Who Is Joey Chestnut? 5 Things to Know About the Hot Dog Eating Champion

Nothing is more American than watching Joey Chestnut participate in the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on the 4th of July — but there’s more to know about the man behind the meat.

When Did Joey Chestnut Start Competitive Eating?

Chestnut got his start in the eating competition scene in 2005 as a college student. He participated and wowed the crowd during a breakout performance during the deep-fried asparagus eating championship where he scarfed down 6.3 pounds of asparagus in 11 and a half minutes, beating out professional eater Rich LeFevre.

After the asparagus competition, Chestnut qualified for the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest that same year. In his Coney Island debut, the competitive eater ate 32 hot dogs and came in third place behind Sonya Thomas and long-time champion Takeru Kobayashi.

Efren Landaos/SOPA Images/Shutterstock How Many Times Has Joey Chestnut Won the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest?

Chestnut had two years under his belt before taking home the win in the annual competition. In 2007, Chestnut and Kobayashi went head-to-head in a record-setting hot dog eating battle. Kobayashi — who had won the game six years in a row — was only able to eat 63 franks while the San Jose State University alum scarfed down 66 hot dogs to take the win.

Since his debut in 2005, Chestnut has won the hot dog eating contest a total of 15 times and has eaten a range of 59 to 76 hot dogs in each session.

For the 2023 competition, the ESPN app will have a dedicated camera feed for Chestnut starting at 12:45 p.m. ET. (The entire competition will be broadcast on the app and ESPN 2.)

Does Joey Chestnut Have Another Job Besides Professional Eating?

Before becoming a household name, Chestnut worked with a construction management company in Northern California. However, in 2010 he decided to leave his day job behind to focus on being a professional eater full-time. In a July 2023 interview with USA Today Sports, Chestnut opened up about the difficult decision and revealed he makes $500,000 ​per year and his net worth exceeds $4 million.

“My mom was worried,” he recalled. “I mean, it’s nice to have a job. You’ve got healthcare and retirement, all that stuff. So I had to convince my mom that I still had a plan for all that stuff.”

The grand prize for winning the Nathan’s competition is $10,000 and Chestnut earns additional cash for his various sponsorships.

Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock Has Joey Chestnut Lost the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest?

After winning eight years in a row, Chestnut was dethroned in 2015 by Matt Stonie, who made his competition debut the year before. In the match, Chestnut ate 60 hot dogs while Stonie consumed 62 to take the win in an upset victory.

Has Joey Chestnut Competed in Any Other Competitions?

As a professional competitive eater, Chestnut has also participated — and holds world records — in several other food challenges including chicken wings, funnel cakes, tamales, Twinkies, tacos, Big Macs, chicken fingers and more.

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In 2018, Chestnut competed on season 30 of The Amazing Race alongside fellow professional eater, Tim Janus. The duo were the fourth team to be eliminated.