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Joey Chestnut apologizes to fans after Hot Dog Eating Contest

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Jul 4, 2025 6:25 PM ET

Joey Chestnut put together another heroic effort at the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on Friday, but his performance left him wanting more.

Chestnut took down 70.5 hot dogs and buns to win his 17th Hot Dog Eating Contest. It was a virtual certainty that he was going to win, and many fans were more focused on whether he would break his own record of 76 hot dogs.

Although he demolished the second-place finisher by 24 hot dogs, Chestnut expressed regret that he fell short of the record.

“I wish I ate a couple more. Sorry, guys,” Chestnut told the crowd at Coney Island.

Chestnut was on a pace of nearly 10 hot dogs per minute at the start of the competition, but he tailed off a bit at the end.

JOEY CHESTNUT'S DOMINANCE CONTINUES

Chestnut downs 70.5 hot dogs to win his 17th Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest title pic.twitter.com/B3TMBrayZ7
— ESPN (@espn) July 4, 2025

Fans were devastated when Chestnut was not allowed to take part in the Hot Dog Eating Contest last year because of an endorsement deal. The 41-year-old is by far the most popular draw that the annual 4th of July competition has ever had.

In 2023, Chestnut exerted his influence and endeared himself to fans even further when he refused to allow the contest to be canceled due to bad weather. The year before, Chestnut put a protestor in a chokehold and slammed the guy to the ground in the middle of the competition.

Chestnut can do no wrong. While fans would have liked to see him break the record, the majority of them were just happy to have him back shoveling dogs down his gullet.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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