James Webb has a chance to win Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest
The competitive eating world has been rocked by Joey Chestnut’s disqualification from the Nathan’s Fourth of July Hot Dog Contest. It leaves the door open for this bloke to become an Australian hero.
American champion competitive eater Joey Chestnut, the 16-time winner of the annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest, is out of this year’s event after he controversially struck a sponsorship deal with a rival frankfurt brand.
And not just any brand, but a brand that produces vegan-friendly franks “made from plants”.
Major League Eating, which runs the contest as well as several others as part of a dedicated tour, said in a statement on June 11: “We are devastated to learn that Joey Chestnut has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs rather than competing in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.
“For nearly two decades we have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provisions. However, it seems that Joey and his managers have prioritised a new partnership with a different brand over our long-time relationship.
“Joey Chestnut is an American hero. We would love nothing more than to have him at the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. We hope he returns when he is not representing a rival brand.”
Chestnut has been on a seven-year winning streak, taking out every Fourth of July contest since 2016. His absence from next month’s event means a new winner has a chance to make history.
Could it be the #5 ranked competitive eater in the world, Australian James Webb? After all, he placed third in last year’s competition.
ROSS BILTON spoke with Webb only last week to rate his chances of victory on July 4 and to discover the secrets to his success.
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You’ve set six world records in the past year. Which ones are you most proud of?Eating 59.5 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donuts in eight minutes; 224 chicken wings in 10 minutes; and 13.5lb [6.1kg] of chocolate fudge in eight minutes. They were all set at contests in the US, where I spend most of my time now, with short trips back home to Australia.
It’s a huge scene over there, right? It’s massive. They treat it like a sport – there are big sponsors, and media at every event. I recently signed a contract with Major League Eating, a pro league, and I’m ranked #1 in Australia and #5 in the world. It has a huge following in the US. At Nathan’s 4th of July Hot Dog Contest at Coney Island in New York – which is like the Super Bowl of competitive eating – we had 40,000 people in the crowd last year, and a global TV broadcast.
How do you feel after a contest? Mentally, I’m exhausted from the adrenalin; physically, I’m bloated as hell, sweating profusely, and feeling a bit unwell. In a typical donut contest,say, I’ll take in about 6,500 calories in eight minutes – so afterwards my body is like, What the hell just happened? I usually have a cold shower then lie down and sleep it off.
You grew up Sydney’s Castle Hill, and played semi-professional soccer in your youth before taking on corporate jobs in the gambling and gym industries. How did you discover your talent for eating big? Three years ago my wife Kate and I were heading to the Hunter Valley for a wine tour, and we stopped for lunch at the Khartoum Hotel in Cessnock where they had a challenge to eat a 5kg burger in under half an hour. Nobody had managed it before, but I did it in 23 minutes – then had cheesecake for dessert. I just did it for a laugh, but it blew up in the media ... I got invited to a few competitive eating events and just smashed it. I now have 1.7 million followers on TikTok, and 92,000 on YouTube – and a big part of my income is promoting restaurants and brands on social media.
You’re 186cm tall and 97kg. How do you stay fit, and train for an event? I’m a bodybuilding nerd – I’m in the gym every day lifting weights. I also work on breathing techniques and practise my “bite and push”, which is a standard technique in competitive eating: you take a bite of food, compress it with your back teeth then use the next bite to push it down your throat. You’re trying to minimise chewing – the more you chew, the more time you waste.
Do you ever have to eat unpleasant things? Yeah, there’s this processed sandwich meat in America called baloney, which is like, ewww, one of the worst things I’ve ever tasted. I ate 12.5lb [5.7kg] of it at a contest in Knoxville in May though.
Can you explain what a “stretch meal” is? Three days before a contest I’ll go to a buffet and eat until I’m about to burst. The idea is to expand your stomach with as much food and fluid as it can take, so you’ll be able to fit more in on contest day. I’ll have another stretch meal the following day – and then do a complete fast until the contest.
At last year’s Nathan’s 4th of July Hot Dog Contest you ate 47 hot dogs and came third. This year, are you hoping to knock 16-time champion Joey Chestnut off his perch? Joey Chestnut is an absolute beast; there’s no explanation for what he can do. My goal this year is just to get in the 50 Club. Only eight people have ever eaten 50 hot dogs at Nathan’s. I want to have my name in the history books.
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