Joey Chestnut's ban from hot dog eating contest opens door for Geoffrey Esper of Massachusetts
OXFORD - With Joey Chestnut banned from the 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, last year's runner-up Geoffrey Esper, of Oxford, has his sights set on the top prize.
"Winning first place would be a goal of mine now," Esper told WBZ-TV. "It was never really a goal of mine because Joey was always there."
Chestnut, a 16-time champ who once ate a record 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes, was banned this year because of his partnership with rival brand Impossible Foods, which sells plant-based hot dogs.
Hot dog eating contest "going to be a battle"
Esper said that even with Chestnut out, "there's some good eaters" in this year's competition and he said it could come down to "half a hot dog" for the title.
"Everybody's fighting for that first-place position now," he said. "It's going to be tough, it's going to be a battle."
Last year, Esper gobbled up 49 hot dogs in the thunderstorm-delayed event. He expects to do better this year.
"I should definitely be able to do over 50," he said. "They would have to be really bad hot dogs, really dried out and really leathery and I'd have to have a bad day to get below that."
Esper doesn't just compete in hot dog eating contests. He has set world records in a number of competitive eating categories, including chicken wings, corn dogs, pizza, strawberry shortcake and SPAM.
How to train for a hot dog eating contest
Though it's a golden opportunity to take home the Mustard Yellow Belt, Esper said he has prepared for this event just like any other.
"I just cook up a bunch of hot dogs and set a timer for 10 minutes and just go at it," he said.
The days leading up to the contest are all about stretching out, staying loose and trying to "stay empty for the 4th," he said.
"Those little muscles in your throat and stuff like that they don't heal up that quick," Esper said. "They get tired very easily, they're not meant to pump 10, 12, 13 pounds of food down your throat in 10 minutes."
While the goal is to win, the 49-year-old is keeping things in perspective.
"To me, it's just another contest. I know it's the biggest contest and it gets all the publicity, but really it's just another contest to me," Esper said. "Two weeks after Nathan's, I got another one."
