Joey Chestnut won his record 15th mustard belt Monday at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, though his victory was tarnished by an ugly incident that saw him forcibly remove a protestor by wrapping him in a headlock. While some applauded Chestnut’s heroism, others characterized his brand of vigilante justice as violent and unnecessary, feeling he overreacted to what amounted to a harmless stunt. Chestnut himself regrets how he handled the encounter, lamenting an “unfortunate” situation.
“As soon as I grabbed the guy, I realized he was a kid,” said Chestnut of his interaction with Scott Gilbertson, who was ultimately charged with criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and harassment. “It’s just unfortunate. I wish that it didn’t happen. It’s a bummer.”
Gilbertson, who was wearing a Dark Vader mask that hindered his peripheral vision, didn’t know it was Chestnut who grabbed him until footage of the incident went viral. “I can understand, I guess, why he may have overreacted,” Gilbertson told Josh Peter of USA Today. “But I think the extent to which he reacted was unnecessary.”
Gilbertson complained of a sore neck, but otherwise escaped without further injury. He and two other activists were protesting Nathan’s parent company, Smithfield Foods, for its alleged health risks, labor practices and unethical treatment of animals at its pig farm in Milford, Utah.
“It looks excessive,” said Chestnut, who estimates the interruption cost him at least three hot dogs. “I had been waiting a long time for the contest and I wish he had just stood by me and I never would have touched him. If he hadn’t elbowed me and got in front of me, it would not have been a problem.”
You can understand Chestnut’s fight or flight reaction to an intruder, particularly in today’s age of mass violence with fatal shootings perpetrated on a near daily basis. However, many felt Chestnut crossed a line with his outburst, including a concerned fan who direct messaged his fiancée, worried the 38-year-old displayed warning signs of abusive behavior. “I freaked out a little bit because he had the mask on,” admitted Chestnut, who, in addition to fending off a protestor, was also hobbled by a leg injury suffered weeks earlier. “I felt bad afterwards. I was just amped up, just focused on getting back to eating.”
Chestnut totaled 63 dogs and buns for the contest, his fewest at Coney Island since 2015.
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