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Joey Chestnut reveals fresh negotiations with Nathan's over July 4 Hot Dog Eating Contest ban
Competitive eating legend Joey Chestnut has once again hit out at Nathan's after their stunning decision to ban him from their July 4 Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Chestnut is a 19-year veteran of the annual Coney Island event, but won't be present this year after he was banned for signing a deal with rival Impossible Foods.
Amid an ugly fallout from the decision, Chestnut revealed his plans to join Army soldiers at Fort Bliss Army Base in Texas on July 4 instead, and he's also preparing for a Netflix showdown with long-time rival Takeru Kobayashi.
But despite continuing on with other plans, Chestnut has now revealed fresh negotiations with Nathan's, and hinted at a future return to the July 4 Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Before that, though, he was quick to take another swipe at the hot dog giants, insisting they and Major League Eating (MLE) 'moved the goalposts'.
Joey Chestnut is a legendary figure when it comes to the July 4 Nathan's Hot Dog Contest
The stalwart will not be on stage in Coney Island this year after receiving a ban from organizers
'It's unfortunate,' Chestnut told the Klein.Ally.Show. 'Major League Eating, Nathans, they felt really threatened that I was doing a little bit of work with Impossible Foods. I mean, Impossible -- delicious chicken nuggets and they don't even sell hot dogs.
'I've never even seen them in the grocery stores. I think they kind of exaggerated my relationship with them.'
'I don't know if backstabbed would be the right word to describe the feeling,' he adds, before noting: 'I know it felt like they were moving the goalposts.
'Looking at my contracts, I've been allowed to work with meat companies… they had a list of probably about 60 companies I couldn't work with and Impossible wasn't on the list.
'They moved the goalposts… Yeah, it's odd but you know… we have to live with it and maybe we'll figure it out later.'
Chestnut has now revealed fresh talks with organizers and hinted he may return in the future
Chestnut then talked up his live Netflix showdown with Japanese rival Kobayashi, who is coming out of retirement for the battle.
After that, the future is as yet unclear, but he revealed that fresh talks with Nathan's could see him return to the Coney Island stage later down the line.
'They reached out, they said "all right, you can work with Impossible this year but you have to sign a four-year deal and you can't ever work with them again." It's like, "you can't just un-ban me and then say that."
Chestnut is welcome to return to the annual contest when his conflicting sponsorship ends, according to Major League Eating
'It was disingenuous some of their negotiating so, you know, I'll respect their ban and maybe they'll rethink their position.'
Chestnut has squared off against the world's top competitive eaters at Nathan's since 2005 and hadn't lost since 2015. In 2021, the Indiana native set the current record of 76 hot dogs, in 10 minutes.
His deal with vegetarian frank manufacturer Impossible Foods will preclude him from winning a record 17th title on Coney Island. The issue, organizers told the New York Post, is Chestnut's demand to endorse the rival hot dog.
Having been part of the festivities for nearly two decades, Chestnut admitted that he will miss the atmosphere in Brooklyn this year.
'Those people have been sitting in the sun, waiting,' Chestnut previously said. 'They know what to expect. And they're not shocked. They're cheering and yelling and pushing me.'