joey chestnut net worth: As one of the world’s most renowned — or infamous — competitive eaters, Joey Chestnut is a household name. For him, the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4th is like Groundhog Day. Chestnut never disappoints on the day of competition eating.
In 2005, as a student at San Jose State University, Chestnut took his initial steps into the realm of competitive eating. The year before, he ate six-and-a-half pounds of fried asparagus in 11 1/2 minutes. At Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, Chestnut ate 32 hot dogs to qualify for the finals.
Joey Chestnut Early Life
Joey Chestnut was born in Fulton County, Kentucky, on November 25, 1983. At the age of 18, he decided to compete in eating contests for the first time after attending San Jose State University after high school. To make matters worse, he didn’t receive his diploma until 2012, largely as a result of his extensive travel for competitive cooking shows.
When Joey was just starting out, one of his first big events was an asparagus eating contest. It took Joey just 11.5 minutes to wolf down almost six and a half pounds of deep fried asparagus, edging out high-ranked eater Rich LeFevre.
Joey Chestnut Turning Professional
In 2005, he competed in his first Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, the first of several he would participate in. Second place went to a man who ate 32 hot dogs. A score of 37 put Sonya Thomas in second place. Takeru Kobayashi, with a score of 49, was the winner. His winnings from the GoldenPalace World Grilled Cheese Eating Championships in the same year included an all-time world record of 32.5 grilled cheese sandwiches consumed in 10 minutes.
After winning the Waffle House World Waffle Eating Championship against Sonya Thomas, Chestnut finished second in the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship, becoming the first woman to accomplish so. Both took place in the year 2005. In the Nathan’s event in 2006, Kobayashi established a world record with a time of 53 minutes and 37 seconds.. For the first time, Joey finished second in the US with 52.
Wing Bowl XV in Philadelphia was won by Chestnut the following year, who consumed 182 chicken wings in 30 minutes. At the annual Nathan’s Contest, he also ultimately triumphed. 66 hotdogs to 63 hotdogs, Chestnut upset Kobayashi, the six-year incumbent champion, by an impressive margin. The Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship was Joey’s crowning achievement of 2007, as he downed 103 Krystal burgers in just under eight minutes.
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During the period from 2007 to 2015, Joey won eight consecutive Nathan’s Contests. By 2021, he’d eaten 75 hot dogs, breaking his previous record from the year before. Matt Stonie won the 2015 competition. However, in 2016, he reclaimed the title and set a new record by devouring 70 hot dogs. Joey went on to win every diving competition he entered from 2016 to 2020.
Joey holds the record for the most hot dogs eaten in one competition with 74. Two new world records were set by Chestnut in 2008. In February, he broke the record for the most wings eaten in 30 minutes at the Wing Bowl. During the Kenny & Ziggy’s World Matzoh Ball Eating Championship in Houston, he consumed a whopping 78 matzo balls.
There is no record for the fastest time ever eaten by an American man when it comes to consuming an entire 4.5-pound ribeye steak with all of its accompaniments in under nine minutes at Amarillo’s The Big Texas Steak Ranch. After a tie with Kobayashi, he won the Nathan’s Contest in an eat-off. Chestnut lost to Kobayashi in a chicken satay eating contest a few weeks later, ingesting approximately nine pounds of chicken to Kobayashi’s twelve pounds..
In 2009, Chestnut ate 10.5 pounds of macaroni and cheese in seven minutes to claim yet another world record for the fastest consumption of food. As a result, he won the Nathan’s Contest for the second time and set a new record of 68 hotdogs, nine more than he ate in 2008. However, in the Krystal Hamburger Championship, Kobayashi defeated him. In the movie “Man v. Food,” he ate a five-pound burrito in just over three minutes, which he also appeared in.
Chestnut won Singapore’s Shrimp Wonton Eating Contest in 2010. This is his fourth consecutive year as the winner of Nathan’s Contest, however he failed to better his prior record. He also took first place in the Pepto Bismol Bratwurst Eating Championship with 42 brats consumed in 12 minutes, and second place in the Upper Crust Pizza Eating Championship with 37 slices consumed in 10 minutes.
He repeated as Nathan’s Contest champion in 2011 as well. However, Kobayashi set a new world record by eating 69 hotdogs at an off-site event where impartial judges were in charge of determining the winner. Because he declined to sign the contract, he was unable to take part in that year’s Nathan’s Contest.
Joey Chestnut Other Accolades and Records
Joey has a full-time job as a competitive eater. His diet consists mostly of protein supplements, water and milk to keep his stomach bloated while he works throughout the year. Joey’s weight varies all year round between 210 and 225 pounds. At the 2013 Nathan’s contest, Joey ate 141 hard-boiled eggs in eight minutes, 70 bratwurst in ten minutes, 78 Matzoh balls in eight minutes, and 69 hot dogs in ten minutes.
He also ate 4.5 pounds of steak plus sides in under nine minutes, 13.76 pounds of pork ribs in under 12 minutes, and an asparagus spear in under 12 minutes (12.8 pounds in 10 minutes). Joey ate 70 hot dogs on July 4, 2016. The following year he had 72. A year later, he ate a world-record 74 pieces. He won a 12th title at the 2019 Nathan’s tournament by devouring 71 dogs.
Joey Chestnut Training
Joey has a full-time job as a competitive eater. His diet consists mostly of protein supplements, water and milk to keep his stomach bloated while he works throughout the year. Joey’s weight varies all year round between 210 and 225 pounds. At the 2013 Nathan’s contest, Joey ate 141 hard-boiled eggs in eight minutes, 70 bratwurst in ten minutes, 78 Matzoh balls in eight minutes, and 69 hot dogs in ten minutes.
He also ate 4.5 pounds of steak plus sides in under nine minutes, 13.76 pounds of pork ribs in under 12 minutes, and an asparagus spear in under 12 minutes (12.8 pounds in 10 minutes). Joey ate 70 hot dogs on July 4, 2016. The following year he had 72. A year later, he ate a world-record 74 pieces. He won a 12th title at the 2019 Nathan’s tournament by devouring 71 dogs.
Joey Chestnut Annual Earnings
Nathan’s is offering $10,000 for the winner. Even if the prize money isn’t a lot, this is the most exposure these competitors will get all year. Prize money and sponsorships can easily bring in $250,000 to $500,000 per year for the best competitive eaters. Because of a legal issue with the Major League Eating organisation, Joey’s longstanding adversary Takeru Kobayashi hasn’t participated at Nathan’s in recent years.
Condiments made by Joey are being sold under his brand name. He carries a wide variety of condiments, including mustard, dipping sauce, and hot sauce.
Ted's hot dogs before an epic Bill's game!! #billsmafia pic.twitter.com/euP9suinUG
— Joey Chestnut (@joeyjaws) December 6, 2021
Joey Chestnut Personal Life
Chestnut engaged to his longtime love Neslie Ricasa moments before defending his championship in the 2014 Nathan’s competition. It was only a year later, in early 2015, when the couple broke up. Westfield, Indiana is where Chestnut lives.