Joseph Christian Chestnut, popularly known as Joey Chestnut, is an American competitive eater who holds the No. 1 position in the major diet league. The California native has proven himself in great performances in competitions such as: World Waffle Eating Championship (2005), World Hamburger Eating Championship (2005), Wing Bowl XV (2007), First of All times from the Pepto Bismol Bratwurst Eating Championship (2010), Toojay’s Corned Beef Eating Contest (2012) and The Amazing Race 30 (2018). Joey is now the defending Hot Dogs and Buns champion eating competition. Maybe you know Joey Chestnut very well, but do you know what his net worth is? In this article, we spill the details of Joey Chestnut net worth and more personal details about the salary of competitive eaters. 

Joey Chestnut Net Worth: How Much Did He Make From Eating Hot Dogs? 

Early and Personal life:

Born on November 25, 1983, Joey Chestnut will become 39 years old in 2023. 

Joey Chestnut was born in Fulton County, United States but went on to attend San Jose State University in San Jose. He graduated in 2012. 

The California native proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Neslie Ricasa, in 2014 and even planned a wedding in 2015. The competitive eater and his girl, however, broke up. Since then, he has not been open about his new relationship.

Height and Weight: 

He is 1.85 m tall and weighs 104 kg. 

Without question, “eating competitively” sort of defines the “Everything is easier said than done” quote. Eating such a large amount at once can be overwhelming and even more can lead to nausea, vomiting and choking. Participants are therefore only ready to take off after a lot of training. JC trains year-round by fasting and constantly stretching his stomach with protein supplements, water, and milk. Throughout the year, Joey’s weight fluctuates between 210 and 240 pounds.

Currently this 6-foot-1 competitive eater maintains a healthy lifestyle.

Since 2005 the weight of the chestnut has varied between 102 kg and 109 kg; i.e. 225 lbs to 240 lbs.

Joey Chestnut Net Worth:

As of October 2020, Joey Chestnut was worth $2 or-$2.5 million as of 2022. Joey is a ten time winner at Nathan’s contest, and has won a lot through competition.  It has been established that Joey’s only source of value is his career as a competitive eater. So let’s take a closer look at how Joey Chestnut accumulated his net worth.

Record breaker:

Chestnut is one of the highest ranked competitive eaters in the world. He revealed that his career wasn’t about eating; it is a question of dedication and dynamism. He explained that he is able to achieve such feats by fasting and stretching his stomach with milk, protein supplements and water. He attributed his success to the fact that he challenges himself every time, and he strives to do better than his previous records. He also set and broke several world records; these contributed to the value of his net worth. So let’s see what his records are:-

• Ten-time winner of Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest and simultaneously the world record holder in the contest.

• He ate ten and a half macaroni and cheese in 7 minutes at halftime at the 2009 San Jose stealth lacrosse game, making him the winner. 

• Won the American Chicken Wing Feeding Championship three times.

• World record holder in the fried asparagus eating contest.

• The first person to eat 141 hard-boiled eggs in 8 minutes which he achieved at the Radcliffe Fall Festival in 2013.

• The American Competitive Eater also holds the records for eating Matzoh balls (78 in eight minutes) and bratwurst (70 in 10 minutes). 

• He also set a new record at the GoldenPalace.net Grilled Cheese Eating Competition and placed second at the Waffle House World Waffle Eating Championship.

• At Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest, Chestnut earned his eighth consecutive victory by eating 61 hot dogs and buns. Joey’s all-time record in a competition was 71 hot dogs. 

• As of 2019, he has recorded 12 Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest titles and ranked No. 1 in the world for the Major League Eating Rankings .

Salary:

One of his top prizes during Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest was $10,000. 

With his signature Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest, Chestnut’s pure money among 12 titles is $120,000 so we can almost calculate how much he earned since 2005. You don’t have to break your head doing math, because sources reported an amount of $600,000. In 2019 alone, the American Competitive Eater made a total of $26,000 from 5 wins.

As noted, Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest winner prize is $ 10,000. The payment lists are as follows:

1. Winner: $10,000
2. Finalist: $5,000
3. Second Runner Up: $2,500
4. Fourth place: $1,500
5. Fifth place: $1,000

Competitive eaters are interested in gaining the most exposure throughout the year. A competitive eater at the peak of his career can easily earn $500,000 a year through cash prizes and sponsorships, but they are careful like Japanese Takeru Kobayashi who didn’t sign with Nathn’s hot dog eating competition because the contract only allowed him to compete there. 

Sponsorships: 

Chestnut, an American contestant who eats, earns big money from competition and sponsorship. It is not a new thing to learn from famous personalities to remain intact with associated companies. And here is Joey’s amazing appetite that attracts many companies, especially food companies. Therefore, a top eater like Joey can easily rack up between $250,000 and $500,000 a year through cash deals and sponsorships.

JC endorses Hooters (a restaurant), Hostess (a baking company), and Coney Island IPA (a brewing company). The American food maniac also promotes the drug brand Pepto Bismol; pretty smart company, to be honest! JC also has tie-ups with products of condiments in his name, including mustard, dipping sauce, curd sauce, and hot sauce, all of which help increase the fortune advantage.

Competitive Eating Career:

Joey Chestnut started his career as a competitive eater in 2005 when he entered the Fried Asparagus Championship while still a student at San Jose State. One of Joey’s first major events was an asparagus eating contest. During this competition, Joey came in first after eating nearly six and a half pounds of fried asparagus in just 11.5 minutes after defeating award-winning competitive eater Rich LeFevre. 

That same year, he entered the world famous Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, where he placed third after downing 32 hot dogs  after Takeru Kobayashi and Sonya Thomas. Chestnut-eating fame continued to grow, defeating Sonya Thomas at the Waffle House World Waffle House Championship in 2005 at Nathan’s famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest.

In 2006, Joey Chestnut was Nathan’s pageant favorite after qualifying by eating 50 hot dogs with buns. He however placed second after losing to Kobayashi.

In 2007, Joey Chestnut by eating 182 chicken wings in 30 minutes, became the new Wing Bowl XV champion. He also appeared in a viral YouTube video where he was seen drinking a gallon of milk in 41 seconds. Most impressively, he also won that year’s Nathan contest by defeating Kobayashi.

2008 was a great year for Joey; he won the Wing Bowl Championship by eating 241 chicken wings in 30 minutes, he placed second in the Pizza Hut P’Zone contest and he also won the “Famous Famiglia World Pizza Eating Championship” by munching 45 slices of pizza. He also tied with Kobayashi for Nathan’s contest.

He also won the 2009 Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest. 

2010 was no different, the competitive eater earned his fourth victory in the Nathan’s Hot Dog contest, and he also won the Upper Crust Pizza eating contest,

He won Nathan’s 2011 contest by default since Kobayashi did not enter the contest. 

After Nathan’s 8 Hot Dog Contest Title in 2014, everyone was equally convinced of Joey’s victory in 2015, but the year was very different. 

Joey Chestnut continued to defend his title in Nathan’s contest until his loss to Stonie in 2015. 

Matt Stonie, as Californian as Joey, won that year by breaking the winning streak by stopping Chestnut at 8-1; one that Chestnut lost since his breakthrough in 2006. Stonie beat him by eating 62 hot dogs while Joey was able to consume 60. 

However, Stonia’s title only lasted for a year. America’s biggest eater Joey Chessy won Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest again in 2016, the 9th title, after eating close to 70 hot dogs.

He regained his position in 2016 and successfully defended his title in 2017. At the US Chicken Wing Eating Championship, he also won his third title.

In July 2019, Joey won the 12th title at Nathan’s Hot Dog after eating 71 hot dogs.

House and assets: 

When imagining the life of a millionaire, the splendor of flashy attractions, expensive cars, mansions, and luxury homes springs to mind, however, Joey Chestnut seems to be among those who prefer the simple life.

Joey currently owns a home in San Jose, Calif., but has yet to open details. But we have sources that claim that a median home price is around $990,700. An Instagram with over 98k followers, Joey is tight-lipped about collecting cars and other assets. Most preferably, people drive Fords (base price $29,000) and Ram 1,500s ($33,000) in San Jose.

Other Interesting FAQs about Joey Chestnut:

Who is the number 1 competitive eater in the world? 

Joey Chestnut is a holder of 43 world records in 43 different disciplines, Chestnut has won Nathan’s competition more than any other competitor and has broken his own records multiple times in the process. 

Who is the richest competitive eater? 

Japan’s very own Takeru Kobayashi is a world record holder competitive eater who has a net worth of $3 million. Kobayashi was born in Nagano, Japan in 1978. Takeru Kobayashi earned his net worth through the many culinary competitions he entered and won and through sponsorships and endorsements. 

Who is the best competitive eater on an international scale? 

#1. Joey Chestnut. Vallejo, CA. 

#2. Geoffrey Esper. Oxford, MA. 

#3. Darron Breeden. Orange, Virginia. 

#4. Matt Stonie. Las Vegas, Nevada. 

#5. Miki Sudo. Tampa, Florida. 

#6. Nick Wehry. Tampa, Florida. 

#7. Gideon Oji. Tomorrow, GA. 

# 8. Max Suzuki. Tokyo, Japan. 

How much does competitive eater Matt Stonie earn per episode? 

Matt Stonie can make big money from sponsors. Using this range, statistics show that Stonie earned anywhere from $14,700 to $235,000 in a recent month, which allowed him to earn anywhere from $176,000 to $235,000 in a year purely thanks to advertisements. 

Who is better, Matt Stonie or Joey Chestnut? 

On July 4, 2015, Pierre defeated eight-time defending Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest champion Joey Chestnut by eating 62 hot dogs to Chestnut’s 60. On July 4, 2016, Stonie came in second behind Chestnut, eating 53 hot dogs against Chestnut’s 70. 

Who is the number 1 competitive eater? 

Joey Chestnut is ranked through any measure, the greatest eater of all time. A holder of 43 world records in 43 different disciplines, Chestnut has won Nathan’s competition more than any other competitor and has broken his own records multiple times in the process. 

Who is the slowest eater? 

The slowest (human) eater in the world goes to Mike Eck.  It takes him about 4 hours to ingest a burrito. 

Who is the highest paid competitive eater? 

With sponsorships and product endorsements Joey Chestnut is a household name and probably has something more interesting with MLE. Chestnut’s career earnings have also increased his bank account. The American competitive eater has earned at least $600,000 winning contests, according to the New York Post and his net worth is estimated to be between 2 and 2.5 million as of 2022. 

Who is the fastest eater in the human world? 

Takeru Kobayashi (born March 15, 1978) is a Japanese competitive eater with an incredible speed. 

Who is a faster eater Joey Chestnut or Matt Stonie? 

Matt S, the professional eater, and owner of 14 competitive eating records was the latest guy to beat Joey Chestnut at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. He consumed 85 MoonPies in eight minutes, 255 Peeps in five minutes, and a full McDonald’s Happy Meal (including soda) in 15.22 seconds. 

How do competitive eaters stay lean? These athletes work out by drinking water and eating tons of hearty, low-calorie foods to “teach” their stomachs to expand. Between 2 to 4 p.m. before the competition, these competitors stop eating and start drinking lots of water to keep their stomachs stretched. 

Do hot dogs shorten life?

The study found that replacing just 10% of the animal foods you eat each day with certain other foods, such as fruits, vegetables and legumes, could help you gain 48 minutes of healthy living each day. 

Is competitive eating bad for your health? 

Some of the negative health effects of competitive eating include delayed stomach emptying, aspiration pneumonia, gastric perforation, Boerhaave syndrome, and obesity. 

Is competitive eating a waste of food? 

If a restaurant is holding a foodie contest and they get the amount of food needed for the event wrong, there may be a little more food waste than normal, but usually, spectators are allowed to bring home and eat leftover food intact after eating competitions, and so hopefully the food is not wasted.