:PROFILE [image:https://cdn.slatesource.com/c/a/3/ca3e7dfc-200e-438b-b3fa-c7460804bf43.webp]
Joey Chestnut
Vallejo, CA (based in Indianapolis, IN)
Competitive eater. 18 Mustard Belts. 55 world records. 76 HDB in 10 minutes. Age 42. 

:STATS

:MAP
40.5748,-73.9796,Nathan's Famous Coney Island. Where it all happens
41.8827,-87.6233,Patrick Bertoletti. Chicago, IL. 2024 champion, 2026 runner-up (51 HDB)
-33.8688,151.2093,James Webb. Sydney, Australia. 2026 third place (47.5 HDB)
37.3382,-121.8863,Joey Chestnut origin. Grew up in San Jose area, CA
39.7684,-86.1581,Joey Chestnut home base. Indianapolis, IN

:INFO
How the contest works
Ten minutes. As many hot dogs and buns as possible. Competitors dip the bun in water to compress it, split the dog in two, and alternate. The technique was invented by Takeru Kobayashi in 2001, when he doubled the existing world record in one afternoon and changed the sport forever. Major League Eating sanctions the event. The winner takes the Mustard Belt and $10,000.


:STATS

:NOTE
The "1916 founding contest" is a myth. Promoter Morty Matz admitted in 2010 that the story of four immigrants competing patriotically on the Fourth of July was invented in the 1970s to generate press. The first documented contest was actually held in the early 1970s.


:NOTE
Kobayashi's 2001 appearance changed everything. He ate 50 HDB, nearly doubling the record, and introduced the Solomon Method: split the dog lengthwise, dunk the bun in water, alternate rapidly. Chestnut defeated him in a legendary 2007 showdown, 66 to 63.


:QUOTE [quotetype:plain, subtitle:Joey Chestnut]
I feel like I had a good performance today. The heat definitely played a factor.


:LINK
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan%27s_Hot_Dog_Eating_Contest
Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest: full history and records