What is Joey Chestnut’s Net Worth and Career Earnings?
Joey Chestnut is an American competitive eater who a net worth of $2.5 million. Joey is best-known for being one of the most-successful competitive eaters in history. His public notoriety began in 2007 when he won the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. At various times in history he has been the top-ranked eater in the world by the Major League of Eating.
Early Life
Joey Chestnut was born on November 25, 1983 in Fulton County, Kentucky. After finishing high school, he attended San Jose State University, where he first began participating in eating competitions in 2005. He didn’t graduate until 2012, in part because he was often traveling for food competitions.
One of Joey’s first major events was an asparagus eating competition. Joey came in first place, beating high-ranked eater Rich LeFevre, after eating nearly six and a half pounds of deep fried asparagus in just 11.5 minutes.
Turning Professional
In 2005 he entered his first, of what would become many, Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. He placed third, having swallowed 32 hot dogs. Sonya Thomas placed second with 37. The winner was Takeru Kobayashi, with 49. The same year, he set a new world record for eating 32.5 grilled cheese sandwiches in ten minutes, winning the GoldenPalace World Grilled Cheese Eating Championship.
Chestnut’s eating stardom continued to rise, defeating Sonya Thomas in the Waffle House World Waffle Eating championship, and placed second in the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship. Both events were also in 2005.
At the 2006 Nathan’s event, Kobayashi set the world record with 53 and 3/4ths completed. Joey finished second with 52, which set the US record.
The next year Chestnut won the Wing Bowl XV in Philadelphia, eating 182 chicken wings in 30 minutes. He also finally was victorious at the annual Nathan’s Contest. Chestnut beat six-year reigning champion Kobayashi by eating 66 hotdogs to Kobayashi’s 63. Rounding out 2007, Joey won the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship, consuming 103 Krystal burgers in under eight minutes.
Joey went on to win eight-straight Nathan’s Contests, between 2007 and 2015.
In both 2020 and 2021, he set new records, eating 75 and then 76 hot dogs in only 10 minutes.
The 2015 contest was won by Matt Stonie. However, he redeemed himself in 2016 by eating 70 hot dogs, taking the title back and setting a new record. Joey proceeded to win the next dive between 2016 and 2020.
Joey’s all time record in one competition is 74 hot dogs.
In 2008, Chestnut set two new world records. In February, he set a new record at the Wing Bowl, eating 241 wings in 30 minutes. He also ate 78 matzo balls during the Kenny & Ziggy’s World Matzoh Ball Eating Championship in Houston. In March, he set a new male record at The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas by eating a 4.5 pound ribeye steak, salad, baked potato, shrimp cocktail, and roll in just under nine minutes. He also again won the Nathan’s Contest in an eat-off, after tying with Kobayashi. A few weeks later, Chestnut lost to Kobayashi in a chicken satay eating contest, consuming almost nine pounds of chicken to Kobayashi’s twelve.
The following year, in 2009, Chestnut set another world record by consuming 10.5 pounds of macaroni and cheese in seven minutes. He also again won the Nathan’s Contest and beat his previous record by eating 68 hotdogs, nine more than in 2008. However, Kobayashi beat him in the Krystal Hamburger Championship. He also appeared in “Man v. Food,” consuming a giant five pound burrito in just over three minutes.
In 2010, Chestnut won the Shrimp Wontons eating competition in Singapore. He also won the Nathan’s Contest for the fourth year in a row but did not manage to beat his previous record. He also won the Pepto Bismol Bratwurst Eating Championship, eating 42 brats in 12 minutes, as well as the Upper Crust Pizza Eating competition, eating 37 slices in 10 minutes. In 2011, he again won the Nathan’s Contest. However, Kobayashi set a new world record, eating 69 hotdogs at an off-site event with independent judges. He did not participate in the Nathan’s Contest that year as he refused to sign the required contract.
In 2012, Chestnut set a new record at the Toojay’s Corned Beef Eating Competition in Palm Beach Gardens by consuming 20 corned beef sandwiches in ten minutes. He also defended his title again at the Nathan’s Contest and tied his own personal record of 68 hotdogs. The same year, he also appeared on “Hell’s Kitchen” in which he participated in a wing-eating competition against some of the contestants. The next year, he broke his record at the Nathan’s Contest by eating 69 hotdogs. He also won at the Hooters World Wing-Eating Championship and the Hillshire Farm Bratwurst Eating World Championship.
Chestnut competed on “The Amazing Race 30” in 2018 alongside fellow competitive eater, Tim Janus.
(Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)
Training
Chestnut has stated that he trains for competitions by fasting and stretching his stomach with milk, water, and protein supplements. He specifically trains for hot dog competitions by eating 40 hot dogs at one time and slowing eating more each day in order to reach competition-winning numbers.
Other Accolades and Records
Competitive eating is a full time job for Joey. He trains all year round by constantly fasting and stretching his stomach with protein supplements, water and milk. Throughout the year, Joey’s weight fluctuates between 210 and 225 pounds.
Joey holds the records for eating hard boiled eggs (141 in eight minutes), bratwurst (70 in 10 minutes), Matzoh balls (78 in eight minutes), hot dogs (69 in 10 minutes at the 2013 Nathan’s contest), steak (4.5 pounds plus sides in under nine minutes), pork ribs (13.76 pounds in 12 minutes) and asparagus (12.8 pounds in 10 minutes). On July 4, 2016 Joey ate 70 hot dogs. A year later he ate 72. A year later he ate a world-record 74. At the 2019 Nathan’s contest he secured a 12th title with 71 dogs eaten.
Annual Earnings
The top prize for winning Nathan’s is $10,000. Not a ton of money, but it provides by far the most exposure all these athletes will receive throughout the year. A top competitive eater can easily earn $250,000 – $500,000 per year from prize money and sponsorships. Joey’s longtime rival Takeru Kobayashi have not competed at Nathan’s in recent years ever since Takeru found himself involved in a contract dispute with the Major League Eating organization.
Joey has a line of condiments sold under his name. He sells mustard, dipping sauce, coney sauce, hot sauce and more.
Personal Life
Just before defending his title in the 2014 Nathan’s competition, Chestnut proposed to his longtime girlfriend Neslie Ricasa. However, the couple split up a year later in early 2015 before their scheduled wedding date. Chestnut lives in Westfield, Indiana.