Hand up. I was wrong. It takes a big person to admit that in this day and age. Accountability isn’t exactly my generation’s strongest trait, but I actually welcome being wrong over being right. Anyone can be right. I learn more from being wrong. It takes a strong-minded individual to sit here and tell you he beefed. Have I mentioned I was wrong? I thought there was no chance Joey Chestnut and Nathan’s weren’t going to come to an agreement in time for America’s greatest July 4th competition. Turns out I was wrong. Joey Chestnut will be competing against soldiers at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas:

Despicable. First Dollar Dog and now Joey Chestnut. The Phillies set a terrible precedent. Just an all out bad year for the hot dog.

How did they let it get to this? I thought for sure this was a marketing ploy the entire time from Chestnut and Impossible Foods. I thought for sure IF knew that Nathan’s would get upset Chestnut was promoting a fake meat brand, sell some fake dogs, and we’d have a laugh. Then at the 11th hour they’d find common ground and Chestnut would make a hero’s return to Coney Island. Especially because Nathan’s sold IF burgers at their locations in the past. Good promotion for everyone. Turns out I was wrong.

Even with Major League Eating conceding the sponsorship issue it looks like the damage is already done. Just a year after Chestnut stopped lightning in it’s tracks we’re now left with what will become the lowest-rated hot dog competition maybe of all time:

And now a bunch of troops who put their bodies on the line day in and day out are going to be served fake meat on our nation’s birthday. What the hell has happened to our once great country?


Here’s the competition if you want to watch on Thursday: