Joey Chestnut is an American competitive eater who a net worth of $2 million. Joey is best-known for being one of the most-successful competitive eaters in history.
Early Life: Joey Chestnut was born on November 25, 1983 in Vallejo, California. He got his start in the world of competitive eating in 2005 while he was still a student at San Jose State. One of Joey’s first major events was an asparagus eating competition. During this competition Joey came in first place 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.
Chestnut’s eating stardom continued to rise, defeating Sonya Thomas in the Waffle House World Waffle Eating championship later that same year.
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.
At the 2007 contest Joey took the top prize for the first time with 66 hot dogs, defeating Kobayashi with 63.
Joey went on to win eight-straight Nathan’s Contests, between 2007 and 2015.
The 2015 contest was won by Matt Stonie. Joey proceeded to win the next dive between 2016 and 2020.
Joey’s all time record in one competition is 74 hot dogs.
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.
| Net Worth: | $2 Million |
| Salary: | $500 Thousand |
| Date of Birth: | Nov 25, 1983 (38 years old) |
| Gender: | Male |
| Height: | 6 ft (1.8542 m) |
| Profession: | Competitive Eater |
| Nationality: | United States of America |