Joey “Jaws” Chestnut — known as the king of competitive eating — chomped his way to an unsurprising win on the Fourth of July on Coney Island as he took home the first-place prize for the men’s hot dog eating competition.
Chestnut’s win was his 16th in the Nathan’s Famous annual contest. He rhythmically devoured 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes — 13 hot dogs more than his second-place competitor — adding to his growing number of speed-eating records.
“What a roller coaster emotionally,” Chestnut, from Westfield, Ind., told ESPN. “I’m just happy … I got to eat some hot dogs, and I got a win,” he added, saying that he still had space in his stomach for “some beers later.”
Such competitions have become akin to a sport in the United States and are treated as a national spectacle. But are there also financial incentives? Can “gurgitators” like Chestnut make a career of competitive eating? Here’s what we know.
How much does competitive eating pay?
The pinnacle of competitive eating in the United States is undoubtedly Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, which takes place annually on Coney Island and is said to have origins as far back as 1916. About 35,000 fans are estimated to show up, according to the Nathan’s website, while millions more watch the ESPN telecast and others follow along on social media.
The men’s and women’s contests offer $20,000 in cash prizes — $10,000 to each winner for 10 minutes of eating. Like Chestnut, who has termed July Fourth “the best day of the year,” previous women’s winner Miki Sudo fended off competitors to maintain her title on Tuesday.
Many approach competitive eating as a part-time gig. Other notable competitions — most hosted by Major League Eating, the world body that oversees professional eating contests including Nathan’s — include the Great Midwest Rib Fest in Minneapolis, in which winners take home over $19,000 in cash prizes after devouring meaty ribs, according to organizers.
A world burrito eating championship and a national pistachio eating contest, in which Chestnut has competed, each have total prize purses of $10,000.
The National Sweetcorn Eating Championship in Florida offers awards ranging from a first prize of $2,500 to $200 for sixth place. Eating tamales at the Padrino Foods World Tamale Eating Championship in Texas could leave winners scooping up prizes from $1,500 to $100.
Chestnut hits up many of the bigger-prize events. Major League Eating described Chestnut as “an American hero and a national treasure,” labeling his appetite “legendary.”
Chestnut has told The Washington Post that preparation and psychological drive contribute to his success.
He first won Nathan’s hot dog contest in 2007, ending the reign of six-time champion Takeru Kobayashi to gain the coveted “Mustard Belt.” His personal best at the event is 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes, achieved in 2021 (a number he wears emblazoned on the back of his jersey while competing). He’s said he once consumed 82 hot dogs and buns in a training session and thinks it’s possible to go higher.
How much does hot dog eating champion Joey Chestnut make?
Chestnut has been scooping up prize money earnings since breaking out in 2005 with a deep-fried asparagus eating championship — and leaving his full-time construction management job in 2010.
Chestnut recently told USA Today Sports that he earned more than $500,000 last year as a competitive eater and his net worth exceeds $4 million.
“You have to see yourself as a business when you’re working for yourself,” he told the outlet. It also reported that he had promotional deals with companies including Pepsi, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers and Wonderful Pistachios.
Like other competitive eaters, he also makes money from ads, endorsement deals and personal appearances (including eating cherry pie at a Goldman Sachs summit). He has also launched a line of condiments for hot dogs and sandwiches.
His talent manager, Trevor Katende, declined to comment on Wednesday on the specifics of Chestnut’s earnings, and Chestnut did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
But his success is, seemingly, uncommon. “Chestnut is perhaps the only man on Earth who has made competitive eating a viable lifestyle,” as Sporting News put it.
How did Chestnut climb the competitive eating ranks?
Born in Vallejo, Calif., Chestnut, 39, is about 6 feet tall and weighs 230 pounds, according to his website. He earned a degree in engineering and construction management from San José State University before he fell into the competitive eating world, his website says. His brother, who recognized his potential when he would come home from school in the holidays and devour his mother’s cooking, signed him up for low-level competitions starting around age 21.
He now holds “more competitive eating records than any other athlete in history,” his website says. “Although he saw competitive eating as a strange concept, ... he and his family accepted the bizarre sport and never looked back,” it adds.
What else does Chestnut eat to compete?
Hot dogs aren’t the only way to bring home the bacon. Chestnut also holds world eating records for apple pie, deep-fried asparagus, chicken wings, burritos, glazed doughnuts, pizza, boiled eggs, Twinkies, burgers, tacos, gumbo and gyoza, among others, according to his website.
“Many people eat to live. Joey Chestnut lives to eat,” it said.
Is competitive eating healthy?
The long-term implications of competitive eating on the body are unknown, but medical experts have warned of the impact on gut health, digestive systems and stomach stretching.
Contestants can also become lightheaded or suffer abdominal issues in the moment, and the foods typically eaten in competitions tend to be processed and high in fat and salt.
By his count, Chestnut has probably eaten an average of 1,200 hot dogs a year for the last 16 years — and he says he’s healthy overall. “If I start gaining weight and start having issues with my body, then I won’t be able to push my body,” he told The Washington Post in 2021.
Researchers at the University of Michigan released a study in 2021 saying that consuming a single hot dog can shave 36 minutes off one’s healthy life. Assuming Chestnut has eaten 19,200 hot dogs over the last 16 years, he may have lost a year and 115 days, per the study.
“I go into it knowing I’m going to feel like garbage,” Chestnut said before Tuesday’s hot dog competition.
Cindy Boren and Julian Mark contributed to this report.