Heated competition has put this friendship on ice.
The top dogs in the Nathan’s Hot-Dog–Eating Contest used to be pals, but their relationship has turned sauerkraut since an upset at last year’s cram-a-thon, they said. Joey “Jaws Chesnut is looking to claw back his title from former buddy Matt “Megatoad” Stonie. They used to hang out when they’re not at work, but that’s changed since Stonie stole the title last year.
“It’s strained,” Stonie said during the official weigh-in at Borough Hall on July 1. “As I started getting better, we became better friends, but we also became bigger enemies.”
The champion feels the metaphorical Sword of Damocles over his head and thinks Chesnut is sawing away at the rope, Chesnut said.
“He doesn’t trust me I don’t think,” he said. “He always thinks that I’m trying to play head games.”
Stonie won the title last year, downing 62 dogs to Chesnut’s 60 — but Chesnut shattered all previous records at a June 25 qualifier, gorging on 73.5 franks in 10 minutes. That news did not concern Stonie too much, because conditions are more favorable in preliminary heats, he said.
“I took it with a grain of salt,” Stonie said. “At a qualifier there’s a lot less people on stage, so the hot dogs are fresher. That helps a ton. If the buns stay out a too long the buns get stale. At the Fourth of July, they do their best, but the buns are a little tough by the time you start eating.”
Chesnut contends he’ll down 73.5 and more during Monday’s contest.
Even if the relationship is strained, having Stonie for a nemesis beats vying with banned prima donna Takeru Kobayashi, Chesnut said.
“He’s much easier to like than Kobayashi — even if [Kobayashi] lost, he’d find a reason to say he was better than everybody else.”
