Joey Chestnut wins again, but somehow 66 hot dogs feels like a “down year.”

Joey Chestnut won the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest again on the Fourth of July, eating 66 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. That is his 18th Mustard Belt. Eighteenth. Most people don’t own 18 belts. Joey Chestnut has 18 belts specifically because of what he can do to a tray of meat in public. The strange part is, 66 hot dogs was actually kind of a disappointing number for him. His record is 76, set back in 2021, and apparently the heat and humidity in Coney Island messed with him. ESPN announcers even said the humidity changed the consistency of the buns, which is a sentence that sounds like it came from a very serious bakery crime scene. Chestnut still won easily. Patrick Bertoletti finished second with 50 hot dogs, which is insane until you remember the guy next to him ate 66 and somehow left people asking, “Is Joey losing a step?”