Chestnut walked in with plenty of hype, which included shattering his own record of downing 73 and a half hot dogs just last week in a qualifying competition.
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An animal rights activist is arrested at the Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest on Coney Island.
A police officer stands guard on the roof of Nathan’s Famous store during the Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, Monday, July 4, 2016, in NY.
This isn’t a first for Nathan’s Famous annual contest.
Chestnut downed 70 hot dogs and buns in 10 minute, beating out Stonie by 17 dogs.
No hard feelings were evident among the rivals, who both hail from San Jose, California.
The 70 hot dogs and buns gobbled by Chestnut were the most ever eaten at the competition.
“He beat me last year, he awoke a sleeping giant”, said Chestnut, who had won eight straight Mustard Belts before last year’s humiliation.
But in 2016, what exactly is the payoff for eating upwards of 50 hot dogs in 10 minutes? The 4th of July tradition has become a national spectacle, drawing in thousands to Coney Island.
The men’s competition is later Saturday.
Triumphant, Joey Chestnut celebrates his win over Matt “The Megatoad” Stonie.
This Fourth of July, marks the 100th anniversary of the storied franchise, and with it comes the annual hot dog eating contest. Besides the glory, Chestnut also takes home $10,000 and the championship belt, which is appropriately mustard yellow in color.
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As Chestnut regained his crown, Miki Sudo extended her winning streak to three years in the women’s division with 38.5 hot dogs.
