Joey Chestnut dominates in return, wins Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4th

He ate a record-breaking 76 hot dogs in 2021, but dropped to 63 dogs in 2023 and 62 dogs in 2023. He discussed this dip in his performance in a sit-down interview with ESPN prior to his return.

“Well, the 63 year I had a broken leg,” Chestnut said. “There was a cast, and the next year was a bit weird. I was still recovering from that injury and I had infections and multiple surgeries. Even though I didn’t have a cast on, I wasn’t near 100% at that time.”

He returned back to his 70-dog mark on Friday, hitting that number for the seventh time. As of Thursday afternoon, 86% of the money was on under 71.5 hot dogs eaten for Chestnut at BetMGM. He fell just shy of that mark.

Instead of competing in last year’s contest, Chestnut took place in Fort Bliss‘ Pop Goes the Fort event, where he downed 57 hot dogs in five minutes. He was thrust into the public spotlight once again last September, when he clashed with infamous rival Takeru Kobayashi in Netflix‘s “Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef” event. He downed 83 hot dogs to Kobayashi’s 63, taking home the win.

“Not competing on the Fourth of July last year made me appreciate Fourth of July at Coney Island,” Chestnut. “I’m happy I’m back.”

Last year’s winner Pat Bertoletti consumed X hot dogs, earning X place in the event. It marks the first time since 2015 where the defending champion was defeated. That year, competitive eater Matt Stonie consumed 62 hot dogs to Chestnut’s 60 to end the Fulton County, KY native’s eight-year winning streak. Chestnut however downed 13 more dogs than Stonie the next year (2016) to win back the Mustard Yellow Belt.

2025 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest Results

1. Joey Chestnut – 70.5
2. Patrick Bertoletti – 46.5
3. James Webb – 45.5
4. Geoffrey Esper – 44