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Topics: Celebrity Net Worth
Harry Smailes
The professional eater recently defended his title at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest and now fans are wondering how much money the king of eating has made from his rather unique career.
Chestnut entered the competitive eating theatre in 2005 when he won a deep-fried asparagus eating contest, outdoing fellow competitive eater Rich LeFevre.
He continued to make a name for himself until, in 2007, he impressed at the prestigious Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest by dethroning six-time champion Takeru Kobayashi.
In order to beat Kobayashi, Chestnut had to eat a ridiculous 66 hot dogs in 10 minutes, a world record at the time.
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Since laying down the gauntlet in 2007, Chestnut has constantly upped the bar in competitive eating, breaking his own hot dog eating record on three separate occasions to where it currently sits at a jaw-dropping 76.
His speed-eating skills have earned Chestnut the title of most world records held, breaking 55 world records.
This ridiculous tally is why Major League Eating, the institution that organises competitive eating tournaments, has him ranked as the world’s best eater.
When it comes to hot dogs, Chestnut is certainly king, having defended his title 14 times, only losing out to competitive eater and YouTuber Matt Stonie in 2015.
Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest 2022 has recently hit headlines as protesters who were advocating animal rights interrupted the competition and Chestnut, taking matters into his own hands, choked a man in a Darth Vader costume and dragged him to the ground; he then went on to win the contest regardless!
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With his name in the limelight again, fans are wondering how lucrative professional eating is and what Chestnut’s net worth is.
Joey Chestnut is worth a whopping $2.5 million (£2.04 million), as reported by The Sun.
The Sun goes on to remark that Chestnut rakes in an astonishing salary of $500,000 (£408,000).
Evidently, a degree of his income is generated from triumphs in eating contests, though prize money is not particularly high for most competitions.
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The majority of Chestnut’s capital has come from brand endorsements and the number of products he has attached his name to. Chestnut has been endorsed by Hooters, Coney Island IPA and even (peculiarly) Pepto Bismol in the past.
Accompanying prize money and endorsements, Chestnut sells a line of condiments for roughly $7-8 (£5.70 - £6.50) a bottle.
Chestnut is relatively inactive on all forms of social media but does occasionally update fans with restaurant appearances or will post to endorse certain food products.
He currently has 47.6 thousand followers on Twitter and 87.1 thousand followers on Instagram.
(all figures correct as of 05/07/2022)