Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest Winner Patrick Bertoletti Talks Joey Chestnut Absence

The winners of this year’s Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest are letting all the glory sink in.

On July 5, Patrick Bertoletti, who won the men’s title, and Miki Sudo, the keeper of the women’s title, both appeared on the TODAY plaza to continue celebrating after the July 4 event. During the competition, Bertoletti crushed 58 hot dogs, while Sudo broke the women’s record that she previously set with eating 51 hot dogs.

When asked by TODAY’s Craig Melvin if there was a strategy going into the hot dog eating contest, Bertoletti chalked it up to “bad genetics” but also a love for eating.

“I don’t have to chew my food and I’m from Chicago, it’s a good hot dog town,” Bertoletti joked. “Nathan’s hot dogs are delicious, and I wouldn’t be at Fourth of July if I wasn’t eating hot dogs.”

He teased that the coveted Mustard Belt, which was slung over his shoulder, isn’t fitting him “as good as it did before the contest.”

While it was Bertoletti’s first time talking about his win on the plaza, Sudo is no stranger to reflecting on the day with the TODAY co-anchors: It’s her tenth time winning the women’s title at the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Sudo’s husband, fellow competitive eater Nick Wehry, and their son, Max, joined her in celebrating on the TODAY plaza. Sudo said that “behind every little bit of success” that she’s enjoyed, “there’s so much support in the background.”

On July 4, Bertoletti officially took over the title from reigning champ Joey Chestnut, who was previously crowned the winner of the annual competition 16 times. Chestnut noted on social media in June that he would not be participating in this year’s event.

When asked if Chestnut’s absence was felt at this year’s hot dog eating contest, Bertoletti told TODAY that it was “a little weird.”

“I’m good friends with him and we started 18 years ago together eating, so he wasn’t there, someone had to step up to do it, and I’m not complaining,” Bertoletti said.

During the July 4 competition, which lasted 10 minutes after announcer George Shea welcomed each contestant to the stage, the Mustard Belt was placed around a new winner in the men’s division for the first time in eight years.

Shea raised Bertoletti’s arm in victory and he held the shiny belt over his head. His performance marked his first career title.

The ESPN announcers deemed it the closest competition since 2015.

Bertoletti came into the event ranked No. 9 in the world. “It was all focus today,” he told Shea. “I wasn’t going to stop eating until the job was done.”

He later said it felt like he was a bridesmaid who finally became a bride. The competitive eater said it took him three months of practice and he was in disbelief that he pulled it off.

“There was an urgency. With Joey not here, I knew I had a shot,” he shared. “I was able to unlock something. I don’t know where it came from, but I’m not complaining.”

Bertoletti called it a life-changing moment.

In the women’s division, Sudo held onto her crown, bringing her total number of wins to 10 titles. Sudo is currently ranked the No. 1 competitive female eater.  

Fans at Coney Island gawked as Bertoletti and Sudo scarfed down an impressive number of hot dogs in just 10 minutes.

Bertoletti managed to eat 58, his personal best, while Sudo was not too far behind with a record-breaking 51 hot dugs and buns. Sudo also passed her personal (and world) record of 48.5 hot dogs, which she set in 2020.

“The 50 hot dog threshold has been broken,” an ESPN announcer said in a clip uploaded to X as the clock wound down. Another announcer wondered if Sudo could potentially compete in the men’s division in the future.

An hour after her victory, Sudo spoke about her historic performance.

“Even 10 years into this, I still have even more to show,” she said. “The women’s record is just going to improve from here on out and there’s a lot of exciting things to come.”

When asked what she wanted to eat now, she replied, “Probably I’ll look for something cold and refreshing. Maybe a piece of fruit (or) soft serve.”

Sudo dominated the competition to secure the Ketchup Belt again — followed by second place finisher Mayoi Ebihara, who ate 37 hot dogs. Ebihara was also the runner-up last year when she made her debut at the contest.

Last year, 35,000 spectators, according to the American hot dog company, flocked to Coney Island to watch Sudo and Chestnut reclaim their titles. Sudo ate 39.5 hot dogs at the time and Chestnut, the current No. 1 competitive eater, managed to down a whopping 62 hot dogs in just 10 minutes. 

While fans were excited to see this year’s winners, Chestnut’s absence from the annual event was notable. The former title holder, who set the all-time record with 76 in 2021, said he wasn’t allowed to participate in the contest because he was “banned” from the event after allegedly partnering with a competing brand to Nathan’s Famous.

“I was very disappointed to learn from the media today that after nearly 20 years I am banned from the Nathan’s 4th of July Hot Dog Eating Contest,” he wrote on Instagram at the time. “I love competing in that event, I love celebrating America with my fans all over this great country on the 4th and I have been training to defend my title.” 

In response to the competitive eater’s claims he was “banned,” Major League Eating (MLE) told TODAY.com in a statement that that was not accurate. 

“There is no ban. Major League Eating wants him there. The fans want him there. Nathan’s wants him there,” Richard Shea, MLE co-founder, said. 

MLE also sent TODAY.com a statement that said, in part, “We are devastated to learn that Joey Chestnut has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs rather than competing in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.” 

During the broadcast on July 4, the announcers repeatedly emphasized that it was Chestnut’s “choice” not to be involved this year, comparing the breakup between Chestnut and Nathan’s Hot Dogs to The Beatles splitting up. His last win at the competition was last year in 2023.

The show also pointed out that there was an upset when Chestnut was defeated by Matt Stonie in 2015.

Before the competition began, ESPN paid tribute to Chestnut and called him “the Babe Ruth of beef” among other titles.

Although he didn’t make it to Nathan’s Famous, fans of competitive eating will still get to enjoy the sight of Chestnut wolfing down hot dogs on Independence Day. Chestnut opted to compete against soldiers at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, in a five-minute hot-dog-eating event, which was previously reported by Associated Press on June 27. 

The annual July 4th event, called “Pop Goes the Fort,” will also feature a firework display and  performances by the El Paso Symphony Orchestra and the 1st Armored Division Band.  

CORRECTION (July 5, 2024, 10:10 a.m. ET): An earlier version of this story misstated when Chestnut last won Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. He last won in 2023, not 2015.