Joey Chestnut still training for eating competitions, would do crowd-free event if July 4 contest is canceled
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Joey Chestnut isn’t about to disappoint his fans by not eating an unseemly amount of hot dogs on July 4 — even if the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is canceled.
Chestnut, the reigning and 12-time champion of the competition, has confirmed he’s still willing to display his impressive gastrointestinal talents if the contest is ultimately called off due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}THE ONE BRAND OF HOT DOGS JOEY CHESTNUT WON'T EAT
“There’s so many things being canceled, I wouldn’t be surprised if the contest was canceled,” Chestnut told TMZ Sports earlier this week, explaining that Major League Eating — which oversees the annual event — has yet to make a formal decision.
“If everybody gets the OK to go out, I’m sure there’s going to be something going on.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Joey Chestnut, seen here at the 2019 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Conest, said he'd be open to an alternate event, without viewers, should the 2020 contest be canceled. (Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images)
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In the event that it’s not, however, Chestnut told TMZ Sports he’d still be willing to compete in an event consisting only of competitors and no fans, much like how the WWE or UFC are operating.
“Oh, absolutely,” Chestnut said. “It would suck not to do it in front of a huge crowd, but there would still be people watching, and I’d still be able to make people happy, I guess. And I’d push myself to a ridiculous limit.”
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He’ll be in top form, in any case. Chestnut also explained that he still partakes in a weekly “cheat day” so his stomach doesn’t lose its ability to continue “taking in a massive amount of food and digesting it.”
He’s not practicing with hot dogs, though. Chestnut said he tries to eat healthy in the off-season by eating vegetables (he recently trained by eating eight pounds of cucumbers, for instance) so he doesn’t become “400 pounds.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“If I do a massive amount of food with hot dogs or hamburgers or pizza every time, then I’m gonna be 400 pounds,” he said.
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The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place annually on July 4 in Coney Island, N.Y. A representative for Major League Eating did not yet have an announcement concerning this year’s festivities.