How fast can you eat 72 hot dogs and buns? Not as fast as "Jaws" from the South Bay, we'll bet.
Hailing from San Jose, 33-year-old Joey "Jaws" Chestnut held onto his title and "Mustard Belt" as the world's hot dog eating champion, beating his own record by downing 72 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, as reports the Associated Press.
As SFist has noted over the years, both Chestnut and perennial second-place contestant Matt Stonie are from the South Bay.
The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest has taken place every 4th of July in Coney Island, New York since 1972, although Nathan's claims their contest actually began in 1916. This year, five activists from Berkeley-based animal advocacy organization Direct Action Everywhere were arrested and ultimately released for trying to disrupt the hotdog proceedings. And outside the event, a group from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) passed out vegan hot dogs as punishment, perhaps.
The contest continued despite the protests. Stop everything and watch this:
Contestants appear to be dipping their dogs in liquid, which, according to this Business Insider article, is apparently done to break down the starch. This is a sport, folks. A professional sport.
"There's no secret, I love to eat, and I love doing it, I love to win, so I had to figure out my body and push it to the limit," said a "sweating" Chestnut after the competition.
It's kinda weird seeing your own face while shopping for chicken breasts.. 4th of july is 11 days away!!! pic.twitter.com/FSoqOTekzq
— Joey Chestnut (@joeyjaws) June 23, 2017
Hog dog eating is apparently gender specific, so the contest is broken down into a men's contest and a woman's contest. Las Vegas' Miki Sudo, 33, won her fourth contest in a row by downing 41 hot dogs and buns.
According to his Wikipedia page, other eating records Chestnut holds include Indianapolis' St. Elmo Steak House Shrimp Cocktail Eating Championship, the Deep Fried Asparagus Eating Championship in Stockton, swallowing 78 matzoh balls in 8 minutes at Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen Restaurant in Houston, and downing 55 4oz mutton sandwiches in 10 minutes at 2017 International Bar-B-Q Festival in Owensboro, Kentucky. This is his full-time job.
Related: Video: Man Attempts To Break Peep-Eating Record, For Easter