What does Joey Chestnut do for a living? Net worth and earnings explored as competitive eater creates history at Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest

On Monday, July 4, Joey Chestnut became the champion of Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest for the 15th time. He won this year's Fourth of July competition by eating 63 hot dogs within 10 minutes. Chestnut, who was defending his title, became the champion with a 20 hot dog difference from Geoffrey Espel, who placed second.

This win is not only his 15th but also his seventh consecutive one. The professional hotdog eater has been on a winning streak since 2016.

However, this was not the 37-year-old's personal record. Chestnut ate 76 hot dogs last year, which is currently the official Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest record under ten minutes.

What is known about competitive eater Joey Chestnut's records and earnings?

According to Major League Eating, Joey Chestnut has been ranked number one in competitive eating worldwide. Aside from Nathan's Hot Dog competition, Chestnut also holds multiple records in competitive food eating.

As per Huddle Up, Chestnut holds the record in the following categories:

Hard-boiled eggs: 141 in 8 minutes
Glazed donuts: 55 in 8 minutes
Pulled pork sandwiches: 45 in 10 minutes
Taco Bell softshell beef tacos: 53 in 10 minutes
Krystal's hamburgers: 103 in 8 minutes
Twinkies: 121 in 6 minutes
Chicken wings: 413 in 12 hours
Big Mac sandwiches: 32 in 38 minutes
Tamales: 102 in 12 minutes
Grilled cheese sandwiches: 47 in 10 minutes
Ice-cream sandwiches: 25.5 in 6 minutes
Pepperoni rolls: 43 in 10 minutes.

While there are not many lucrative awards for eating competitions, Joey Chestnut's net worth is pegged at $2.5 million by CelebrityNetWorth. He won the first prize of $10,000 at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, and he has fetched up to $150,000 with his fifteen years of wins.

According to a Distractify article published in 2020, Chestnut reportedly participates in competitive eating competitions for his primary income. Thus, it can be said that the California native is a professional eater.

As per his biography page on his website, Joey Chestnut graduated from San Jose State University after multiple years of enrollment in 2012. He holds a degree in civil engineering and construction management. However, he took several years to attain this degree as several professional eating competitions (that he had been participating in since 2005) kept him busy over the years.

As per CelebrityNetWorth, a competitive eater can earn anywhere from $250,000 to $500,000. However, Chestnut's earnings seem much more modest, as hinted by his alleged fortune after 17 years of his career as a pro-eater in eating competitions.

This amount, of course, depends on the type of competitions and the prize money involved. The most well-known eating competition in the USA offers prizes that range from $1,000 to $10,000 approximately. Furthermore, competitive eaters can also earn compensation from brand endorsements of restaurant chains, food products, and even cooking-related products.

According to Huddle Up, Chestnut has endorsement deals with Hooters, Hostess, Coney Island IPA, as well as acidity medication Pepto-Bismol. Furthermore, Chestnut has also indulged in merchandising.

The pro-eater has multiple sauces, dips, and mustard line-ups that he sells through his official online store. These condiments range from $7.50 per unit to $44 for a pack of six. Furthermore, Chestnut has a YouTube channel with over 254,000 subscribers, which is also expected to add to his monthly income.

Edited by Siddharth Satish