Joseph Christian Chestnut (born November 25, 1983) is an American competitive eater who holds 55 world records across 55 disciplines, and is currently ranked first in the world by Major League Eating. He has won the Mustard Yellow Belt a record 18 times. Chestnut is widely considered to be the greatest competitive eater in history.
On July 4, 2007, Chestnut won the 92nd Annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest held in Coney Island, Brooklyn. He 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. Chestnut would go on to win eight consecutive titles from 2007 to 2014, setting a Nathan's record of 69 HDB in 2013.
Chestnut lost the 2015 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest to Matt Stonie. On July 4, 2016, he regained the championship belt from Stonie by eating 70 HDB. Chestnut would win the title from 2016 to 2023, setting the current contest record in 2021 with 76 HDB. Chestnut was banned from participating in the 2024 contest due to a competing sponsorship with Impossible Foods. In September 2024, he competed against Kobayashi in a live-streamed Netflix event titled Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef, setting a new world record by consuming 83 HDB in 10 minutes. He returned to the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2025, winning his 17th title by eating 70.5 HDB, and won his 18th title in 2026 with 66 HDB.
Early life and education Chestnut was born in Fulton County, Kentucky, and grew up in Vallejo, California; he currently resides in Westfield, Indiana.
Chestnut earned a degree in engineering and construction management from San Jose State University.
Eating career
Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest results Contest Hot dogs & buns eaten Result 2026 Contest 66 1st place 2025 Contest 70.5 1st place 2023 Contest 62 1st place 2022 Contest 63 1st place 2021 Contest 76 1st place 2020 Contest 75 1st place 2019 Contest 71 1st place 2018 Contest 74 1st place 2017 Contest 72 1st place 2016 Contest 70 1st place 2015 Contest 60 2nd place 2014 Contest 61 1st place 2013 Contest 69 1st place 2012 Contest 68 1st place 2011 Contest 62 1st place 2010 Contest 54 1st place 2009 Contest 68 1st place 2008 Contest 59 1st place 2007 Contest 66 1st place 2006 Contest 52 2nd place 2005 Contest 32 3rd place
2005 Chestnut, a San Jose State University student, entered the competitive eating scene in 2005 with a break-out performance in the deep-fried asparagus eating championship, where he beat high-ranked eater Rich LeFevre by eating of asparagus in 11.5 minutes. That same year, during Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, Chestnut ate 32 HDB, placing third behind Takeru Kobayashi and Sonya Thomas.
On October 22, Chestnut set a new world record for downing 32.5 grilled cheese sandwiches in 10 minutes at the Arizona State Fair, as part of the GoldenPalace.net World Grilled Cheese Eating Championship circuit.
Chestnut defeated Thomas in the Waffle House World Waffle Eating Championship and placed second to Kobayashi in a Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship qualifier, eating 56 Krystal Burgers in eight minutes to his 67.
2006 Chestnut qualified for the 2006 Nathan's Contest by eating 50 HDB. As July 4 approached, there was speculation that 2006 might be the year when Kobayashi would be beaten.U.S. Pins Wiener-Eating Hopes on Chestnut . WashingtonPost.com. July 3, 2006. However, that was not to be. Although Chestnut turned in a great performance, leading Takeru Kobayashi through most of the contest, the final tally put Chestnut at 52 and Kobayashi at (a new world record). Chestnut lost to Kobayashi in the Johnsonville World Bratwurst Eating Championship in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He ate 45 bratwurst sausages in 10 minutes while Kobayashi ate 58.
In October, Chestnut placed second at the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship, eating 91 hamburgers in eight minutes to Kobayashi's 97.
2007 In 2007, Chestnut won the Wing Bowl XV, an annual Philadelphia event at the Wachovia Center. In this competition, he ate 182 chicken wings in 30 minutes, becoming a Wing Bowl champion and record holder.
Chestnut was seen on a YouTube video drinking a gallon of milk in 41 seconds.
On July 4, Chestnut and Kobayashi battled the field in a record-setting hot dog eating battle in Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. He knocked off Kobayashi 66–63, leading to the latter's first defeat in the contest in six years.
On October 28, between 2:33 and 2:41, Chestnut ate 103 Krystal burgers in the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This was Chestnut's personal best, and is the new world record.
2008 Chestnut set two new world records in 2008. On February 1, he ate 241 wings in 30 minutes at the Wing Bowl XVI in Philadelphia. However, this record was broken by Takeru Kobayashi at the Wing Bowl XX in 2011 with 337 wings.
On March 2, Chestnut ate 78 matzo balls during Kenny & Ziggy's World Matzoh Ball Eating Championship in Houston, Texas.
On March 24, Chestnut set a new male record at The Big Texan Steak Ranch restaurant in Amarillo, Texas, by eating a meal of ribeye steak, salad, baked potato, shrimp cocktail, and roll in just eight minutes and 52 seconds. Shortly afterwards, on his show on KKLA, previous record holder Frank Pastore congratulated Chestnut. (The overall human record is 4 minutes and 18 seconds, set by Molly Schuyler on April 19, 2015, on her first of three meals.)
On July 4, Chestnut tied Takeru Kobayashi in the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Contest after eating 59 HDB in 10 minutes. The tie resulted in a 5 HDB eat-off, which Chestnut won by consuming all five HDBs before Kobayashi. The 59 was a new record in the competition based on the reduction from 12 minutes to 10 minutes. Chestnut weighed in at .
On July 28, Chestnut lost to Takeru Kobayashi in Chicken Satay eating in the MLE Asia inaugural event. He consumed just over to Kobayashi's almost .
On August 23, Chestnut defeated IFOCE's second highest-ranked competitive eater Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti in the second Gyoza Eating Championship in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California. He devoured 231 gyoza, setting a new world record; he beat his previous record of 212, set at the inaugural event in 2006 when he narrowly defeated Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas (210). Thomas did not attend the 2008 event due to budgetary and travel costs.
On October 12, Chestnut consumed 45 slices of pizza, winning the "Famous Famiglia World Pizza Eating Championship", which was held in Times Square in New York. This was beaten by Bertoletti with 47 slices a few weeks later.
2009
On February 21, Chestnut consumed of macaroni and cheese in seven minutes during halftime at the San Jose Stealth lacrosse game, beating out his contestants and adding another world record to his name.
On June 21, Chestnut lost to Takeru Kobayashi in a Pizza Hut P'Zone competition at Sony Studios in Culver City, California. The competition aired on Spike TV that same day.
On July 4, Chestnut topped his previous record of 59 HDB by consuming 68 HDB in the 2009 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.
On September 27, Chestnut lost to Takeru Kobayashi in Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship. He ate 81 hamburgers while Kobayashi ate 93.
On Man v. Food in San Jose, California, Chestnut ate Iguana's Burritozilla: a , 17-inch burrito in three minutes, ten seconds.
2010 On May 8, Chestnut won Shrimp Wontons eating in Singapore. He ate 380 wontons in eight minutes to set a new world record.
On July 4, Chestnut secured his fourth straight Nathan's Hotdog Eating Contest, by consuming 54 HDB in what he described himself as a disappointing performance.
On September 25, at the Phantom Gourmet Food Fest in Boston, Massachusetts, Chestnut won the Upper Crust Pizza Eating competition by eating 37 slices in 10 minutes. He beat Bob Shoudt by one slice.
2011 On July 4, Chestnut secured his fifth straight Nathan's Hotdog Eating Contest, by consuming 62 HDB. Kobayashi, who could not participate in the contest because of his refusal to sign the required contract, ate 69 HDB at an off-site event with independent judges to establish a new world record.
2012
On March 17, Chestnut set a new world record by eating 20 half-pound corned beef sandwiches in 10 minutes at the annual Toojay's Corned Beef Eating Competition in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti finished in second place.
On July 4, Chestnut successfully defended his title at Nathan's 97th Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. He tied his own world record by swallowing 68 HDB in 10 minutes, which earned Chestnut his sixth "mustard belt" for this competition.
On July 16, Chestnut made a guest appearance on the 12th episode of Hell's Kitchen season 10, in which he participated in a wing-eating competition against a few of the contestants. He ended up winning the contest and earned $500.
On August 27, Chestnut cursed at Hofmann Hot dog and Kobayashi, stating in a Twitter post, "Congrats to @FReeKobio704 for eating a bunch of nasty Hoffman crap dogs. He needed an ego boost after three years of dodging competition." On September 2, Chestnut consumed 191 wings () in 12 minutes to win the first place competitive-eating trophy at the National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, New York. He defeated the previous five-year champion Sonya Thomas.On October 13, Chestnut won the Third Annual Smoke's Poutinerie World Poutine Eating Championships in Toronto, Ontario, by consuming 19 boxes () of poutine in 10 minutes.
2013 On July 4, Chestnut successfully defended his title at Nathan's 98th Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. He beat his own world record of 68 by consuming 69 HDB in 10 minutes, which earned Chestnut his seventh Mustard Belt for this competition.
On July 25, Chestnut ate 179 wings in 10 minutes taking the title for the second year in a row at the Hooters World Wing-Eating Championship held in Clearwater, Florida.
On September 22, Chestnut ate 70 bratwursts to set the world record and take his fourth straight title, at the Hillshire Farm Bratwurst Eating World Championship held at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio.
2014 On July 4, Chestnut ate more hot dogs and buns than any of his opponents, narrowly defeating competitor Matt Stonie. Chestnut successfully ate 61 hot dogs and buns to Stonie's 56, making this his eighth consecutive win. Prior to the event, Chestnut proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Neslie Ricasa.
2015 On July 4, Chestnut was defeated by Stonie. He successfully ate 60 hot dogs and buns, but Stonie improved since 2014 and consumed 62 hot dogs and buns, ending Chestnut's eight-year run as champion.
After a Denver Outlaws lacrosse game on May 24, Chestnut set a World Record eating of Illegal Pete's Burritos in 10 minutes, beating the previous record of 11.81 set in 2007 by Tim "Eater X" Janus.
2016 On July 4, Chestnut regained his title with 70 hot dogs and buns with Stonie behind with 53 hot dogs and buns.
On September 4, Chestnut won his third consecutive title at the United States Chicken Wing Eating Championships in Buffalo, New York, by eating 188 wings in 12 minutes.
2017 On July 4, Chestnut defended his title and ate 72 hot dogs and buns. This was his 10th title and once again set a new Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest record. Carmen Cincotti was the closest competitor with 60.
2018 In 2018, Chestnut competed in The Amazing Race 30 alongside fellow competitive eater Tim Janus, where they finished in 8th place out of 11 teams. On July 4, Chestnut won his 11th title at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest with a new record of 74 hot dogs and buns.
2019 On July 4, Chestnut won his 12th title at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, eating 71 hot dogs and buns.