Joey Chestnut, the acclaimed king of competitive eating, held onto his throne with a win at the Siegel’s Bagelmania World Bagel Eating Championship, continuing his legacy of gustatory conquests. Under the beaming Las Vegas sun, Chestnut devoured 15 bagels slathered with cream cheese in a mere eight minutes, a performance echoing his victory from the previous year's event at the beloved Siegel’s Bagelmania establishment, adjacent to the infamous Strip, according to News3LV.
The bagel bonanza brought together 12 top-notch eaters, competing not only for a loaded $10,000 purse but also the coveted championship belt, spectators gathered from all over to bear witness, snagging a free T-shirt and seeking autographs from their favorite food fighters, and amongst those vying for the top spot was Nick Wehry who, in a statement obtained by The Blast, expressed his determination to snatch first place after landing second and fourth in previous bouts, acknowledging the challenge of mimicking Siegel's bagel outside of Vegas.
While Chestnut managed to match his previous year's count, Patrick Bertoletti wasn't far behind with a commendable 14 1/2 bagels, followed closely by Geoffrey Esper, who munched his way through 13 1/8 bagels, according to The Blast. Major League Eating's emcee Sam Barclay hyped up the event promising a "jaw-dropping showdown" in the city known for making legends—a statement that set the stage for Chestnut's cream cheese-clad victory.
Before the eaters duked it out with doughy rounds, Chestnut, in a moment of reflection shared with The Blast, revealed his strategic switch-up, ditching last year's two-handed frenzy for a new approach involving a static water hand and a singular bagel-bearing hand and in a testament to his methodical munching Chestnut indeed kept his title, leaving behind other notable contestants like Gideon Oji and George Chiger.
This carb-filled clash wasn't just about swift consumption for the sport's elite, among them was Australian contender James Webb, who divulged to The Blast that the event marked his second foray into the frenzied world of competitive bagel eating, an endeavor that started as a mere jest and led him to the forefront of America's most voracious eaters—where Webb now enjoys the thrill of competing alongside the 'big boys'.
