Last Updated on September 13, 2024
Who is Joey Chestnut?
Most people fantasize about living in a world where they get paid to eat, but Joey Chestnut has made that fantasy a reality. The 14-time winner of Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest has built a name for himself by eating his way to fame and millions of dollars. Joey Chestnut entered the competitive eating scene for the first time in 2005 while he was studying at San Jose University. This was made possible with a push from his younger brother, who saw his ability and enrolled him in a deep-fried asparagus eating contest. He won his first contest that year, beating high-ranked eater Rich LeFevre when he consumed six-and-a-half pounds of asparagus in 11.5 minutes. Currently, the professional eater and California native holds over 50 Major League Eating world records spanning various foods, including 141 Hard-Boiled Eggs in 8 mins, 76 hotdogs and buns in 10 mins, 182 Chicken Wings in 30 mins, 36 Pepperoni Rolls in 10 mins, 55 Glazed donuts in 8 mins and a lot more. Major League Eating has referred to him as “the greatest eater in history,” with his most impressive record of gobbling down 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, beating his 2020 record.Quick Facts
| Full Name: | Joseph Christian Chestnut |
| Popular Name: | Joey “Jaws” Chestnut |
| Gender: | Male |
| Birth Date: | Nov. 25, 1983 |
| Age: | 39 years |
| Parents: | Merlin Chestnut (Father), Alicia Chestnut (Mother) |
| Siblings: | N/A |
| Birth Place: | Vallejo, California, United States |
| Nationality: | American |
| Ethnicity: | American |
| Education: | Vallejo High School, San José State University |
| Marital Status: | Single |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Wife/Spouse: | N/A |
| Children: | N/A |
| Dating: | N/A |
| Net Worth: | $2 million |
| Source of Wealth: | Professional Competitive eater, Construction Engineer |
| Height: | 6 ft (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 100kg (230 lbs) |
Early Life and Career Information
Joseph Christian Chestnut was born in the United States on November 25, 1983, to a Christian family in Fulton County, Kentucky. He is one of four boys in a family of six children.
He later moved with his family to San Jose and joined Vallejo High School. After graduating high school, he attended San Jose State University to further his studies in engineering and construction management. He pursued this degree and graduated in 2012.
Joey grew up with a voracious appetite. Thus, devouring meals in a matter of minutes was second nature to him. And so, when he began his career as a Competitive eater in 2005, the only difference was that he was eating alongside other ravenous eaters and was getting paid for it.
In the same year, he competed in his first Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, the first of many, and ate 32 hot dogs. He came third, losing to Sonya Thomas, who came second with 37, and the winner, Takeru Kobayashi, with 49.
Joey won the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest for the first time in 2007, defeating Takeru Kobayashi by consuming 66 hot dogs compared to Takeru’s 63. He went on to win eight consecutive Nathan’s Contests, from 2007 through 2014, setting the bar high. After losing to Matt Stonie in 2015, he reclaimed his title in 2016, winning the contest in a row from 2016 through 2021.
Hot dogs aren’t all Joey Chestnut shoves down his throat. He has set a number of global eating records with diverse meals and remains undefeated as “The World’s Greatest Eater.”
In 2011, he was able to quit his full-time job as a Construction Engineer and concentrate on his new competitive eating career. Joey Chestnut is currently the No. 1-ranked competitive eater in the world.
Joey Chestnut’s Net Worth
For Joey Chestnut, eating is a lifestyle, and he has made a fortune from it. He has a total net worth of $2 million which he accumulated primarily through his full-time profession as a competitive eater. Apart from the cash prizes he has won in his competitions, including the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest which pays its winners a whopping 10,000 dollars every year, Joey makes money from TV appearances, sponsorships, and endorsement deals. He also runs his own line of condiments for hot dogs, brats, sausages, wings, sandwiches, and more, inspired by his passion for food.Lessons from the Life of Joey Chestnut
Do What Makes You Happy “I was able to get a civil engineering degree and travel around the world and eat.” ~ Joey Chestnut Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all had jobs that we enjoyed? I mean, imagine getting paid to do something you genuinely love. Crazy, right? Such is the case for Joey Chestnut. He made the decision to leave his full-time job as a Construction Engineer to pursue the satisfaction he found in competitive eating. This strange career path has provided him with the perfect opportunity to travel around, meet people, and do different things. You Don’t Need to Have Everything Figured Out “It wasn’t like I grew up wanting to be a competitive eater at all. Not like a lot of people, like football players, famous people – they knew that that’s what they wanted to do when they were young.” ~ Joey Chestnut. Joey never intended to be a competitive eater. No. In fact, he initially set out to be a Construction Engineer. It wasn’t until his first eating contest in 2005 that he fell in love with the world of competitive eating and eventually quit his job in 2011. If there’s anything to learn from his story, it’s that you don’t always need to have everything figured out. While making goals for the future is essential, we also need to learn to live in the moment. It’s important to take a breather every now and then.