Joey Chestnut devours 57 hot dogs in exhibition contest

Joey Chestnut nearly matched the 58 hot dogs devoured by the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest winner — in half the time — in an alternate event on Thursday. 

While the annual Fourth of July tradition took place in Coney Island without competitive eating’s biggest name, Chestnut took part in an exhibition eating contest at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, and crushed 57 hot dogs in just five minutes. 

The Nathan’s contest allows its competitors to eat as many hot dogs as they can in 10 minutes, but Chestnut was barred from this year’s event.

This came after a dispute between Chestnut and the event organizers — first reported by The Post — over the former’s endorsement deal with Impossible Foods, which launched a plant-based hot dog. 

With the banishment from the Brooklyn event, Chestnut instead took part in Pop Goes the Fort with four soldiers and helped raise $106,000 for military families, as Impossible Foods CEO Peter McGuinness presented Operation Homefront with a check, according to the Associated Press. 

During the event in Texas, the four servicemen combined to eat 49 hot dogs.

Pat Bertoletti won this year’s Nathan’s competition, marking the first time since 2015 that someone other than Chestnut had won. 

“Those guys did great!” Chestnut said to USA Today. “A lot better than last year. I’m really happy for Pat.”

While Chestnut’s competition wasn’t broadcast on national television, it was live-streamed over YouTube and drew 19,000 viewers, according to USA Today. 

The 40-year-old competitive eater is viewed as one of the best in the world and holds the world record of 76 hot dogs scarfed down in 10 minutes during the 2021 Nathan’s competition. 

Nathan’s and Major League Eating, which sanctions the Coney Island event, viewed Chestnut’s deal with Impossible Foods as a conflict of interest and barred him from the event.

Despite calls for the two sides to mend fences, including by NYC Mayor Eric Adams, Chestnut remained away from this year’s festivities in the Big Apple.