It’s almost the Fourth of July, which means one thing: hot dogs, hot dogs and more hot dogs.
The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest takes place Tuesday, and there’s no bigger star of the spectacle than Joey Chestnut.
Chestnut, who has consumed as many as 76 franks in 10 minutes last year, is a hot dog-eating legend. But his exploits do take a real toll on his body.
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The Sporting News looks at what happens to Chestnut after he eats an exorbitant amount of hot dogs:
What happens to Joey Chestnut after the Hot Dog Eating Contest?
First, the sweats
Ah, the meat sweats. Even Joey Chestnut gets them.
When the last hot dog is downed, Chestnut immediately starts “sweating like a madman,” he told Insider.
That sweat apparently smells like hot dogs, per Chestnut. How lovely.
“People have told me they can smell the hot dogs,” Chestnut said. “I really can’t, but the sweat afterward, it feels sticky and greasy. My girlfriend says it smells different.”
Then, duty calls
It doesn’t take Chestnut long to expel his Fourth of July feast.
“It’s natural,” Chestnut said. “If you eat a lot of food, you’re going to go to the bathroom.”
Chestnut says it takes him two days “to really start to feel normal again.”
“It’s hard on the body, there’s no way around it,” he said.
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But Chestnut wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a process he likens to catching a runner’s high.
Still, Chestnut loves ‘a good hot dog’
And, like a runner constantly searching for that next run, Chestnut is always down to try a frank.
“I love a good hot dog,” he said.
On hot dogs, Chestnut is something of an expert. But his condiment preferences leave a lot to be desired.
“Some people are so snobby and I’m like, ‘Dude, Cheez Whiz is delicious,'” he said. “Cheez Whiz and grilled onions — it’s kind of like a Philly cheesesteak. Oh, my God, it’s great.”
Chestnut has also experimented with kimchi and cream cheese on his weenies.
It’s safe to say that Chestnut, despite reportedly eating some 19,200 hot dogs in his life (and counting), still has a passion for the event.
“I love the competition, and it’s still exciting,” he said. “Even if I end up getting beat, it would be really hard to walk away.”