Joey Chestnut not on list of Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest competitors

NEW YORK - Doggone it. We have some hard-to-swallow news for fans hoping for a last-minute breakthrough in the standoff between the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest and Joey Chestnut.

Chestnut, the reigning hot dog eating champion, was banned from this year's contest because of his partnership with Impossible Foods, a rival company that makes plant-based hot dogs.

It was later revealed that Chestnut and former champion Takeru Kobayashi will face off in a separate hot dog eating contest of their own in a live special that will air on Netflix on Labor Day.

Some fans may have held out hope that Major League Eating, which organizes Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4th, might've worked out some sort of deal that'd enable to Chestnut to compete this year. Those hopes appear to be dashed: The roster of male competitors this year released Monday does not include Chestnut, who has since accepted an invitation to appear in a hot dog eating competition at Fort Bliss in Texas .

Competitors coming from around the world

The contest will take place Thursday at Nathan's Famous flagship restaurant at Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island. Fifteen men and 14 women competing to be top dog. Winners get a $20,000 cash prize. Women's champion Miki Sudo will appear in this year's contest to defend her title.

Nathan's Famous says this year's contest will draw competitors from the U.S., Japan, Brazil, Australia, Korea, Czech Republic, United Kingdom and Canada. Only one of the competitors in this year's competition is from the Tri-State Area - Julie Goldberg of Astoria, Queens.

"The Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest is arguably the most iconic sporting event in American history," said Major League Eating Chair George Shea. "Eaters from across the globe come to Coney Island to honor this celebration of freedom."

The annual contest has been run at Nathan's Famous since 1916.