Chestnut Defends Gyoza Title

Los Angeles, CA Joey Chestnut won the 2018 Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship with a dominant 359-gyoza haul. One imagines a feeling of vindication, perhaps even relief, overcame the Great One when the results were read. His previous three efforts at the MLE table did not yield a victory, an eternity between wins the world of Chestnut. Such is the burden of greatness. Perhaps even Einstein forgot to carry the zero every now and then.

This was vintage Chestnut. This was pure Chestnut. This was controlled power in eating form. The contest emcee would remark at the four-minute mark that Chestnut had long settled into a rhythm. He did not need to eat violently or recklessly or with abandon. When Chestnut is smooth, foods gets munched. It was like watching a gazelle but, like, a super-powered gazelle, remarked one onlooker named Shauna after the event. Which kind of nailed it.

Take nothing way from the other contestants. Esper's 2018 career year is not diminished by finishing second with 297; Darron Breeden's 232 for third suggests his rise continues. Others ate less. All MLE contestants cracked the 100-gyoza mark for the first time in history, a credit to everyone who competed.

We may not all win and many of of us never do. But it is the will to try that we can happily allow to define us. Indeed, our finest hour—the greatest fulfillment of what we each hold dear—is that moment when we work our hearts out in a good cause and lie exhausted in pursuit of our dreams.

All may sleep well tonight.

FULL RESULTS! 1 Joey Chestnut, 359 Day-Lee Foods Gyoza in 10 minutes 2 Geoffrey Esper, 297 3 Darron Breeden, 232 4 Matt Stonie, 222 5 Adrian Morgan, 205 6 Miki Sudo, 192 7 Juan Rodriguez, 175 8 Michelle Lesco, 168 9 Rich LeFevre, 167 10 Juan Neave, 155 11 Derek Jacobs, 153 12 Steve Hendry, 143 13 Erik Denmark and Pablo Martinez, 118 15 Eric Booker, 117 16 Jon Bello, 113 17 Sarah Reinecke, 110 18 AMP Radio's Mr Moote, 38 19 AMP Radio's Mr McCabe, 21