Competitive eater Joey Chestnut put a protestor in a chokehold during a hot dog eating contest and still won

• A protestor ran onstage during the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, bumping into Joey Chestnut.
• Chestnut put the protestor into a chokehold and threw him to the ground during the competition.

Competitive eater Joey Chestnut placed a protestor in a chokehold in the middle of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on Monday.

In the middle of the competition, a protestor got onto the stage, bumping into Chestnut in the process as he was mid-chew. Unfazed, Chestnut briefly put the protestor into a chokehold and threw him to the ground.

Despite the setback, Chestnut easily won the hot dog eating competition, eating 15.5 more hot dogs and buns than the runner-up, Geoffrey Esper.

—Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 4, 2022

The protestor, who was wearing a "Darth Vader" mask when he interrupted the competition, held up a sign that said "EXPOSE SMITHFIELD'S DEATHSTAR." He was protesting Smithfield Foods, the supplier of Nathan's pork.

According to TMZ, police took three people into custody in relation to the incident and charges are pending.

Chestnut did not break his record of devouring 76 hot dogs and buns on Monday, and the violent interruption may not be entirely to blame. The 15-time hot dog eating champion wore a surgical boot during the competition after rupturing a tendon in his leg.

"It hurts, but I was in the zone for a little bit. I was ignoring it," Chestnut told ESPN after winning the competition.