Joey Chestnut brings hot dog eating skills to Fort Bliss, skips Nathan’s Hot Dog contest

Maria Cortes Gonzalez, El Paso Times
Updated ·1 min read
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Competitive eater Joey Chestnut will bring his hot dog chowing skills to Fort Bliss for the Fourth of July festivities.

Chestnut, who had a falling out with organizers of the event that made him famous in Brooklyn, will compete against soldiers in a five-minute hot dog eating contest Thursday, July 4, according to the Associated Press.

The contest is a little different from the typical 10-minute Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog-eating contest. Since 2005, he has competed against the top competitive eaters in the world. In 2021, he set the current record of 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

There will be no live ESPN telecast like at Nathan's contest, but there will be a livestream set to start at 3 p.m. MT. 

July 4: Joey Chestnut eats hot dogs during the 2022 Nathans Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, 2022 at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The contest, which has happened every year since 1972, has returned in front of Nathan’s Famous on Surf Avenue this year.
July 4: Joey Chestnut eats hot dogs during the 2022 Nathans Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, 2022 at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The contest, which has happened every year since 1972, has returned in front of Nathan’s Famous on Surf Avenue this year.

The event will be part of the day's festivities to celebrate the Fourth of July. The Pop Goes the Fort event will include fireworks and performances by the El Paso Symphony Orchestra and the 1st Armored Division Band.

Kobayashi vs Joey Chestnut

Chestnut is expected to compete on Netflix in September against rival Takeru Kobayashi.

He’s hoping he can get back to competing either with Netflix or Nathan’s Famous contest next year. To do that, he would have to make up with the event organizers, Major League Eating.

Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut in 2007.
Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut in 2007.

More: Quesadilla burger, corn in a cup, and Desert Oak flautas are new items at El Paso Chihuahuas

Joey Chestnut ban?

As first reported by the New York Post, Chestnut won't compete in this year's contest because he's in a sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods. The company's meat-substitute food is rival to Nathan's Famous and isn't approved by Major League Eating, the organization that sanctions the contest.

Joey Chestnut won his 16th Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest title in 2023.
Joey Chestnut won his 16th Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest title in 2023.

María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; [email protected], @EPTMaria on Twitter; eptmariacg on TikTok.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Joey Chestnut to face Fort Bliss soldiers in hot dog-eating contest