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

The winners of this year’s Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest unleash their glory.

On July 5, Patrick Bertoletti, the men’s champion, and Miki Sudo, the women’s champion, appeared on the TODAY stage to continue the celebration after the Fourth of July event. During the competition, Bertoletti crushed 58 hot dogs, while Sudo broke her own women’s record of 51 hot dogs.

When TODAY’s Craig Melvin asked him if there was a specific strategy for entering a hot dog eating contest, Bertoletti attributed it to “bad genes” but also to a love of eating.

“I don’t have to chew my food and I’m from Chicago, it’s a good city for hot dogs,” Bertoletti joked. “Nathan’s hot dogs are delicious, and it wouldn’t be the Fourth of July if I didn’t eat hot dogs.”

He joked that the mustard belt he had been wearing on his shoulder no longer fit him “like it did before the competition.”

While this was the first time Bertoletti had spoken about her win on the scene, Sudo is no stranger to reflecting on this day with the TODAY hosts: It’s her 10th time winning the women’s title in the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Her husband, Nick Wehrey, a contestant in the eating competition, and their son, Max, joined the celebration on the TODAY plaza. “Behind every little success” she has, Sudo said, “there’s a lot of support in the background.”

On July 4, Bertoletti officially took over the title from current champion Joey Chestnut, a 16-time champion. Chestnut indicated on social media in June that he would not be competing in this year’s event.

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

“I’m a good friend of his and we started eating together 18 years ago, so he wasn’t there, and someone had to step in to do it, and I’m not complaining,” Bertoletti said.

During the July Fourth competition, which lasted 10 minutes after announcer George Shea welcomed each contestant to the stage, a 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 celebration, holding the shiny belt above his head. His performance was the first title of his career.

the ESPN Commentators considered this to be the closest contest since 2015.

Bertoletti entered the tournament ranked ninth in the world. “I was focused on everything today,” he told Shea. “I wasn’t going to stop eating until I got the job done.”

He later said he felt like a bridesmaid who eventually became a bride. The competitive eater said it took him three months of training and he couldn’t believe he pulled it off.

“There was a sense of urgency. With Joey out, I knew I had an opportunity,” he shared. “I was able to figure something out. I don’t know where it came from, but I’m not complaining.”

Bertoletti described the moment as a life-changing one.

In the women’s category, Sudo retained her title, bringing her total number of wins to 10. Sudo is currently ranked #1 in the competition to eat females.

Fans at Coney Island were amazed when they saw Bertoletti and Sodo eat a large number of hot dogs in just 10 minutes.

Bertoletti managed to eat 58 pieces, a personal best, while Sudo was not far behind, breaking the record with 51 pieces of hot cake. Sudo also surpassed Personal (and world) record From 48.5 hot dogs, which I set in 2020.

“The 50 hot dog threshold has been broken,” an ESPN commentator said in a video. Uploaded to X As the hour drew to a close, another commentator wondered if Sudo would be able to compete in the men’s division in the future.

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

“Even after ten years of this, I still have more to offer. The women’s record will only get better from now on and there are a lot of exciting things to come,” she said.

When asked what she would like to eat now, she replied: “I would probably look for something cold and refreshing. Maybe a piece of fruit (or) soft ice cream.”

Sudo dominated the competition to secure the ketchup belt once again – followed by second-place Mayoi Ebihara, who ate 37 hot dogs. Ebihara was also runner-up last year when she first appeared in the competition.

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 in that time, and Chestnut, the current top dog in the competition, managed to eat 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 noticeable. The former titleholder, who set the all-time record with 76 in 2021, said he was not allowed to participate in the competition because he was “banned” from the event following his alleged partnership with a rival brand to Nathan’s Famous.

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

In response to the competitive eater’s claims that it was “banned,” Major League Eating (MLE) told TODAY.com in a statement that it is inaccurate.

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

MLE also sent TODAY.com a statement that read in part, “We are deeply saddened to learn that Joey Chestnut has chosen to represent a competing brand selling plant-based hot dogs rather than compete in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4th.”

During the July 4 broadcast, commentators repeatedly asserted that Chestnut’s “choice” was not to participate this year, comparing Chestnut’s breakup with Nathan’s Hot Dogs to the breakup of the Beatles. His last win in the competition was last year in 2023.

The show also noted an upset when Chestnut was defeated by Matt Stoney in 2015.

Before the competition began, ESPN praised Chestnut, calling him “Babe Ruth of the Beef” among other nicknames.

Although he didn’t make it to Nathan’s Famous, competitive eaters will enjoy seeing Chestnut gobble up a hot dog on Independence Day. Chestnut chose to compete against soldiers at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, in a five-minute hot dog eating event, which was previously reported by News agency On June 27th.

The annual Fourth of July event, called “Pop Goes the Fort,” will also take place. feature Fireworks display and performances by the El Paso Symphony Orchestra and the 1st Armored Division.

revision (July 5, 2024, 10:10 a.m. ET): An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated when Chestnut last won the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. His last win was in 2023, not 2015.