JOEY Chestnut is most dominant aggressive eater within the sport’s historical past.

He has virtually owned the trophy for Nathan’s Sizzling Canine Consuming Contest over the previous twenty years — that’s till he was banned.

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Who’s Joey Chestnut?

Joey Chestnut was born on November 25, 1983, in Fulton County, Kentucky.

As of June 2025, he’s ranked No 1 on this planet by Main League Consuming – a bunch that organizes skilled aggressive consuming occasions and tv specials.

Joey’s first Nathan’s Sizzling Canine Consuming championship was in 2007.

He beat six-time defending champ Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi consuming a record-breaking 66 sizzling canine and buns.

In July 2009, he set a brand new world file by downing 68 sizzling canine and went on to interrupt his file once more in 2013 after consuming 69.

Joey broke his personal contest file once more in 2020, consuming an astounding 75 sizzling canine.

He additionally took dwelling the 2023 trophy to make it 16 wins out of 17, so since triumphing over Kobayashi in 2007, Joey has solely misplaced as soon as on the annual occasion — in 2015.

Joey was as soon as engaged to Neslie Ricasa — he proposed to her on the 2014 Nathan’s Sizzling Canine Consuming Contest.

The pair cut up earlier than their deliberate wedding ceremony day and Neslie is now married to Drew Ely, who she shares two kids with.

Nonetheless, the recent canine consuming king did NOT defend his crown in 2024.

Why was Joey Chestnut banned from the 2024 Nathan’s Sizzling Canine Consuming Contest?

Regardless of his place as the competition’s most well-known participant, file winner and file holder, Joey did not collaborating in Nathan’s Sizzling Canine Consuming Contest 2024.

He was advised by organisers he could not compete due to his sponsorship cope with Not possible Meals — an organization selling meat-fee merchandise.

As The US Solar completely revealed in June 2024, Joey wasn’t really banned and was eligible to come back again to the competition, however provided that he ditched his Not possible Meals deal.

Nathan’s Sizzling Canine Consuming Contest MC George Shea advised The U.S. Solar: “We might by no means ban Joey Chestnut — we’re not banning him.

I can be thrilled to be returning to the Nathan’s Well-known Fourth of July Sizzling Canine Consuming Contest

Joey ChestnutX

“What occurred is after 20 years with Nathan’s he signed with a rival model, a plant-based meat model which is promoting sizzling canine which runs right into a battle with Nathan’s.

“Consequently that battle makes it that he cannot [take part on July 4] and that is at all times been the case.”

Nonetheless, he determined in opposition to ditching his sponsors and as an alternative appeared at an consuming contest in opposition to American troopers held at Fort Bliss, Texas.

However in June 2025, Joey and Main League Consuming introduced that the 41-year-old will return to compete within the Fourth of July custom.

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“I can be thrilled to be returning to the Nathan’s Well-known Fourth of July Sizzling Canine Consuming Contest,” Joey wrote on X.

What number of hotdogs did Joey Chestnut eat through the 2023 Sizzling Canine consuming contest?

Chestnut was not capable of set a brand new world file on the 2023 contest, however he was nonetheless capable of placed on a powerful present.

On the way in which to his sixteenth title, he was capable of eat 62 sizzling canine and buns following an extended delay for rain.

He set the file in 2021 — with a large 76 sizzling canine and buns — whereas in 2022 he needed to FIGHT OFF a protester who ran on stage.

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In response to Fox Information, the champ was interrupted by protesters about midway via the 10-minute occasion.

Joey reportedly grabbed a person across the neck and helped pull him to the bottom earlier than returning to his place.

One fan advised the media outlet: “Joey was on a file tempo. We must always have witnessed historical past.

“That man completely messed with [Joey’s] momentum.”

A person was arrested shortly after the altercation, Fox Information reported.

However in September 2024, Joey did handle to interrupt his personal world file.

He downed 83 sizzling canine to defeat Kobayashi as soon as once more in Netflix‘s Unfinished Beef occasion, held on Labor Day in Las Vegas — 15 years after the 2 aggressive consuming legends final competed in opposition to one another.