On July 4, 2007, Chestnut won the 92nd Annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest held at New York City. Chestnut defeated six-time defending champion Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi by consuming a world record 66 hot dogs and buns (HDB) in 12 minutes, after losing to Kobayashi in 2005 and 2006. Chestnut would go on to win eight consecutive titles from 2007 to 2014,[3] setting a Nathan's record of 69 HDB in 2013.[4]
Chestnut lost the 2015 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest to Matt Stonie.[5] On July 4, 2016, Chestnut regained the championship belt from Stonie by eating 70 hot dogs. Chestnut would win the title from 2016 to 2023, setting the current record in 2021 with 76 HDB.[6] On July 4, 2023, he captured his 16th and current title by eating 62 HDB.[7] He was banned from participating in the 2024 contest due to a competing sponsorship with Impossible Foods.[8][9]
Eating career
2005
Chestnut, a San Jose State University student,[10][11] entered the competitive eating scene in 2005 with a break-out performance in the deep-fried asparagus eating championship, in which he beat high-ranked eater Rich LeFevre by eating 6.3 pounds (2.9kg) of asparagus in 11.5 minutes. That same year, during Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, he ate 32 HDB, placing third behind Takeru Kobayashi and Sonya Thomas.[12]
On October 22, 2005, Chestnut set a new world record for downing 32.5 grilled cheese sandwiches in ten minutes at the Arizona State Fair, as part of the GoldenPalace.net World Grilled Cheese Eating Championship circuit.[13]
Chestnut defeated Thomas in the Waffle House World Waffle Eating Championship[14] and placed second to Kobayashi in a Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship qualifier, eating 56 Krystal Burgers in eight minutes to his 67.[15] He later beat him by eating 91 hamburgers in the finals, finishing second to the 97 hamburgers consumed by Kobayashi.[16]
2006
Chestnut qualified for the 2006 Nathan's Contest by eating 50 HDB. As July 4 approached, there was speculation that 2006 might be the year when Kobayashi would be beaten.[17] It was not to be, however. Although Chestnut turned in a great performance, leading Takeru Kobayashi through most of the contest, the final tally put Chestnut at 52 and Kobayashi at 53+3⁄4 (a new world record).[18] Chestnut lost to Kobayashi in the Johnsonville World Bratwurst Eating Championship in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He ate 45 bratwurst sausages in ten minutes. Kobayashi ate 58.[19]
On July 4, 2007, Chestnut and Kobayashi battled the field in a record-setting hot dog eating battle in Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. Chestnut knocked off Kobayashi 66–63, leading to the latter's first defeat in the contest in six years.[22]
On October 28, 2007, between 2:33 and 2:41, Chestnut ate 103 Krystal burgers in the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This was Chestnut's personal best, and is the new world record.[23]
2008
Chestnut set two new world records in 2008. On February 1, he ate 241 wings in 30 minutes at the Wing Bowl XVI in Philadelphia.[24] This record was broken by Takeru Kobayashi at the Wing Bowl XX in 2011 with 337 wings.
On March 2, 2008, he ate 78 matzo balls during Kenny & Ziggy's World Matzoh Ball Eating Championship in Houston, Texas.[25]
On March 24, 2008, Chestnut set a new male record at The Big Texan Steak Ranch restaurant in Amarillo, Texas, by eating a meal of 4.5lb (2.04kg) ribeye steak, salad, baked potato, shrimp cocktail, and roll in just eight minutes and 52 seconds. Shortly afterwards, on his show on KKLA, previous record holder Frank Pastore congratulated Chestnut. (The overall human record is 4 minutes and 18 seconds, set by Molly Schuyler on April 19, 2015, on her first of three meals.)[26]
On June 21, 2008, Chestnut lost to Takeru Kobayashi in a Pizza Hut P'Zone competition at Sony Studios in Culver City, California. The competition aired on Spike TV on June 21.
On July 4, 2008, Chestnut tied Takeru Kobayashi in the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Contest after eating 59 HDB in ten minutes. The tie resulted in a 5 HDB eat-off, which Chestnut won by consuming all five HDBs before Kobayashi. The 59 is a new record in the competition based on the reduction from 12 minutes to ten minutes. Chestnut weighed in at 102kg (225lb).[27]
On July 28, 2008, Chestnut lost to Takeru Kobayashi in Chicken Satay eating in the MLE Asia inaugural event. He consumed just over 4 kilograms (8.8lb) to Kobayashi's almost 5.5kg (12lb).
On August 23, 2008, Chestnut defeated IFOCE's second highest-ranked competitive eater Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti in the second Gyoza Eating Championship in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California. He devoured 231 gyoza, setting a new world record; he beat his previous record of 212, set at the inaugural event in 2006 when he narrowly defeated Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas (210). Thomas did not attend the 2008 event due to budgetary and travel costs.
On October 12, 2008, he consumed 45 slices of pizza, winning the "Famous Famiglia World Pizza Eating Championship", which was held in Times Square in New York. This was beaten by Bertoletti with 47 slices a few weeks later.[28]
2009
On February 21, 2009, Chestnut consumed 10.5lb (4.8kg) of macaroni and cheese in seven minutes during halftime at the San Jose Stealthlacrosse game, beating out his contestants and adding another world record to his name.[29]
On July 4, 2009, Chestnut topped his previous record of 59 HDB by consuming 68 HDB in the 2009 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.[30]
On September 27, 2009, Chestnut lost to Takeru Kobayashi in Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship. He ate 81 hamburgers. Kobayashi ate 93.[31]
On Man v. Food in San Jose, California, Chestnut ate Iguana's Burritozilla: a fivelb (2.3kg), 17-inch burrito in three minutes, ten seconds.
2010
On May 8, 2010, Chestnut won Shrimp Wontons eating in Singapore. Chestnut ate 380 wontons in eight minutes to set a new world record.[32]
On July 4, 2010, Chestnut secured his fourth straight Nathan's Hotdog Eating Contest, by consuming 54 HDB in what he described himself as a disappointing performance.[33]
On September 25, 2010, at the Phantom Gourmet Food Fest in Boston, Massachusetts, Chestnut won the Upper Crust Pizza Eating competition by eating 37 slices in ten minutes. He beat Bob Shoudt by one slice.
2011
On July 4, 2011, Chestnut secured his fifth straight Nathan's Hotdog Eating Contest, by consuming 62 HDB. Kobayashi, who could not participate in the contest because of his refusal to sign the required contract, ate 69 HDB at an off-site event with independent judges to establish a new world record.[34][35][36]
2012
On March 17, 2012, Chestnut set a new world record by eating 20 zero point five pounds (0.23kg) corned beef sandwiches in ten minutes at the annual Toojay's Corned Beef Eating Competition in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti finished in second place.[37]
On July 4, 2012, Chestnut successfully defended his title at Nathan's 97th Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. He tied his own world record by swallowing 68 HDB in ten minutes, which earned him his 6th "mustard belt" for this competition.[38]
On July 16, 2012, Chestnut made a guest appearance on the 12th episode of Hell's Kitchen season 10, in which he participated in a wing-eating competition against a few of the contestants. He ended up winning the contest and earned $500.
On August 27, 2012, Chestnut cursed at Hofmann Hot dog and Kobayashi, stating in a Twitter post, "Congrats to @FReeKobio704 for eating a bunch of nasty Hoffman crap dogs. He needed an ego boost after three years of dodging competition."[39][40]
Joey Chestnut lifts the trophy at the 2012 World Poutine Eating Championship in Toronto, Ontario.
On October 13, 2012, Chestnut won the Third Annual Smoke's Poutinerie World Poutine Eating Championships in Toronto, Ontario, by consuming 19 boxes (9.5lb[4.3kg]) of poutine in ten minutes.[42]
2013
On July 4, 2013, Chestnut successfully defended his title at Nathan's 98th Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. He beat his own world record of 68 by consuming 69 HDB in ten minutes, which earned him his 7th Mustard Belt for this competition.[4]
On July 25, 2013, Chestnut ate 179 wings in ten minutes taking the title for the second year in a row at the Hooters World Wing-Eating Championship held in Clearwater, Florida.[43]
On September 22, 2013, Chestnut ate 70 bratwursts to set the world record and take his fourth straight title, at the Hillshire Farm Bratwurst Eating World Championship held at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio.[44]
2014
On July 4, 2014, Chestnut ate more hot dogs and buns than any of his opponents, narrowly defeating competitor Matt Stonie. He successfully ate 61 hot dogs and buns to Stonie's 56, making this his eighth consecutive win. Prior to the event, Chestnut proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Neslie Ricasa.[45]
2015
On July 4, 2015, Chestnut was defeated by Stonie. He successfully ate 60 hot dogs and buns, but Stonie improved since 2014 and consumed 62 hot dogs and buns, ending Chestnut's eight-year run as champion.[3]
After a Denver Outlaws lacrosse game on May 24, Chestnut set a World Record eating 14.25lbs of Illegal Pete's Burritos in 10 minutes, beating the previous record of 11.81 set in 2007 by Tim "Eater X" Janus.[46]
2016
On July 4, 2016, Chestnut redeemed himself with 70 hot dogs and buns with Stonie behind with 53 hot dogs and buns. On September 4, 2016, he won his third consecutive title at the United States Chicken Wing Eating Championships in Buffalo, New York, by eating 188 wings in 12 minutes.[47]
2017
On July 4, 2017, Chestnut defended his title and ate 72 hot dogs and buns. This was his 10th title and once again set a new Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest record. Carmen Cincotti was the closest competitor with 60.[48]
2018
In 2018, Chestnut competed in The Amazing Race 30 alongside fellow competitive eater Tim Janus.[49] On July 4, Chestnut won his 11th title at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest with a new record of 74 hot dogs and buns.[50]
2019
On July 4, 2019, Chestnut won his 12th title at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, eating 71 hot dogs and buns. On October 19, 2019, Chestnut won the 2019 World Poutine Eating Championship in Toronto, Canada, after eating 28 pounds of poutine in 10 minutes and set a new world record.[51]
2020
On July 4, 2020, Chestnut won his 13th title at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, eating a record-breaking 75 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes. The event was held indoors, with fewer competitors and without spectators, due to COVID-19.[52]
On August 1, 2020, Chestnut ate nine pounds (4.1kg) of pizza in 32 minutes and 14 seconds in a MrBeast YouTube video in Greenville, North Carolina.[53]
On October 1, 2020, Chestnut guest starred on the animated series Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, voicing himself.
2021
On July 4, 2021, Chestnut won his 14th title at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, eating 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, a new record.[6]
On October 10, 2021, Chestnut won The 2021 Destination Outlets World Pumpkin Pie Eating Championship in Jeffersonville, Ohio, consuming 16 lbs 12 oz of pumpkin pie in 8 minutes.
2022
On July 4, 2022, Chestnut captured his 15th Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest title by eating 63 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.[54] The contest was interrupted by a protestor, whom Chestnut placed in a chokehold.[55]
2023
On April 6, 2023 (National Burrito Day), Chestnut won the first-ever Qdoba World Burrito Eating Championship in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, consuming 14.5 burritos in 10 minutes.[56]
On July 4, 2023, Chestnut consumed 62 hot dogs and won his 16th Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest title.[7] The contest was nearly canceled due to thunderstorms, but ended up starting after a 2-hour delay. Chestnut reportedly played a “significant role” in reversing the previously announced decision to cancel.[57]
2024
On June 11, 2024, Chestnut was banned from participating in the 2024 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating contest due to Chestnut accepting sponsorship from Impossible Foods, a Nathan's competitor.[8] Chestnut responded by saying a rule change regarding sponsors was the basis for his ban. MLE clarified he could still appear at the annual contest.[9] Chestnut instead agreed to attend Fort Bliss' Pop Goes the Fort celebration and compete in a 4-versus-1 eating competition with a five-minute time limit.[58][59] He ate 57 hot dogs in five minutes, nearly tying Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champion Patrick Bertoletti's count of 58 hot dogs in ten minutes. Chestnut won the contest, as the four Army soldiers ate 49 hot dogs all together, with Impossible Foods donating $106,000 to Operation Homefront as a result.[60]
Chestnut trains by fasting and by stretching his stomach with milk, water and protein supplements. He prefers milk from mountain goats that reside in the Andes Mountains due to its high calcium content.[63] Since the start of his competitive eating career, his competition weight has varied from 225–240 pounds (102–109kg). After winning his sixth consecutive hot dog eating contest in 2012 by eating 68 hot dogs, he stated, "I will not stop until I reach 70. This sport isn't about eating. It's about drive and dedication, and at the end of the day, hot dog eating challenges both my body and my mind."[64] He says he trains for hot dog eating competitions by cooking hot dogs at his house and then eating them in a simulated competition style. He starts with 40 hot dogs and then works his way up until he is in game shape. He compared it to running or lifting weights for athletes.[65]
He proposed to his longtime girlfriend Neslie Ricasa[66] just before defending his title in the 2014 Nathan's competition.[67] The couple split up in early 2015, prior to their scheduled wedding date. Chestnut resides in Westfield, Indiana.[68]
Kolaches: 56 sausage and cheese kolaches in eight minutes (Houston, Texas, on September 14, 2007) at the Kolache Factory World Kolache Eating Championship
Twinkies: 121 Twinkies in six minutes (Bally's Casino Tunica in Tunica Resorts, Mississippi, on October 26, 2013) at The World Twinkie Eating Championship At Bally's Casino – Tunica
2014
Deep-fried asparagus: 12.8lb (5.8kg) of deep-fried asparagus in ten minutes (Stockton, California, April 26, 2014) at Stockton Asparagus Festival
Pulled porksliders: 62 sliders in ten minutes (Atmore, Alabama, on March 28, 2014) at the Pork Slider Eating Contest at Wind Creek's Throw Down
Turkey (whole): 9.35lb (4.24kg) of whole turkey in ten minutes (Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut, on November 22, 2014) at the Foxwoods World Turkey-Eating Championship
2015
Gumbo: 15 bowls (1.875 gallons) in eight minutes (Larose, Louisiana, on November 7, 2015) at the World Record Gumbo Eating Championship
White Hut cheeseburgers: 52 Cheeseburgers in ten minutes (West Springfield, Massachusetts, on September 23, 2017) at The White Hut World Cheeseburg Eating Championship At The Big E
2018
Hostess Donettes: 257 Hostess Donettes in 6 minutes (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 1, 2018) at The World Hostess Donettes Eating Championship
Ice cream sandwiches: 25.5 sandwiches in six minutes (Petco Park in San Diego, California, on June 3, 2018) at The Baked Bear World Ice-Cream Sandwich Eating Championship
San Pedro Fish Market shrimp: 7lb (3.2kg) of shrimp in eight minutes (San Pedro, California, on May 28, 2018) at The San Pedro Fish Market World Famous Shrimp Eating Championship presented by The Kings of Fi$h on the USS Iowa
Shrimp cocktail: 18lb 9.6oz (8.44kg) of St. Elmo shrimp cocktail in eight minutes (Indianapolis, Indiana, on December 1, 2018) at The World Famous St. Elmo Shrimp Cocktail Eating Championship
Pepperoni rolls: 43 pepperoni rolls in ten minutes (Fairmont, West Virginia, on May 25, 2019) at The West Virginia Three Rivers Festival Pepperoni Roll Eating World Championship
Pizza (2-foot slices): 6.5 slices in ten minutes (Metairie, Louisiana, on August 25, 2019) at The 2019 Fat Boy's Pizza Eating Championship
Pork roll sandwiches (4oz[110g]): 61.5 sandwiches in ten minutes (Trenton, New Jersey, on September 21, 2019) at River Fest Featuring the Trenton Thunder World Famous Case's Pork Roll Eating Championship
Poutine: 28lb (13kg) of poutine in ten minutes (Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on October 19, 2019) at the 10th Annual Smoke's Poutinerie World Poutine Eating Championship
Grilled cheese sandwich: 47 sandwiches in ten minutes (Thomas & Mack Center in Port Charlotte, Florida, on June 10, 2019) at the GoldenPalace.net World Grilled Cheese Eating Contest – World record currently held by Ali Waters (The Florida State Champion)
2020
Big Macs: 32 Big Macs in 38 minutes 15 seconds on March 5, 2020[71]
Red Beans and Rice: 39.5 bowls (24 lbs and 11 ounces or ~36,268 calories) in eight minutes in the city of New Orleans for the Blue Runner Red Beans and Rice Major League Eating Contest
Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi is a Japanese competitive eater. Described as "the godfather of competitive eating", he is a six-time Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champion and widely credited with popularizing the sport.
A hot dog is a dish consisting of a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term hot dog can refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener or a frankfurter. The names of these sausages commonly refer to their assembled dish. Hot dog preparation and condiments vary worldwide. Common condiments include mustard, ketchup, relish, onions in tomato sauce, and cheese sauce. Other toppings include sauerkraut, diced onions, jalapeños, chili, grated cheese, coleslaw, bacon and olives. Hot dog variants include the corn dog and pigs in a blanket. The hot dog's cultural traditions include the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
Wing Bowl was an annual eating contest founded in 1993 by Philadelphia talk-radio hosts Angelo Cataldi and Al Morganti. The contest was first broadcast on WIP.
The Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition. It is held each year on July 4 at Nathan's Famous' original, and best-known, restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island, a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City.
Sonya Thomas , also known by her nickname The Black Widow, and "The Leader of the Four Horsemen of the Esophagus", is a South Korean-born American competitive eater from Alexandria, Virginia. Thomas joined the International Federation of Competitive Eating in 2003 and quickly rose to the top of the ranks, beating competitive eaters such as Eric Booker.
Competitive eating, or speed eating, is a sport in which participants compete against each other to eat large quantities of food, usually in a short time period. Contests are typically eight to ten minutes long, although some competitions can last up to thirty minutes, with the person consuming the most food being declared the winner. Competitive eating is most popular in the United States, Canada, and Japan, where organized professional eating contests often offer prizes, including cash.
Nathan's Famous, Inc. is an American company that operates a chain of fast-food restaurants specializing in hot dogs. The original Nathan's restaurant stands at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. The company's headquarters are at One Jericho Plaza in Jericho, part of Oyster Bay, New York.
Bob Shoudt, also known as "Humble Bob" or "Notorious B.O.B.", is an American competitive eater from Royersford, Pennsylvania.
The Krystal Square Off was the official World Hamburger Eating Championship from 2004 to 2009, taking place in Chattanooga, Tennessee and sanctioned by the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE). In this event, contestants ate as many Krystal hamburgers as possible in eight minutes.
The Glutton Bowl is a two-hour competitive eating special that was broadcast Fox on February 21, 2002 and was sanctioned by the International Federation of Competitive Eating. The special, which was co-executive produced by Nash Entertainment and IFOCE co-founder Richard Shea, featured Mark Thompson and IFOCE co-founder George Shea as hosts/color commentators. The 32-eater tournament was won by Takeru Kobayashi of Japan. The event also included such noteworthy world record eaters as Eric "Badlands" Booker, Dominic "The Doginator" Cardo, Don "Moses" Lerman, Edward "Cookie" Jarvis, and Bill "El Wingador" Simmons.
Tim Janus is an American entertainer, media personality and retired competitive eater known in the competitive eating community as "Eater X". He was a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE). He performed in contests wearing a painted mask and once stated, "I'd eat anything. One of my goals in life is to eat everything in the world at least once. I'd eat a roll of pennies if I thought I could set a world record. Some day I hope we make contact with beings from other planets. I'd love to eat alien."
Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti is an American competitive eater from Chicago. He takes part in a variety of different eating competitions—notable wins include the 2024 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and the first-ever world poutine eating competition in Toronto. He also holds numerous world records, including the most milk consumed in an hour.
Erik "The Red" Denmark is an American competitive eater and a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating. He lives in Seattle, Washington and is nicknamed after Erik the Red, who was a Viking that founded the first Nordic settlement in Greenland. He has a master’s degree in digital communications media and works in aerospace procurement.
Major League Eating (MLE) is an organization that oversees professional competitive eating events and television specials. The league airs its annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest on ESPN.
Matthew Kai Stonie is an American competitive eater and YouTuber. Stonie won the 2015 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, dethroning 8-time defending champion Joey Chestnut. Stonie has gained fame from his YouTube channel, to which he uploads video footage of his eating challenges.
Dale Boone is an American competitive eater who holds several records for, among others, devouring pelmeni and hot dogs. Having been featured on numerous television programmes, he has proclaimed himself "Mouth of the South". Boone claims to be the great grandson of Daniel Boone.
Carmen Cincotti is an American competitive eater and holder of multiple records in Major League Eating, who earned $10,000 for his second-place finish in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2017 in which he ate 60 hot dogs in ten minutes, twelve fewer than repeat champion Joey Chestnut. From August 2018 to June 2019, he was ranked number two in Major League Eating.
Michelle Cristeen Lesco is an American competitive eater. She is the 2021 women's champion in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, with 30.75 hot dogs and buns consumed in 10 minutes on July 4, 2021, ending Miki Sudo's 7-year reign.
George Shea is a co-founder of Major League Eating and host of the company's main eating competition, Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. He is known for wearing his signature straw hat to all the hot dog competitions.
Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef was a one-hour competitive eating special that was live-streamed by Netflix on September 2, 2024.
References
1 2 3 Dickie, George (July 4, 2022). "Chestnut Goes for 14th Title in Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest". The Miami Herald. p.9T. FULL NAME: Joseph Christian Chestnut; BIRTH DATE: Nov. 25, 1983; BIRTHPLACE: Fulton Co., Ken.
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