Patrick Bertoletti, Jeffrey Esper and other contestants compete during the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Independence Day International Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island on July 4, 2024 in New York City, USA.
Gina Moon | Reuters
A new leader has emerged in the world of frankfurter eating.
Patrick Bertoletti won the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, ending an era after a feud between 16-time winner Joey Chestnut and the contest’s organizers, Major League Eating.
Bertoletti, 39, of Illinois, won the men’s mustard yellow belt this year after consuming 58 hot dogs in the 10-minute contest. Miki Sudo set a new women’s record by consuming 51 wieners. After the battle between Chestnut and MLE, the contest was expected to be much closer than in years past.
MLE announced last month that it had parted ways with Chestnut, citing a rule that says contestants cannot have sponsorship deals with rivals of hot dog maker Nathan’s. At the time, MLE claimed Chestnut was partnering with a plant-based meat company. Chestnut, also known as “Jaws,” recently began posting images on Instagram featuring Impossible Foods.
“We have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity agreement for nearly 20 years,” MLE said in a June statement, “but it appears that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new affiliation with another hot dog brand over our long-standing relationship.”
Miki Sudo reacts after winning the women’s division at the Nathan’s 2024 Independence Day International Hot Dog Eating Contest held at Coney Island in New York City, USA on July 4, 2024.
Gina Moon | Reuters
“I was disappointed to learn from the media that I was being banned after 19 years,” Chestnut said in a statement at the time. The 40-year-old argued that he had no contract with MLE or Nathan’s and said the sponsorship ban was a departure from the organizations’ previous rules on partnerships.
“I love competing in this tournament, I love celebrating America with fans across this great country on the Fourth, and I’ve been training to defend my title,” he said last month.
For now, the relationship between the two appears to be frosty, but MLE called Chesnut an “American hero” and said it “hopes” he will return when he’s not representing Nathan’s rivals. Chesnut holds eating records in 55 categories, including eggs, chicken wings and apple pie, MLE told NBC News.
Nathan’s website also continues to praise Chestnut: In a section announcing the 2023 winner, the New York-based company wrote, “There is no doubt in our minds who the champion is.”
Participants in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Independence Day International Hot Dog Eating Contest dressed as hot dogs compete in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Independence Day International Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island in New York City, USA, on July 4, 2024.
Kent J. Edwards | Reuters
ESPN made multiple references to Chestnut and what the contest would look like without him during its coverage of the 2024 contest, with one reference calling him the “Warren Buffet of buffets.”
Chestnut’s fans will be able to see him in action this holiday too.
According to a recent Instagram post, he’s livestreaming a hot dog eating contest from Fort Bliss, Texas, to raise money for charity. The show begins at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday.
“Independence Day just wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t celebrate it by eating loads of beef hot dogs,” he wrote.
