'You're Always the Champ': Bertoletti Dishes on Historic Nathan's Win and Life After the Mustard Belt

It wasn't long ago that Patrick Bertoletti thought the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest had passed him by.

In 2009, he set a personal best of 55 hot dogs and buns but still placed third behind 16-time champion (and longtime friend) Joey Chestnut and six-time winner Takeru Kobayashi - the two best competitive eaters the sport has ever seen.

Bertoletti finished second or third in each of the next three years before taking a decade off from the competition. He returned two years ago and finished fifth with 33.5 hot dogs and buns, his worst showing ever in the event. He didn't participate last year, and as this year's contest drew closer, he was starting to wonder if his chance to make history was behind him.

"I really didn't think it was possible to get back to where I was ..." Bertoletti told Sportsbook Review in an exclusive interview on Wednesday. "I had been away for so long, I didn't think it was possible."

Even coming into last week's July 4 spectacle at Coney Island, our best sports betting sites were dealing the 39-year-old hot dog veteran as a +800 long shot to win by the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest odds.

It all made it that much sweeter (or more savory?) when Bertoletti devoured 58 hot dogs and buns - something only two others have ever done in this contest - to become the first men's champion besides Chestnut since 2015.

Our C Jackson Cowart caught up with Bertoletti to discuss his journey to the pinnacle of competitive eating, his friendship with Chestnut, the cheating scandal rocking the sport, some of the grossest things he's eaten, and more. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q&A with Patrick Bertoletti, 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Champion

So you are officially a Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champion. Has that fully sunk in for you yet?

It hasn't fully sunk in, and I'm still riding pretty high. I don't believe it. I mean, I know I did it, but not fully yet.

Right after when they handed me the Mustard Belt, it was a little overwhelming. This wasn't something I ever dreamed that I would do. This year, it was a goal when I realized Joey wasn't going to be there. I just kind of put my head down and went for it. I never thought this was possible.

You didn't compete in this contest last year, and the year before was your first since 2012. What was it like ramping back up after so long? Was it hard to get your body back to where you wanted and needed it to be?

It was funny because all my co-workers were like, "Man, you did so well after coming back." And I'm like, "Man, I sucked. I got fifth place." I was actually really disappointed because I wasn't used to being a "table-ender," as they say, and the total was not there. I really, at that point, wasn't sure that I could get back to the level that I was in years past and I was really frustrated. It took a really long time. I started initial training in November for this contest, and I really didn't think it was possible to get back to where I was.

I found that my eating speed was not the same as before, but I've learned through Joey that his style has adapted and evolved throughout. He's not quite as fast now, but he's able to maximize his pace every minute and stay consistent. I guess that's what I did (last week), but I had been away for so long, I didn't think it was possible. So that's the best feeling of all. Winning is good, but coming back and putting up a great number for me and breaking a personal best - that's the biggest win of this whole thing.

How do you train for something like this, particularly when you're coming back from such a long layoff? What did that process look like to get back from being a table-ender to winning the whole thing?

The general training is doing hot dog practices a couple times a week, drinking lots of fluids, and that's about it. It's just getting your stomach used to the volume. Your stomach is a giant muscle. I don't even really liken it to eating. We are eating the food, but the way it's going down is not a natural form of that and it's a whole different animal what we're doing up there.

When you say "hot dog practices," obviously you're not just sitting down for a nice hot dog dinner. What is that muscle training like?

First off, with hot dogs, it's such a unique food and it is truly American. It's very difficult because it's not just a single food - it's hot dogs and buns, and they're conflicting and contrasting textures and food types.

The hot dogs themselves are easy to eat; the buns are more challenging because of the texture, and then you dunk them in the water so they naturally absorb liquid. So you're taking on ... 58 hot dogs and buns is like 12 or 13 pounds. And that's just the food. You're taking on another 8-12 pounds of liquid on top of that. It's such a unique challenge.

As far as the general training, it's not just the stomach, it's everything that's involved. So it's your jaw, it's your throat's swallowing capability and strength, and those all have to work together. You might be able to hold all the food in for like an hour, but you need the mental fortitude and desire - or mental instability - to push yourself to just keep going. You know you can fit all this food in there, but you have to play a little mental and physical Jenga trying to fit it in there. And then you just have to push yourself to be able to do it. And that's not always that easy.

In the days before the contest, you were dealing at +800 odds to win it. Are you aware of stuff like that before you're competing, and did anybody let you know before or after that they had bet on you?

Yeah, I was following it because I was curious. I think a few months out I was +2000 to win, so I was like, "Alright, those are pretty good odds." They're usually pretty savvy, though. I don't know who's doing the odds but my personal best was 55, so I don't why they didn't look back at that. So in that sense, they weren't on point.

I have found in years past with Joey, they're usually right on with the Over/Under. So I think I just flew under the radar, and that's kind of how I've always done things. A lot of people told me afterwards that they won a lot of money on me and I'm happy, you know? I'm sure that'll never happen again with me with the odds, so they really snuck one in.

To your point, I thought you stood out as a long shot for those exact reasons: your personal best was 55, which was higher than anybody else on stage, and you did 48.25 in the Cleveland qualifier.

I like it when people overlook me because I like to surprise people. I'm an introvert, I'm not going to talk a big game. I had good practices but I wasn't telling anyone. All I can do is control me.

I really wanted to tell everyone how I did 60 in practice, but if I didn't do that on the Fourth (of July), then I look like a complete idiot. That was a little bit hard to keep it a secret. And of course I'm conscious of all the other stuff, it definitely fuels me a little bit to be overlooked and not be taken seriously. That's kind of how I always like it.

So you did 60 in practice? Is that the best you've ever done in one session?

Yeah, that was it. It wasn't until like a week out, I was stuck right around 52-53, and I just didn't know, man. I was getting a little worried. I took some days off. It turned out I was overtraining so all my muscles were tired. And then I came back after a 4-5 day break and then I'm like, "Alright, this was good." And that was the last practice.

I was making up excuses, I was talking to Joey and I'm like, "I think these hot dogs are easy," because they were Nathan's hot dogs but I got them from the grocery store. I was doing everything I could not to believe it. For something that seems so difficult and impossible, for it to finally be working and paying off, I just refused to believe it. And I think that was the right attitude because I went in with an anxiety-driven energy and urgency where I'm like, "I can't let up at all."

And you certainly did not. You even broke your own personal best from 15 years earlier.

It was such a long time ago, and I had even talked with Joey before the contest. He brought that up, and I'm like "Dude, that's not going to happen again." Because I remember that date very well, the hot dogs were cooked perfectly and it was something where I just ... I was in the zone so hard that day that I just didn't think getting close to that was a possibility.

What led to your decision to walk away from the Nathan's contest after 2012, and did you think you'd ever compete in it again?

It was a few factors. I was getting a little tired of eating in the sense where, Joey was kicking my butt and then Matt Stonie (2015 champion) was coming along and I could see the writing on the wall. I was kind of maxed out, and I was thinking, "Man, I don't want to start losing to this new guy, he's really good." (laughs)

I didn't think I would ever ... I never said I wouldn't come back, because I purposely didn't want to burn a bridge with Major League Eating because they are good people, and you never burn a bridge because you never know. I didn't even think I'd come back two years ago, but I think I was just bored and I wanted a free trip to New York.

You still kept yourself busy in that time. Obviously you got quite a bit of attention for your time on America's Got Talent, when you downed a world record 120 raw eggs at once in 2015. What was that whole experience like and what were the reactions to that after?

(laughs) That's another reason why I would never fully retire, I would say, because I'll always have an excuse to be not in shape - people expect me to be a lot heavier - and then you never know what opportunities might come around.

It didn't really matter to me either way, and that's a good attitude to have because you look comfortable when you don't care. I knew it was a fun thing and I was going to be opening up my restaurant soon, so that was the last trip I was going to be able to take for a while. So I did it.

And it was gross! But it got the right response. It's like a train wreck, you don't want to look away. That got me a lot of attention, and I've done the eggs all over the world now so it definitely opened up doors for me.

Have you had any doors open up since winning the Nathan's contest or, if not, what do you expect this to do for you moving forward?

The outpouring of support from everyone was great and overwhelming but in the best way. It's just one of those things where, you win the Super Bowl, you're always the champ, you know? Like in Chicago, we're still resting on the '85 Bears and that was the year I was born, so that was 39 years ago. So it's something that will always be with me.

I'm not sure what this year will hold but I'm open to all the opportunity. I'm just excited. I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but it's something I can certainly capitalize on and I'm definitely not going to be so laid back about eating anymore. There's some events coming up so I'll try to keep busy.

Have you already talked to Joey about going at it next year or sometime thereafter if he gets everything sorted out with Major League Eating?

We haven't talked about that yet. It's good for the sport that he wasn't there this year because it was more exciting, but to be the best you've got to beat the best, and Joey's the best. So as good as it feels to win, I mean, he wasn't there.

And, man, the level of hate online that I'm getting for winning, I'm like, "Dude, it wasn't my choice (for him not to compete)." But I totally get the criticisms on both sides. It's like alright, it wasn't my decision, but you're right, he is the best. Even if he comes back next year and kicks my butt, it'd give me more motivation.

Getting second to him before was always good, but this is kind of always what I thought was possible with me getting better at hot dogs and actually giving him a run, so that part would be great. We've been friends for like 18 years and he's almost like a bigger brother to me so like, that just feels great.

Speaking of social media discourse, I'm sure you've seen the New York Post story circulating around that accuses Nick Wehry of grabbing a competitor's empty plate (which represents five hot dogs) and adding it to his pile and then calling for a recount. Did you notice anything strange? And generally speaking, what is the culture around cheating and ethics in the competitive eating world?

It doesn't happen very often. People can purposely eat messy. There's a difference between eating messy and doing it on purpose to inflate your total, so that's one way. Cheating really is not acceptable in our sport and if you notice it, people get called out for it. So it really doesn't happen very often.

I didn't notice anything (last week), I was a little too dialed in. I'm not going to take a stand either way, but it's not a good look for anyone. The story just makes me sad, to be honest.

Aside from that, what were some of the craziest reactions that you've seen over the last week?

I usually don't do a lot of social media - though I do now - but they really know how to take you down a notch. And I applaud it because I think it's hilarious. I think my favorite thing is just to pretend like I don't know who Joey Chestnut is. If you look up my Instagram from last week, that's probably my favorite post ever.

Do you have any parting thoughts on what this whole experience has been like for you?

This entire experience has been great. I think my life will definitely change forever. Hopefully I'm not pawning that Mustard Belt in 20 years.