If you think eating can’t make you famous then you should meet Joey Chestnut. He is an American competitive eater and current world number one in Major League Eating. He has a jaw-dropping talent for eating vast quantities of food within a very short span of time. As of 2023, Joey Chestnut’s Net Worth is $5 Million.
Chestnut became a sensation when he beat six times defending champion Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi by eating 66 hot dogs and buns in just 12 minutes. Due to his popularity, many brands are collaborating with Joey on a regular basis. Go through this post to check the various aspects of Joey Chestnut’s life and the story behind his success.
Introduction to Joey Chestnut
| Full Name | Joseph Christian Chestnut |
| Profession | Professional competitive eater with Major League Eating |
| Nationality | American |
| Age | 39 Years |
| Net Worth | $5 Million |
Annual Salary, Income, and Earnings
The annual salary of Joey Chestnut is very impressive. Every year, he makes around $50,000. Most of his income comes from sources like contest earnings, paid appearances, and endorsement deals.
He has dominated the competitive eating scene for years, winning numerous titles and setting multiple world records. These victories have earned him substantial prize money, contributing significantly to his overall earnings.
Chestnut has also secured several lucrative deals with brands such as DUDE Wipes, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, Wonderful Pistachios, and Pepsi. According to reports, his deal with Pepsi is the most profitable one.
Additionally, Chestnut also makes money through paid appearances. He is in high demand for events, festivals, and promotions. In such events, he showcases his incredible eating skills.
Joey Chestnut Biography
Joey Chestnut was born on 25th November 1983 in Fulton County, Kentucky, United States. He grew up in Vallejo California. He showed interest in eating large quantities of food at a young age. But, his talent actually developed when he started to live away from his family during his college life. At that time, he was running tight on money. So, he used to travel back home regularly and eat a lot of food.
After completing his high school education, Chestnut enrolled at San Jose State University, where he pursued a degree in engineering and construction management. Despite his academic pursuits, his interest in competitive eating continued to grow.
His brother was the first one to recognize his talent. He encouraged him to enroll in the eating competitions. In 2005, Chestnut made a grand entry in the competitive eating scene when he won his first major contest. In that contest, he consumed 6.3 pounds of asparagus in just 11.5 minutes.
Chestnut became unstoppable after that. He won many contests and broke multiple world records. Many of his fans often call him a national treasure. He has also made appearances on various television shows and has been featured in numerous publications.
| Full Name | Joseph Christian Chestnut |
| Popular Name | Joey Chestnut |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of birth | 25th November 1983 |
| Birth Place | Fulton County, Kentucky, US |
| Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
| Nationality | American |
| Religion | Christian |
| School | Vallejo High School |
| Siblings | 5 |
| Father | Merlin Chestnut |
| Mother | Alicia Chestnut |
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Relationship Status | Currently Single |
| Ex-Girlfriend | Neslie Ricasa |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Height | 6 Feet and 1 Inches (185 cm) |
| Weight | 230 lbs (104 Kg) |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Hair Color | Brown |
Joey Chestnut Girlfriend
The love life of Joey Chestnut has seen a lot of ups and downs in the recent few years. He dated Neslie Ricasa for a long time. Even proposed to her before defending his title in the 2014 Nathan’s competition.
Everything was going well and the couple scheduled their wedding date. However, due to some unknown reasons, this relationship broke.
As per the latest reports, Joey Chestnut is currently single and living in Westfield, Indiana.
Training and Preparing for Competitions
Chestnut has an amazing training method. He trains himself by fasting and stretching his stomach with liquids like milk, water, protein supplements, etc. In an interview, Joey Chestnut said he trains for hotdog eating competitions using a unique method.
First, he cooks hotdogs at his home and then eats them simulating the competition style. At first, he starts with 40 hotdogs and then works up his way to get ready for the match. According to Chestnut, it is like preparing for an athletic game.
World Records Held by Joey Chestnut
With his talent, Joey Chestnut is creating a new world record almost every year. Each of his world records is explained in the following table.
| 2007 | |
| Food Eaten | Time/ Quantity |
| Chicken wings – Long Form | 182 wings in 30 minutes at Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Krystal hamburgers | 103 Krystal Burgers in eight minutes at Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| Kolaches | 56 sausage and cheese kolaches in eight minutes |
| 2008 | |
| Food Eaten | Time |
| Steak Big Texan | 72oz Steak in 8 minutes and 52 seconds |
| 2009 | |
| Food Eaten | Time |
| Funnel cake | 5.9 lb (2.7 kg) in 10 minutes |
| 2011 | |
| Food Eaten | Time |
| Philly cheesesteak | 23 6″ Cheesesteaks in 10 minutes |
| Pizza Hut P’Zones | 7.5 P’Zones in 10 minutes |
| Salt potatoes | 13 lb (5.9 kg) of salt potatoes |
| Taco Bell tacos | 53 soft beef tacos in ten minutes |
| 2012 | |
| Food Eaten | Time |
| Corned beef sandwich | 20 sandwiches in 10 minutes |
| Tamales | 102 tamales in 12 minutes |
| 2013 | |
| Food Eaten | Time |
| Apple pie | 4.375 pies in eight minutes |
| Brain tacos | 54 tacos in eight minutes |
| Hard-boiled eggs | 141 hard-boiled eggs in eight minutes |
| Pastrami | 25 Katz’s Delicatessen half pastrami sandwiches in 10 minutes |
| Pork ribs | 13.76 lb (6.24 kg) pork rib meat |
| Twinkies | 121 Twinkies in six minutes |
| 2014 | |
| Food Eaten | Time |
| Deep-fried asparagus | 12.8 lb (5.8 kg) of deep-fried asparagus in ten minutes |
| Fish tacos | 30 tacos in five minutes |
| Gyoza | 384 gyoza in ten minutes |
| Pierogi | 165 pierogi in eight minutes |
| Pulled pork sliders | 62 sliders in ten minutes |
| Turkey (whole) | 9.35 lb (4.24 kg) of whole turkey in ten minutes |
| 2015 | |
| Food Eaten | Time |
| Gumbo | 15 bowls (1.875 gallons) in eight minutes |
| 2016 | |
| Food Eaten | Time |
| Boysenberry pie | 14.5 lb (6.6 kg) of pie in eight minutes |
| Burritos | Long Form: 14.5 burritos in ten minutes |
| Gyros | 30 gyros in ten minutes |
| Meat pies | 23 meat pies in ten minutes |
| 2017 | |
| Food Eaten | Time |
| Glazed doughnuts | 55 doughnuts in eight minutes |
| Tacos – Traditional (three-inch tortilla) | 126 tacos in eight minutes |
| White Hut cheeseburgers | 52 Cheeseburgers in ten minutes |
| 2018 | |
| Food Eaten | Time |
| Hostess Donettes | 257 Hostess Donettes in 6 minutes |
| Ice cream sandwiches | 25.5 sandwiches in six minutes |
| Mutton sandwich | 81 mutton sandwiches in ten minutes |
| San Pedro Fish Market shrimp | 7 lb (3.2 kg) of shrimp in eight minutes |
| Shrimp cocktail | 18 lb 9.6 oz (8.44 kg) of St. Elmo shrimp cocktail in eight minutes |
| 2019 | |
| Food Eaten | Time |
| Croquettes | 185 croquettes in ten minutes |
| Pepperoni rolls | 43 pepperoni rolls in ten minutes |
| Canteen sandwiches | 28.5 Canteen sandwiches in ten minutes |
| Pizza (2-foot slices) | 6.5 slices in ten minutes |
| Pork roll sandwiches | 61.5 sandwiches in ten minutes |
| Carnitas tacos | 82 tacos in eight minutes |
| Poutine | 28 lb (13 kg) of poutine in ten minutes |
| Grilled cheese sandwich | 47 sandwiches in ten minutes |
| 2020 | |
| Food Eaten | Time |
| Big Macs | 32 Big Macs in 38 minutes and 15 seconds |
| Red Beans and Rice | 39.5 bowls in eight minutes |
| Hot dogs | 76 Nathan’s hot dogs and buns (HDB) in 10 minutes |
| 2022 | |
| Food Eaten | Time |
| Chicken Fingers | 44 Raising Cane’s chicken fingers in 5 minutes |
| Popcorn (24 ounces) | 32 servings in 8 minutes |
Social Media Accounts
| @joeyjaws | |
| instagram.com/joeychestnut | |
| https://www.facebook.com/JawsChestnut/ |
Frequently Asked Questions
Around $5 Million.
He is currently 39 years old.
No, he is not married.
