Professor Joel Karty triumphed in a local eating competition hosted by Joey Chestnut, who has earned global fame for his repeated achievements in the international Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
After hearing about the event from a friend, Professor Joel Karty set his sights on being crowned top dog in a hot dog-eating contest at the recently concluded Carolina Classic Fair.
Fifteen contestants had six minutes to eat as many hot dogs as possible in a competition hosted by none other than Joey Chestnut, the 18-time reigning champion of the famous Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest held every Fourth of July on Coney Island. The competition required advance registration and a $50 entry fee, and it drew in contestants from across the state of North Carolina.
Elon University’s Sydney F. & Kathleen E. Jackson Professor of Chemistry won the local competition in Winston-Salem after consuming 14.5 hot dogs – half a frank more than his nearest opponent.
And because Chestnut had a full view of the contest on Oct. 8, 2026, and saw that Karty and his nearby foe were in the lead the entire time, the cheers from the world-famous competitive eater were impossible to miss.
“I did not know Joey Chestnut was going to be next to me the entire competition cheering me on, it was very motivating,” Karty said. “Telling me to find my happy place? During the competition, the only thing going through my mind was to focus on the process and find a rhythm. I was thinking ‘don’t overdo it, but don’t take your foot off the gas’.”
Karty practiced ahead of the competition and tapered his food intake the day before the contest. His strategy included dunking the buns in water and separating the hot dog from the bun to eat separately. Participants had to finish one hot dog at a time.
When the six minutes were up, Karty only knew the race was close. Chestnut’s announcement of his success was unforgettable. For context, in the most recent Nathan’s contest from July, Chestnut himself consumed 70.5 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
Watch the video of the hot dog-eating contest.
“It was a pretty magical evening. Now Joey Chestnut knows me!” Karty said. “I didn’t expect to win. I didn’t expect the trophy. I didn’t expect to take photos for 20 minutes with people from the crowd afterward. All I expected was a meet-and-greet with Joey Chestnut before the competition and to eat as many hot dogs as I could.”