Joey Chestnut Biography
Joey Chestnut is an American competitive eater and a 16-time winner of Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. He entered his first Nathan’s contest in 2005 and hasn’t lost in the competition since 2015.
Joey Chestnut Age
How old is Joey Chestnut? Joey is 39 years old. He was born on November 25, 1983, in Fulton County, Kentucky, United States.
Joey Chestnut Height and Weight
He is 6 feet 1 inch tall (approximately 1.85m or 185cm). He also weighs 104 kg (229 pounds).
Joey Chestnut Nationality
Born and raised in the United States of America, Joey is American by nationality.
Joey Chestnut Education
Chestnut holds a degree in Engineering and Construction Management from San Jose State University.
Joey Chestnut Parents
Joey was born in Fulton County, Kentucky, and grew up in Vallejo, California. He is the son of Merlin Chestnut and Alicia Chestnut. His father Merlin, a Massachusetts native served in the air force in Vietnam. He left when Joey was 2 years old. Joey and his five siblings; Carmel Chestnut, Melody Chestnut, Lucky Chestnut (Becky), Paul Chestnut (Tawny), and Will Chestnut (MK) were raised by their mom Alicia who grew up in Santa Cruz, CA.
Joey Chestnut Wife
Is Joey Chestnut married? Joey is not married. He proposed to his longtime girlfriend Neslie Ricasa just before defending his title in the 2014 Nathan’s competition. However, the couple split up in early 2015, prior to their scheduled wedding date. He currently resides in Westfield, Indiana.
Joey Chestnut Record
Chestnut is an American competitive eater and he is ranked first in the world by Major League Eating. As of 2023, he is a 16-time winner of Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. He first participated in the contest in 2005 and hasn’t lost in the competition since 2015.
On July 4, 2007, Chestnut won the 92nd Annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest held in New York, New York. 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. The following year, he successfully defended his title by winning a five-hot dog eat-off after tying Kobayashi in consuming 59 HDB in ten minutes. On July 4, 2009, Chestnut beat Kobayashi again, by consuming a world record 68 HDB and winning his third consecutive title. On July 4, 2010, Chestnut took home his 4th consecutive Mustard Belt eating 54 HDB. The 2010 contest was a runaway victory, as Kobayashi did not compete due to a contract dispute with Major League Eating.
On July 4, 2011, he won his fifth-consecutive championship with 62 HDB. 2012 marked his sixth consecutive win when Chestnut tied his own world record from 2009 by devouring 68 HDB. In 2013, Chestnut captured his seventh straight title, eating a total of 69 HDB, breaking his previous world record. In 2014, Chestnut captured his eighth straight title eating a total of 61 HDB.
Chestnut lost the 2015 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest to Matt Stonie. On July 4, 2016, Chestnut regained the championship belt from Stonie by eating 70 hot dogs, 3.5 hot dogs short of his record-setting qualifying round. A year later on July 4, 2017, he raised the bar again by raising his record to 72 hot dogs; and again the following year to a world record of 74. In 2019, he secured a twelfth title with 71 HDB but failed to beat his previous record. In 2020, he consumed 75 HDB, a world record for the contest, and in 2021, he consumed 76 HDB, breaking his own world record for the contest.
Chestnut in a return to the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues consumed 63 Nathan’s Famous HDB in 2022, his 15th championship, despite a ruptured tendon in his leg. On July 4, 2023, he captured his 16th title by eating 62 HDB. The event was nearly canceled due to thunderstorms but ended up starting after a 2-hour delay.
Joey Chestnut Injury
In 2022, Chestnut competed in Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest with a ruptured tendon in his leg. Chestnut arrived at the event’s official weigh-in on crutches although he insisted the injury won’t impact his performance.
Joey Chestnut Net Worth
Chestnut has an estimated net worth of $4 million as of 2023. This is after Chestnut told USA Today that his net worth is $4 million after he made $500,000 in 2022 alone.
