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New York Post

Reigning Coney Island hot dog champ wants Joey Chestnut back even if it means losing title

This news is hard to swallow. Reigning Nathan's hot dog-eating champ Patrick Bertoletti fears he may no longer be the top dog amid rumors that notorious eater Joey Chestnut might be back for the annual Coney Island contest. 'Joey is the best hot dog eater ever, so to say I have a chance to win — I guess you can say it, but I don't know. It's difficult to beat him. He's the best for a reason,' Chicago's pride Bertoletti told The Post Wednesday. Advertisement 3 Patrick Bertoletti won the Mustard Belt after wolfing down 58 franks at last year's Nathan's Fourth of July Hot Dog eating contest. Paul Martinka Bertoletti took home the 2024 Mustard Belt at last year's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest — which Chestnut was dramatically barred from over a contract dispute related to a sponsorship deal with another hot dog brand. Had the the 16-time Nathan's champ been there, he would have been a hard nut to crack for Bertoletti, who won by wolfing down 58 dogs — which is nearly 20 less than Chestnut's Nathan's personal best of 76 franks. Advertisement Chestnut also hadn't eaten less than 60 at the Coney Island contest since 2011 — and just two months after missing last year's Nathan's contest, Chestnut won another event with a record-breaking 83 franks. It was revealed Tuesday that Chestnut and Major League Eating were actively negotiating to have him return to the annual Coney Island event, though nothing was yet confirmed. Bertoletti also shot down any suggestions that the contested back-and-forth could have been a PR stunt, saying: 'I don't think anyone was that good to do that. I mean, if he does come back, it's probably make the contest bigger than ever. But I don't think that at all.' While hard to digest, the news isn't the wurst, Bertoletti emphasized — calling Chestnut his dining buddy for more than two decades. Advertisement 3 Joey Chestnut celebrates after eating 57 hotdogs in five minutes at the Pop Goes the Fort eating contest on Fort Bliss, Texas on July 4, 2024. Justin Hamel for the NY Post 'It didn't feel right without him there. I know if he wasn't there I'd have a better shot to win, but I'd rather he'd be there than anything else,' Bertoletti said, revealing he was fresh off a video chat with his hungry rival. That doesn't mean he's not going to give Chestnut a run for his money, he warned: 'I'm a realist. But what I'm saying is, out of anyone else who has a chance to beat him?' Bertoletti admitted he was looking forward to having the heat off him if Chestnut returns, noting that he liked 'flying under the radar' throughout the last few years of competition. Advertisement 'Being a returning champ, everyone is looking at me, which is weird because I'm not used to that,' Bertoletti said. Bertoletti has been conducting miniature hot dog 'practices' several times a week — and even posted some videos of him curling packs of Nathan's dogs in preparation for the big contest. 'It's just it's not pretty. It's not interesting either. Just a lot of hot dogs,' he said of his training, adding that it's easy because he never gets tired of eating the franks. 3 Bertoletti hopes to beat his record of 58 franks, with a new goal of gobbling up at least 60. Paul Martinka While he would relish in first place, the current title holder has his eyes on setting a new personal dog record and hopes to eat at least 60 — a far cry from the world record-breaking 83 franks Chestnut gobbled up last September. After being banned from the Coney Island contest, Chestnut competed instead at the Pop Goes the Fort eating contest on Fort Bliss, where he scarfed down 57 dogs in just five minutes. Advertisement And more importantly, Bertoletti is looking forward to having fun. 'I would have never expected the reigning hot dog champion. This past year has been awesome and I'm just trying to enjoy it. I don't take myself too seriously,' he added.