On July 4th, 2007, as America celebrated its 231st birthday, a new era began in the world of competitive eating. For years, the sport had been dominated by one man, a seemingly intractable juggernaut. But on that Independence day, on a sun-splashed stage in Coney Island, that legend was finally bested, vanquished by a rising star who would go on to cement himself as the greatest competitive eater the world has ever seen. Written & Narrated by: Jonah Birenbaum (@birenball | X) Produced & Edited by: Andrew Bartlett (@andrewnsb | Instagram) Thumbnail Design by: Justin Shipley (@shipleysportstudio | Instagram) Courtesy List: pastebin.com/0gzJumwa Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/theScore Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/theScore Follow us on X: twitter.com/theScore #joeychestnut #hotdog #eatingcontest