The Fourth of July and hot dogs go together like mustard and onions on a delicious dog, so it’s only natural that I enjoyed some delicious hot dogs over the weekend. Specificially, I ate two Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, the best commercial hot dogs on the planet. Meanwhile, on Coney Island, Joey “Jaws” Chestnutt, Tim “Eater X” Janus, and the rest of the guys at the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest were chowing down on dozens, with Chestnutt winning this year’s Coney Island contest with 54 dogs. Eater X took second with 45 and Patrick “Deep Dish” Bertoletti took third with 37 hot dogs with buns. However, the big story from the event is the strange case of Takeru Kobayashi.
Kobayashi is a fellow competitive eater from Japan who, in years past, has dominated the contest until the rise of Chestnutt. Last year, the two battled heroically, with Chestnutt barely topping Kobayashi in an epic match of wills and digestion. This year, though, Kobayashi was arrested after he tried to storm the stage and jump into the contest, despite having not been able to agree on a contract with the event’s primary organizer, Major League Eating.
“There’s a contract dispute, so they weren’t giving him his freedom,” said Maggie James, Kobayashi’s translator. Kobayashi wanted to retain his freedom to eat in other events not sponsored by the MLE. Kobayashi was booked on charges of charged with resisting arrest, trespass and obstructing governmental administration.
Image: New York Daily News
Tags: Takeru Kobayashi, Joey Chestnutt, Joey “Jaws” Chestnutt, Tim “Eater X” Janus, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, hot dog eating contest, Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, Coney Island, New York, Maggie James, Free Kobi