Pat Bertoletti crowned hot dog eating champion amid Joey Chestnut's absence

Competitive eater Joey Chestnut joins 'Fox & Friends' to share details about his participation in an Army base eating contest.

The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest has a new champion, as Pat Bertoletti ate 58 hot dogs.

Bertoletti's victory comes as Americans across the nation are celebrating America's Independence Day. Thousands of fans descended on Conley Island to watch competitive eaters wolf down as many hot dogs (and buns) as possible in a ten-minute time span during the hot dog eating contest.

However, this year's slate of competitors was noticeably missing one high-profile contestant — 16-time champion Joey Chestnut.

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Hot dogs are ready for the 2024 Nathans Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating competition at Coney Island in the Brooklyn borough of New York on July 4, 2024. (LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images)

He was reportedly barred from competing in this year's event. Chestnut recently signed a deal with Impossible Foods, a rival of Nathan's that has launched a vegan wiener, the New York Post reported.

JOEY CHESTNUT GEARS UP FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY HOT DOG COMPETITION FACEOFF AGAINST HUNGRY SOLDIERS

Instead, he’ll compete against soldiers at a U.S. Army base in El Paso beginning at 5 p.m. ET.

Chestnut's absence left the traditional Brooklyn event wide open for a new winner in the men’s division, with eaters from around the world competing for the highly-coveted mustard belt.

FILE - Joey Chestnut, winner of the 2021 Nathans Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest, poses for photos in Coney Islands Maimonides Park, July 4, 2021, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman, File)

Last year Chestnut, of Indiana, chewed his