Joey Chestnut Apparently Took “Competitive Eating” a Little Too Far 🌭🍺

Joey Chestnut is usually known for destroying hot dogs, not bar arguments… but this time the damage apparently involved somebody’s face instead of a plate of buns.

The 17-time Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest champion has been sentenced to 180 days of probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanour battery charge connected to a bar incident in Indiana earlier this year.

According to reports, Chestnut was accused of drunkenly slapping a man after the two exchanged handshakes at a bar in March. Which honestly sounds like the world’s most aggressively awkward networking event.

Police said Chestnut admitted he was “pretty drunk” and didn’t fully remember what happened. After watching surveillance footage, he allegedly figured he “must have taken offence” to something the guy said.

Somewhere in America, a bartender definitely muttered: “Great… Joey Chestnut just turned Happy Hour into WWE.”

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Despite the incident, Chestnut was still granted permission to travel outside Indiana to compete in this year’s Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4 in Coney Island.

Because apparently probation can’t stop destiny.

Chestnut has won the famous competition 17 times since 2007 and returned last year after missing the 2024 contest because of sponsorship drama involving plant-based food company Impossible Foods.

He then celebrated his comeback by inhaling 70 and a half hot dogs in 10 minutes like a man trying to defeat capitalism itself.

At this point, Joey Chestnut feels less like an athlete and more like a strange American holiday tradition. 🌭🇺🇸