39 year-old Joey Chestnut is a competitive eater who has won the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog eating contest a staggering 15 times! Now, that’s great success in the eating contest sphere, but how lucrative a career can this really be? After all, everybody knows how to eat, and many people go on massive refrigerator raids on a regular basis. So can Chestnut, who began his professional eating career in 2005 at a deep-fried asparagus eating competition (yes, that exists!), really be making a living at this?
A weird job
In a world where children are taught to study hard, get good grades, go to college, and work hard at a dependable job, Chestnut’s success seems like a slacker’s dream come true.
Fact is, Chestnut has scored a number of promotional deals with some big-name brands, and those make up a large part of his profits. But, it takes a certain talent (and perhaps a good gag reflex) to be able to reach his status. Did you know that this Westfield, Indiana native won the Fourth of July competition for a fifteenth time in 2022 when he managed to swallow 63 dogs in 10 minutes? It’s hard to be jealous of a man who can do something that would send most people to the bathroom, the hospital, or worse!
Chestnut is not a one trick pony, however. He eats a variety of foods at a lot of different competitions. This man has set no fewer than 55 world records in many different food-eating contests, including devouring 141 hard-boiled eggs in eight minutes and making 32 Big Mac sandwiches disappear in 38 minutes.
This brave soul left his job with a construction management company in Northern California to be a full-time competitive eater in 2010. Who among us has that kind of courage?
Before deciding to make competitive eating his career, digestion medicine brand Pepto-Bismol offered Chestnut promotional work to compete in four eating contests for $10,000 for each event. Chestnut took that sweet deal. He took time off work to compete, then after he was paid for the four events, Chestnut quit his full-time job to pursue eating championships.
What is Joey Chestnut’s net worth?
Last year, Joey Chestnut stated that he made more than $500,000 and that his net worth exceeds $4 million. So, kids: stay in school, but eat everything on your plate. It may just lead to a major payout!
