Coney Island’s struggle of wieners escalated as organizers of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest debunked Joey Chestnut’s declare that they have been “altering the principles” — after the principles value the perennial champ his spot at subsequent month’s barf bash.
Chestnut groaned that he was “gutted” by Main League Consuming’s determination to maintain him from defending his title as a result of he agreed to grow to be a pitchman for Not possible Meals’ vegan scorching canine, as The Put up solely reported.
Nonetheless, the corporate that manages the annual occasion for Nathan’s stated Chestnut has nobody guilty however himself.
“In return for his charges to look and compete, Joey agreed each single 12 months to a quite simple exclusivity provision — that he wouldn’t endorse or sponsor one other scorching canine model,” an MLE rep instructed The Put up on Wednesday.
“The concept that Nathan’s or MLE modified the principles this 12 months is as ridiculous as it’s foolish. What firm would pay somebody an look payment of a number of hundred thousand {dollars} and knowingly let
them endorse a direct competitor instantly afterwards?”
The rep went on to say: “Joey was not banned. Joey selected to not compete within the contest the second he selected to make an endorsement take care of one in every of Nathan’s opponents.”
Chestnut, 40, has an estimated web value of $4 million. He received the July 4 occasion in 16 of the previous 17 years, gobbling down 62 scorching canine and buns in 2023.
MLE head George Shea referred to as Chestnut’s hookup with Impossible Foods a “disaster” throughout an interview on 560 WQAM Wednesday morning.
“His reps got here to us and stated now we have signed with a plant-based meat firm that does scorching canine and that’s that,” Shea stated.
“He didn’t come to us and say now we have this different supply and let’s speak. It was, ‘This supply is signed,’ so it made it very tough to barter.”
Regardless of the deadlock, sources stated a settlement by July 4 wasn’t out of the query, however the subsequent transfer was as much as Chestnut.
Chestnut didn’t return requires remark.
In the meantime, CamSoda, an grownup leisure website, provided Chestnut “as much as $1 million to headline the platform’s very first annual ‘Weiner Wallop’ on-line scorching canine consuming contest this July 4th.”
There have additionally been 15 “Let Joey Eat” petitions which have popped up on Change.org.
