[Dave]

And in a less-than-stellar contest Joey Chestnut wins the mustard belt with a mere 54 dogs and buns - 14 less than his record. His nearest competitor was 9 dogs behind. Obviously the absence of Takero Kobayashi on the eating platform was a key factor since Chestnut really had nobody in his league to push him to new heights as a gustatory athlete. Kobayashi appeared in the crowd where he was roundly booed as a non-hacker.