The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is one of the more notorious competitions in the country. On July 4 every year, America tunes in to see eaters engage in an American tradition like no other: stuffing their faces for 10 minutes to see who can do it the most.
Joey Chestnut is the preeminent competitive eater in the world. He has 14 Hot Dog Eating Contest victories among a bevy of other eating championships. What he hasn't done, however, is win the Hot Dog Eating Contest while injured. He'll have the chance to that this year; he was spotted on crutches ahead of Monday's event.
Chestnut, who set a record with 76 dogs eaten in 10 minutes in 2021 — one more than the 75 he housed in 2020 — was on crutches and in a walking cast for the event's weigh-in Friday at Hudson Yards in New York.
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Why is Joey Chestnut on crutches?
According to Chestnut, he won't be at 100 percent as he's recovering from a ruptured tendon but will be fine for the contest.
"I can stand up and I can eat," he said.
He was droll in talking to fans about the injury. "I'm not eating with my leg," he said, per Fox News Digital.
Chestnut did not disclose the origin of the injury, simply offering that "life happened."
How many Hot Dog Eating Contests has Joey Chestnut won?
Chestnut is the six-time reigning champion of the Hot Dog Eating Contest on the men's side, and he has 14 titles total. He was on an eight-year winning streak before 2015, when Matt Stonie took down 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes to beat Chestnut by two. That 2015 loss is his only one in the past 15 years.
Chestnut will look for his seventh straight win, but he's also looking for a different accomplishment. In the past two years, Chestnut has beaten his own world record for the contest. He ate 75 hot dogs in 2020 before taking down 76 in 2021. Chestnut will attempt to set another record this year.
