Paige Spiranac offers to replace Joey Chestnut in hot dog eating competition after vegan controversy

You might not have realised it, but the world of competitive eating is a pretty turbulent place at the moment – but don’t worry, Paige Spiranac might be on hand to help.

The social media influencer and former golfer, who has more than four million followers on Instagram, has offered to fill in after Joey Chestnut was told he’d be unable to compete in a hot dog eating contest.

Chestnut has been one of the biggest names in competitive eating over the last few decades in the US, but he lost his place in Nathan's July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest this year over his sponsorship deal with a vegan brand.

Chestnut broke the news to his fans, writing: “I was gutted to learn from the media that after 19 years Im banned from the Nathan's July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest.

Joey Chestnut will not be competing at the event this year Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

“I love competing in that event, I love celebrating America with my fans all over this great country on the 4th and I have been training to defend my title.”

The ban comes as a result of his deal with Impossible Foods – but there might be someone willing to take his place.

Spiranac has now offered to take his place, writing on Twitter/X: “I’m available to fill in. My record is 6.5 hotdogs in 10 minutes.”

It might not quite stack up to Chestnut’s record of 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes, but we saw why not let Spiranac compete?

Competitive eating needs a boost right now, at any rate. Just last month, a competitive eating champion from Japan revealed he was retiring because he was no longer hungry.

Takeru Kobayashi retired due to his inability to feel hunger – and of all the reasons to hang up his boots, this is one you can’t really argue with.

Meanwhile, Spiranac, who was named the 'Sexiest Woman Alive' by Maxim magazine in 2022, previously hit out at "hypocrites” who enjoyed a performance of “semi-naked” men before a baseball game.

The 31-year-old has often spoken about the negative attitudes she faces as a former professional golfer and influencer posting supposedly ‘risque’ content on Instagram.

Spiranac has been open with her millions of followers about the trolling she has received from social media users in the past.

She previously said that she was "extremely body shamed" on social media after throwing the first pitch at a Major League Baseball game between the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees in Milwaukee in 2022.

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