I could do it,” he said, according to the Post. “I just had to stay calm and not panic when things got a little bit rough, and made my body work for me.”
JOEY CHESTNUT WITH A NEW WORLD RECORD 76 HOTDOGS IN 10 MINUTES ?
14 titles ? pic.twitter.com/3iia7YIHdr
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 4, 2021
“I feel like I could eat a little more,” Chestnut, 37, said after the contest, according to the Daily News, while noting he did feel “a little bloated.”
“I’m just super happy,” he said. “In the second half, the crowd pushed me.”
One virus-inspired change led to the contest being held away from Nathan’s flagship store in Brooklyn’s Coney Island neighborhood. Because planned was done while New York’s restrictions were still in place, the event was held at Maimonides Park, where minor league baseball is usually played. There were about 5,000 spectators.
Michelle Lesco, of Tucson, Arizona, won the women’s championship, according to the Post.
She downed 30 ¾ hot dogs and called her victory “an amazing feeling.”
Michelle Lesco is your women’s 2021 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest winner! pic.twitter.com/W7C12Z1BHx
— espnW (@espnW) July 4, 2021
Lesco, 37, said training in the time of COVID was hard.
“It was really stressful. It’s hard to motivate yourself at home,” she said, according to the Daily News.
The event was slightly marred by burping — from ESPN, that is, which had a delay in its feed just as Chestnut was going for a record.
That ESPN feed was a DISTASTER, and still, their hot dog contest broadcast was 100 times better than their baseball broadcasts.
— Alyssa Rose (@AlyssaRose) July 4, 2021
Joey Chestnut is going so hard he broke ESPN
— Trey Sandefur (@Tsand0920) July 4, 2021
Raed Jarrar of Nathan’s said the weather represented more than just a sunny July day after a string of wet ones.
“For us to be back this year I think is a sign that Americans are now united, and that we are one strong people,” he said.
“And we’re united around hot dogs, and we’re united around the buns. It’s all about the hot dogs, it’s all about the buns.”
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