Joey Chestnut reflects on return to hot dog eating contest after contract dispute, temporary ban

Joey Chestnut returned to the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest with a vengeance after a temporary ban in 2024, eating 70 dogs and buns in the competition.

The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest two years ago was unusual in that it was missing the greatest competitive eater of all time.

Joey Chestnut, a 16-time winner of the event, was not eligible to participate in 2024 after he signed a deal with Nathan's rival Impossible Foods. Chestnut was still on the outs months before the 2025 competition when he announced that he and the organizers had found common ground on sponsorships. 

That brought Chestnut, now a 17-time winner after taking the belt again last year, back to Coney Island.

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Joey Chestnut wins the men's competition at Nathan's Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City on July 4, 2025. He returned to compete for a 17th win after missing the 2024 event due to a sponsorship dispute with Major League Eating. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)

"It was great. The audience is awesome, it's electric. It's good to be back after mending some fences," Chestnut recently told Fox News Digital. "I do what I love. I got the best job in the world. I get to eat, travel, beat the heck out of people, and meet happy people. So it was great to be back."

Chestnut's return to the grand stage was, well, grand. Credit is due to Patrick Bertoletti, who downed 58 dogs and buns in Chestnut's absence to take home the title two years ago. But Chestnut hasn't posted a number that "low" since 2010. And while the Coney Island Nathan's still had a decent crowd, it doesn't compare to when Chestnut is on stage.

For the greatest of all time, though, it was never about a comeback — just winning and