Every 4th of July, America gets the same reminder: Joey Chestnut is not like the rest of us. The man walked onto the Coney Island stage again and walked off with title number 18, and the Barstool timeline responded exactly how you'd expect — total reverence bordering on religious.
The scoreboard graphic told the story: Chestnut with 66 hot dogs, well clear of the field, for his 18th career title.
Pat Bertoletti put up 52 dogs and James Webb landed at 48, both miles behind the winner — a reminder that competing against Chestnut isn't really competing, it's just showing up to lose gracefully. Eddie Barstool, who's clearly gotten close with the champ over the years, gave a nod to Bertoletti's showing too, comparing him to guys like Ewing, Barkley and Malone — all-time greats who just happened to play in the wrong era to get a ring.
Big Cat has his own history with this event, having actually competed in it himself, which made his running commentary hit different. He marveled at Chestnut's dogs-per-minute pace given the heat, and dropped the line of the day calling him the greatest living American.
A throwback graphic resurfaced Big Cat's own Nathan's contest appearance, jersey and all, as fans joked he once ran with the big dogs.
That one's a joke at Big Cat's expense more than anything — the man got a novelty exemption to eat hot dogs on a stage, not a pro contract. But it's part of why Barstool treats this day like a holiday within the holiday. Tommy Smokes even argued the contest's announcers might be the most talented broadcast booth in sports, which, watching the absurdity unfold on ESPN every year, is not the worst take.
By the time the sun went down, the day had turned into the usual mess of beers, mangled buns, and Big Cat chronicling his own personal eating contest against nobody but himself.
Chestnut, meanwhile, is out here doing this every year like it's nothing, then reportedly going out and drinking like the contest was just a warmup. Eighteen titles in, the guy isn't just the best to ever do it — he's turned into the one American tradition nobody's bothering to challenge anymore.