Chestnut Defends Slugburger Title

Let's get the facts out of the way: Joey Chestnut, fresh off his crushing 2016 Nathan's Famous hot dog win and the #1-ranked eater in the world once more, ate 41 slugburgers to defend his World Slugburger-Eating title. He did so, as is custom, at The World Slugburger Eating Championship Presented by Main Street Corinth. Corinth, Mississippi is the spiritual home of slugburger eating; indeed, eating slugburgers competitively anywhere else would be a sacrilege. Like holding a deep dish pizza contest in Brooklyn. Or a pastrami sandwich contest in Chicago. It just wouldn't work.

This year's contest marked the fifth anniversary of the event and Chestnut celebrated the occasion by putting on a clinic of straight-up, old-school, bare-knuckle, happy-stomach power eating. He lead early and never looked back. Geoffrey Esper made his slugburger debut and finished second with 32. Josh Miller continued his quietly effective 2016 with 17.5 for third. Others ate less but they should not feel less for their efforts. All are winners in Corinth, Mississippi. It is a small, beautiful part of this great nation. Major League Eating would like to formally extend our thanks to Mayor Tommy Irwin and his team, Main Street Corinth for their tireless advocacy for downtown redevelopment and Visit Corinth for spreading the good word about the city and its many virtues.

We learn many things through MLE competition. How best to eat a hot dog. How to utilize beverage selection for a specific food. How to improve with every outing at the table. We also learn that this world gives a lot if we give a little of ourselves. Nowhere else is that more true than Corinth, MS. Her citizens are a credit to this republic at its best.

We will see you next year in the haze of a north-eastern Mississippi July. It's a good sweat, one to be enjoyed with a cold drink and warm friends.

FULL RESULTS! 1 Joey Chestnut 41 slugburgers in 10 minutes 2 Geoffrey Esper 32 3 Josh Miller 17.5 4 Matt Cohen 16.5 5 Nate Biller 14 6 Mr WB Myers 10.5 7 Matthew Raible 10 8 Brian Jackson 6.5 9 Jeff Stark 6 10 Hope Bain 5.25 11 Ms Taylor Coombs, who frankly should have done better 3.75