It is a tradition like no other... The Nathan's Hotdogs 4th of July hotdog eating contest. The best of the best in Major League Eating attend to duke it out and shovel down as many hotdogs as they can. Joey Chestnut is the current #1 ranked eater and his resume is impressive. He has won the event 15 times now. As impressive as his record is however, none of his wins will be as impressive as 2022 while in the middle of the contest, a protestor ran onto the stage right in front of the eating champ itself... What happened next? Not just hotdogs got choked down.
The protestor was wearing a Darth Vader mask with a sign that read, "Expose Smithfield's Deathstar," an apparent reference to protesting against the treatment of factory farm animals.
Chestnut was well off his best Monday despite handily winning the Mustard Belt for the seventh time in a row by devouring 63 frankfurters. He told USA TODAY Sports prior he was "going for 80," in an attempt to eclipse his 2021 record of 76, but none the less continues to reign supreme in the world of hot dog eating with his 15th July 4th title.