Joey Chestnut won his 15th Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest Monday, but made headlines for taking care of a protestor who had jumped on stage rather than the amount of hot dogs and buns he ate.
A protestor rushed the competition stage and stood next to Chestnut while holding a sign. Chestnut quickly proceeded to put the protestor in a chokehold and slam him to the floor (see video here) before continuing on.
Chestnut joined “The Pat McAfee Show” Tuesday to share his perspective of the incident and the swift action he took.
“It was reaction,” Chestnut said. “Just natural instinct. I thought somebody fell into me at first. I didn’t know it was a protestor until I saw the mask, and then it just happened. I wanted to get back into eating.”
Was it just natural reaction with that protester yesterday @joeyjaws…#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/mf1zRFYY5q
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 5, 2022
Not only did Chestnut take down the protestor without skipping a beat as far as hot dog consumption is concerned, but he did so while dealing with a significant lower leg injury.
While he didn’t top his world record of 76 hot dogs and buns consumed during last year’s competition, Chestnut still bested the field by a considerable 15.5 margin by putting down 63 hot dogs and buns on Monday. Chestnut set the previous record of 75 hot dogs and buns eaten during the 2020 event.
