Nathan's Hot Dog Champ Joey Chestnut Has Over 50 Eating World Records

By Adam Barnhardt

For the 16th time in 17 years, Joey Chestnut reigned supreme during the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Contest. Tuesday, the top-ranked eater bested the field at the Coney Island celebration by eating 62 HDB (hot dogs and buns) during the contest's 10-minute limit. Chestnut's 2023 total is over a dozen short of his world record, one of dozens to his name. In fact, after his win, many were left wondering just how many world records belonged to a professional eater of Chestnut's stature.

As you might expect from the best to ever do it, Chestnut has over 50 records to his names in a variety of disciplines. Most popularly, Chestnut set a new record of 76 HDB at the 2021 Nathan's Hot Dog Contest. He's also one of the world's best taco eaters, playing host to world records in 3-inch taco, cow-brain taco, and beef taco speed contests. See a comprehensive list of Chestnut's records below.

The Nathan's Hot Dog Contest is arguably the Super Bowl of Major League Eating, a global organization that hosts weekly contests for professional eaters. The group's popularity spiked at the height of the pandemic when it was one of the few events to continue operating amid global shutdowns.

"We have gotten more inquiries than ever and I think some of it came from when we announced that we were doing the event no matter what, that really touched a nerve," Major League Eating commissioner George Shea told ComicBook.com at the time. "And it got a lot of press and a lot of people said, "You know what? rock on." And I've gotten tons of calls and we hand them off to Sam on our team who manages that. But lots of people have contests — barbecue, chicken wings — and so will they happen this year? I think next year. So I think that what happens is we have to get to 2021, I think in order to do what we do best, which is to hold a live event where people go, "Ww, I wasn't expecting that, that was exciting, that was hilarious, I'm coming back next year."

"That's kind of what we deliver, this stealth product where everybody goes, 'Is Joey coming in? Are the top eaters coming in to eat big numbers?'" Shea continued. "And then they go wait, "That was really fun, the whole thing." That requires a live audience, that requires 2021, and really honestly, that requires a vaccine. So I think we are going to be doing virtual events, but when you do a virtual event, now you're talking about eating proper, right? You're gonna get me in the hat, you're gonna get Richard commenting and being the host, but you're not getting that vibe of the energy of the crowd. But we will be doing virtual events, but [returing to live events] a 2021 play, I think."

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