Joey Chestnut’s no longer top dog at Nathan’s

July 4th means friends, family, fireworks… and some of the least dignified hot dog eating you’ve ever laid eyes on.

Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest didn’t disappoint on that final point yesterday, as Patrick Bertoletti raced his way through 58 dogs to become the new men’s champ and Miki Sudo devoured 51 to set a new record for the women’s competition.

Chestnut’s roasted

It was the first time since 2015 that Joey Chestnut, who was banned from the competition this year due to his endorsement deal with plant-based hot dog and burger maker Impossible Foods, hasn’t taken home the coveted Mustard Belt. 

Chestnut’s reign at Nathan’s has been pretty much unparalleled ever since Takeru Kobayashi — who’s often credited with revolutionizing the competition by pioneering techniques like bun-dipping to make consuming the wieners easier — stopped participating after his own contract disputes with the iconic event’s organizers in 2009. 

The current women’s champ Miki Sudo has also enjoyed a long dominion as top dog in the contest: her record-breaking effort yesterday secured her 10th win across 14 competitions since the women’s brat-binging fixture began in 2011. 

Not one to miss out on the July 4th franken-fun, however, Joey Chestnut still managed to chow down an impressive 57 hot dogs at his own alternative event in Texas yesterday.