Meet The Louisiana Man Aiming to Dethrone Joey Chestnut in 2023 Hot Dog Eating Contest

Baton Rouge's Adrian Morgan is setting his sights on the 2023 Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, with the hope of toppling the legendary Joey Chestnut and claiming the coveted title.

According to The Advocate, the 40-year-old competitive eater, who has participated in the event 11 times, is determined to surpass his previous best performance of fifth place in 2015 when he consumed an impressive 31 franks and buns in just 10 minutes.

With a grand prize of $10,000 on the line for the winner, Morgan has been rigorously preparing for the upcoming contest. For the past two months, he has been engaging in mock contests at home, studying old competitions on YouTube, and practicing alongside them. Morgan, who works as a project controls coordinator at Excel Group, follows a specific strategy during the contest. He separates the hot dog from the bun, consuming them individually. To facilitate faster bun consumption, he dunks them in Hawaiian Punch, a technique that helps him avoid excessive liquid intake. He also opts for sweet drinks to counterbalance the overwhelming taste of the hot dogs as the contest progresses.

The Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, held annually on the Fourth of July in Coney Island, New York, is expected to draw a crowd of 35,000 spectators to witness the spectacle. Additionally, millions of fans will tune in to watch the event on television. The women's competition will be aired on ESPN3 at 10:45 a.m., followed by the men's contest at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.

Morgan's dedication to competitive eating extends beyond hot dogs. Throughout his career, he has claimed victories in various eating championships, including crawfish, tamales, ribs, oysters, and wings. Notably, he holds the record for consuming 20 hard-boiled eggs in just 1 minute and 24 seconds. In February of this year, Morgan secured second place in the Wonderful Pistachios Get Crackin' Eating Championship in Santa Monica, California, by devouring 102 pistachios in eight minutes.

As Morgan gears up for the 2023 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, he dedicates this year's performance to his father, Michael Morgan, who has been his biggest supporter. Remembering the times they watched the contest together before Adrian began his competitive eating journey, he credits his father for passing on his own eating genes.

While Morgan sets his sights on victory, he faces the formidable Joey Chestnut, a 15-time men's champion who has dominated the hot dog eating contest since 2007, with the exception of one defeat in 2015. Chestnut holds the record for consuming a staggering 76 hot dogs in a single contest. Despite Chestnut's reign, Morgan remains determined to claim the title and etch his name in competitive eating history.

The battle between these two powerhouses will certainly captivate Louisiana viewers as they witness an epic showdown on the Fourth of July.