Joey Chestnut is a famous American competitive eater who quickly became the most successful eater in history. He rose to fame in 2007 after winning Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest, which would later become the first of many wins.
As of 2024, Joey Chestnut’s net worth is estimated at over $4 million.
On many occasions in history, Chestnut has been titled ‘top-ranked eater in the world’ by the Major League Eating, holding this position in 2024 as well. Having embarked on this journey while still in his college days, Chestnut rose to fame in the blink of an eye, and his early start in his career helped him become a millionaire in just a few years.
If you want to learn more about his journey in the world of competitive eating, below you will find all the details about Chestnut’s life and net worth.
How Much is Joey Chestnut Worth in 2024?
- Net Worth: Over $4 million
- Primary Sources of Income: Competitive eating winnings, endorsement deals, and business ventures.
- Key Endorsements: Impossible Foods ($1.2 million deal in 2024)
- Notable Records: Holder of multiple competitive eating world records, including 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
- Business Ventures: Joey Chestnut Eats (condiments line)
- Television Appearances: Featured on shows like Hell’s Kitchen and Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?
- Latest Update: In 2024, Joey Chestnut signed a significant endorsement deal with Impossible Foods, valued at $1.2 million. This partnership, however, resulted in his ban from the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest due to a conflict of interest, marking a significant moment in his career.
Joey Chestnut’s Net Worth: Full Breakdown
Being a competitive eater is a strange job but Joey Chestnut has been able to build quite a career for himself, earning millions along the way.
While most of the details of his career earnings remain undisclosed to the public, as can be expected, we found sufficient data to break down his main assets and estimate his net worth today.
| Asset or Income Source | Contribution to Net Worth |
| Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest earnings | $160,000 |
| 2014 earnings | $230,000 |
| 2022 earnings | $500,000 |
| Net worth in 2023 | $4 million |
| 2024 Impossible Foods endorsement deal | $1.2 million |
| Netflix show deal | Unknown |
| Other endorsement deals | Unknown |
| Total Net Worth | $4+ million |
7 Fun Facts About Joey Chestnut
- Started Competitive Eating in College: Joey Chestnut began his competitive eating career while still a student at San Jose State University.
- Record-Breaking Wing Bowl: In 2007, he ate 182 chicken wings in 30 minutes at the Wing Bowl XV, setting a record.
- 16-Time Nathan’s Hot Dog Champion: He has won the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest 16 times, more than any other competitor.
- World Record for Hot Dogs: Holds the world record for eating 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes, set in 2021.
- Condiment Line: Launched his own line of condiments called “Joey Chestnut Eats,” featuring sauces like Boardwalk Coney Sauce.
- Appeared in Scooby-Doo: Joey Chestnut guest-starred in an episode of Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? in 2020, voicing himself.
- $500,000 Annual Earnings: Reportedly earned $500,000 in 2022 from competitions and endorsements.
Latest News & Updates
Joey Chestnut is currently making headlines due to a sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods that led to his exclusion from the 2024 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Chestnut’s recent contract with Impossible Foods, aimed at promoting their vegan hot dogs, sparked a conflict with Major League Eating (MLE) and Nathan’s, which maintain exclusive branding requirements for their competitors. Despite MLE’s willingness to accommodate Chestnut by offering an appearance fee and allowing participation in another hot dog contest later in the year, his association with a competing brand ultimately barred him from the iconic Fourth of July event.
Interestingly, MLE clarified there’s no formal ban and left the door open for potential future collaborations, but as it stands, Chestnut’s absence marks a significant break in his 16-title streak at Nathan’s
Early Life and Education
Joseph Christian Chestnut was born on November 25, 1983, in Fulton County, Kentucky. He was raised and studied in Vallejo, California, where he studied at the Vallejo High School.
After his high school graduation, Chestnut enrolled at San Jose State University to study Engineering and Construction Management. While he delayed his graduation to focus on competitive eating, and since he had to travel for the competitions, he eventually graduated in 2012.
As for his personal life, Joey Chestnut was engaged to Neslie Ricasa, his long-time girlfriend at the time. He got engaged in 2014, just before defending his title in the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest. However, a year later, the couple split up and never reconciled.
Joey Chestnut Net Worth: His Journey to Becoming World-Famous Competitive Eater
So, how did someone who studied Engineering decide on a career in competitive eating? This is an odd choice for many, but it wasn’t surprising to those who knew Chestnut. Even while at college, he decided to pursue this passion of his, marking his first victory when he ate six-and-a-half pounds of fried asparagus in 11 and a half minutes.
Let’s take a look at how this career brought him millions of dollars.
Career Beginnings
When he was a San Jose State University student, Chestnut joined the competitive eating community with his break-out performance with the deep-fried asparagus in 2005. That same year, he ate 32 hot dogs at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, placing third behind Sonya Thomas and Takeru Kobayashi.
Chestnut’s foray into the industry became fruitful in the very first year. In October 2005, he set a new world record when he ate 32.5 grilled cheese sandwiches in 10 minutes at the Arizona State Fair. He did this as part of the GoldenPalace.net World Grilled Cheese Eating Championship.
That wasn’t the end of his first successful year, though. After this success, Joey Chestnut defeated Sonya Thomas in the World Waffle Eating Championship at Waffle House. He also placed second, right after Kobayashi, in the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship qualifier. In the latter, he ate 56 Krystal Burgers in only eight minutes. In the final, he also finished second to Kobayashi, eating 91 hamburgers compared to his 97.
If you think this is impressive, you should learn about his following eating competitions!
Career Milestones and World Records
Over the years, Chestnut has beaten many records, won many competitions, and earned a fortune in the process. Let’s take a look at his biggest milestones to date:
- 2007: Chestnut won the Wing Bowl XV. This is an annual Philadelphia eating competition event held at the Wachovia Center. In it, Joey Chestnut ate a record 182 chicken wings in 30 minutes, becoming the Wing Bowl record holder and champion of the year.
- 2007: Chestnut ate 103 Krystal burgers in the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship in Tennessee, marking his first personal best and setting a new world record (which still stands today). He also ate 45 pulled pork sandwiches in 10 minutes at the Myrtle Beach World BBQ Eating Championship.
- 2008: The ‘hot dog-eating king’ set two more world records. In February, he ate 241 wings in half an hour at the Wing Bowl XVI in Philadelphia (a record later broken by Kobayashi in 2011 with 337 wings). He also set a new male record at The Big Texan Steak Ranch Restaurant in Amarillo, where he ate 4.5 lb. ribeye steak, baked potato, salad, shrimp cocktail, and roll – in less than nine minutes! That same year, Joey Chestnut set his second world record in 2008, beating his previous record of 212, when he ate 231 gyoza at the second Gyoza Eating Championship in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. He also defeated IFOCE’s second-highest-ranked eater Pat Deep Dish Bertoletti.
- 2009: Chestnut ate 10.5lb of macaroni and cheese in seven minutes during the halftime at the San Jose Stealth lacrosse game, setting a new record for his name. He also ate 5.9 lb. of funnel cake in ten minutes at the Kings Dominion World Funnel Cake Championship.
- 2010: Chestnut won the Shrimp Wontons Eating Contest in Singapore by eating 380 wontons in eight minutes.
- 2011: He ate 7.5 Pizza Hut P’Zones in 10 minutes at the Pizza Hut P’Zone Eating Contest.
- 2012: He set a new world record by eating 20 0.5 pounds of corned beef sandwiches in 10 minutes at the Toojay’s Corned Beef Eating Competition in Palm Beach Gardens.
- 2013: Chestnut ate 70 bratwursts and set the world record at the Hillshire Farm Bratwurst Eating World Championship in Cincinnati. He also ate 141 hard-boiled eggs in eight minutes at the Radcliff Fall Festival.
- 2015: Joey Chestnut ate 14.24 lbs. of Illegal Pete’s Burritos in 10 minutes and beat the previous record of 11.81 set in 2007.
- 2019: He won the World Poutine Eating Championship in Toronto after eating 28 pounds of poutine and setting a world record.
- 2020: Chestnut ate 32 Big Macs in 38 minutes and 15 seconds.
Joey Chestnut at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest
In 2006, the eater once again qualified for Nathan’s Contest when he ate 50 HDB. He then turned in an excellent performance but eventually lost to Kobayashi 52 to 53+3/4.
A year later, Chestnut and Kobayashi battled the eating field once again. They competed in a hot dog eating battle in Coney Island in New York, once again at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. This year, Chestnut finally beat Kobayashi 66 to 63. This was Kobayashi’s first defeat in Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in six years. Chestnut won with 66 hot dogs eaten.
In July of the following year, Chestnut tied Kobayashi in the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest when he ate 59 hot dogs and buns in only 10 minutes. A 5 hot dogs and buns eat-off followed, and Chestnut won.
In 2009, he set a new world record of 59 hot dogs and buns by eating 68 in the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
In 2012, he once again competed at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island, swallowing 69 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes and getting his 6th mustard belt for the competition.
Five years later, in July, Chestnut ate 72 hot dogs and buns, claiming his 10th title and setting a new record at the hot dog eating contest. In July 2018, he won his 11th title with a new record of 74 hot dogs and buns.
He won the title the following year but broke his record in 2020 when he ate a record-breaking 75 HDB in ten minutes. But, this didn’t last for long since in 2021, he ate 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, setting yet another record.
To date, the competitive eater has won 16th titles at this same competition, but he was recently banned from this year’s contest.
Ban from Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest
In 2024, the long-time title holder was banned from participating in the 2024 contest due to his competing sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods. Impossible Foods is a direct competitor to Nathan’s, and while this has led to quite the controversy, Chestnut will most likely not compete at the event this year.
“Joey was not banned. Joey chose not to compete in the contest the moment he chose to make an endorsement deal with one of Nathan’s competitors.” – explained one of Nathan’s Contest representatives.
Joey Chestnut, a 16-time champion of Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating contest, has won the event eight years in a row.
More: https://t.co/1ae6pWtrPs pic.twitter.com/iXUG0zKs3l
— ESPN (@espn) June 11, 2024
What Does Joey Chestnut Make from Competitive Eating?
The competitive eating icon has made the bulk of his fortune from his competitions, winnings, and endorsement deals. In 2022, he reportedly made $500,000, confirming that he was worth $4 million by 2023.
According to Forbes, he made $230,000 in 2014.
From Nathan’s Contest, the 16-time champion won $10,000 a year every time he won.
Other Investments and Income Sources of Joey Chestnut
As we mentioned, the bulk of Joey Chestnut’s net worth comes from his eating career, but his career earnings mostly come from endorsements, not competitions.
He has also appeared in TV shows and series, earned from social media, and has invested in some ventures. Let’s take a look at what else he earns his money from these days.
TV Appearances
In July 2012, Chestnut appeared in the 12th episode of Hell’s Kitchen in the show’s tenth season. On the screen, he participated in a wing-eating competition and won $500.
In 2020, he guest starred in the animated series Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, where he voiced himself.
In September 2024, the famous competitive eater is set to compete against his biggest rival Takeru Kobayashi in a live-streamed Netflix event titled Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef.
Business Ventures
In 2018, Chestnut launched his first business, a line of condiments called Joey Chestnut Eat. The company has products including:
- Boardwalk Coney Sauce
- Deli-Style Mustard
- Chestnut’s Firecracker Mustard
Social Media
The famous eater mostly uses his social media accounts for his endorsement deals and to promote his skills. His X account JoeyJaws has 77.1k followers as of July 2024. Based on this number, he is most likely earning quite a lot from social media alone.
Endorsement Deals
In 2024, Chestnut signed a $1.2 million endorsement deal with Impossible Foods, the deal that cost him his participation in Nathan’s contest this year. The deal is for four years.
While the details of his other deals haven’t been publicly disclosed, Chestnut has made social media posts endorsing Coney Island IPA, Pepto Bismol, Hostess, Hooters, and other brands.
What Can We Learn from Joey Chestnut’s Story?
Chestnut’s journey to a world-renowned, top competitive eater is a story of passion and strategic career decisions.
He found his passion during his college years and pursued it despite its unconventional nature. His passion was the cornerstone of his career, and he taught us that you must rely on your passions and your dreams, even if they stray from your original plans.
By starting his career while in college, Chestnut gained a head start that allowed him to build his reputation and skills early on, teaching us another important lesson.
Furthermore, his success can be attributed to consistent practice, as well as participation in numerous eating competitions. Throughout the years, he has refined his techniques and strategies, becoming one of the wealthiest and most successful in his chosen industry.
By winning numerous competitions and setting records, Chestnut increased his visibility. This, in return, helped him secure lucrative endorsement deals and further boost his high net worth.
Finally, beyond competitive eating, Chestnut ventured into business.
He launched at least one company, his line of condiments, and also engaged in TV appearances. All of this broadens his income sources and teaches us a lesson about financial stability and diversification of assets.