Champion eater Joey Chestnut talks to CNN about ‘grinding’ through competitions and being ‘drunk on food’

Being the worlds most prodigious eater wasnt quite the life or the career that Joey Chestnut had planned for himself when he was studying engineering and construction management at San Jose University, but a lobster-eating contest changed everything.

He already had a reputation for being the fastest around his family-of-eight dinner table and in his college dorms, too but he told CNN Sports that it was a different story when a competitive element was introduced.

I was actually hesitant, he recalled during an interview, because I didnt want to eat fast in front of people.

But as soon as I did the first contest, I fell in love with it.

And I was like: Oh my God, not only do I eat fast, but theyre encouraging me to keep going.

It was crazy! A career change was made and, soon, a star would be born.

According to Major League Eating yes, there really is such an organization Chestnut holds 56 records.

From deep fried asparagus spears (12.9 pounds) to glazed donuts (55) and virtually everything in-between, nobody can match the gargantuan quantities of food that he can devour at warp speed.

But hes most famous for his dominance at the annual July 4th Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York, where in 2021 he set a then-record of 76 hot dogs in just 10 minutes.

He also fondly ranks the 28 pounds of poutine and the 390 shrimp wontons he consumed among his proudest accomplishments and explains that none of it would be possible unless he ate like it was a sport and worshipped his body like a temple of gluttonous consumption.

I can see how some people dont call it a sport, he said, but considering the amount of time and work I put into it, its a sport to me.

Its a different athleticism .

Anyone whos witnessed Chestnut mashing fistfuls of food into his face can attest to how he acquired the nickname Jaws, and he almost revels in the inelegance of it all, comparing himself to the NBA legend Larry Bird.

He grinds, he put his body on the line, he wasnt necessarily graceful like other basketball players.

Ill grind, Ill find a way and Im going to muscle it down, even if its not pretty.

Chestnut says he has modeled his training regimen on a would-be marathon runner , who clocks a certain distance at a certain speed, before pushing to go further and faster.

He videotapes his practices and analyzes them to identify ways of eating faster, then after competition in the recovery period when he feels like a zombie drunk on food and reeking of whatever it is that hes just inhaled he resists the urge to purge it.

You can tell who does that because they never get any better, he cautions.

You have to build a tolerance, youre not gonna get any better if you dont digest it.

A rivalry for the ages Chestnut first competed at the Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2005, but it was two years later when he really burst onto the scene, downing 66 hot dogs and dethroning the six-time champion Takeru Kobayashi from Japan; a rivalry had been born.

Kobayashi unsuccessfully tried to win his Mustard Belt back from Chestnut in 2008 and 2009, after which a contractual dispute meant that Kobayashi was no longer able to compete at Coney Island.

Chestnut won the event 16 times until a purported contractual dispute also kept him away in 2024 .

But on Labor Day last year, Chestnut went back up against Kobayashi for the first time in 15 years, defeating Kobayashi in an event live-streamed by Netflix and surpassing his previous record with 83 hot dogs eaten in the 10 minutes.

I get goosebumps every time we go against each other, Chestnut, speaking before the contest against Kobayashi, enthused.

I dont know what hes capable of, so Im training with everything I have.

I can guarantee were gonna get a new record, if not one of us, then maybe both of us! Despite being arguably the two most famous eaters in the world, it doesnt sound like they have much of a relationship, partly because Chestnut says he wasnt nice to Kobayashi after the contractual issues in 2010.

I tried to say, Hello, this morning and he kind of looked past me, which is alright, were competitors, he explained.

When we do this contest, were gonna be pushing each other to uncomfortable limits, and if I really liked him, I wouldnt want to push him, but Im hoping afterwards Ill give him a big sweaty hug.

Chestnut will return to Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest on Friday having pledged his allegiance to Nathans Famous, the restaurant chain that hosts the hot dog eating competition every year.

Competitive eating is most popular in the United States, also in countries including Canada, Germany and Japan, but health experts have criticized it, and China banned it in 2021.

Training to expand stomach capacity is particularly frowned upon and medical experts say that consequences of such a lifestyle could be gastric ruptures, seizures caused by low sodium levels and the development of eating disorders.

Numerous people have died from choking, and in 2014, American competitive eater Patrick Bertoletti said that he was trading on an eating disorder for money .

Earlier this year, Kobayashi admitted that hed completely lost his appetite, and he could go several days without even realizing that he hadnt eaten.

Discussing Kobayashis situation, Chestnut expressed concern.

It kinda worried me, he said.

One of my biggest splurges is a concierge doctor.

It took me a while to find the right doctor, but hes very happy with the way everythings working.

Every kind of athlete has to look at the risks, and whether youre a football or tennis player or marathon runner, theres gonna be some long-term risks.

Having recently turned 40, Chestnut says that hes starting to limit his competitions and is trying to avoid weight fluctuations of 30 to 40 pounds: I have to make sure I stay away from any sugars, any kind of real starches, otherwise the weight really stays on.

Im putting a little bit more work into staying healthy so that I can keep doing what I love.

I still love to eat.

While by no means a picky eater, Chestnut does have limits.

He once turned down a sponsor who wanted him to consume a mound of butter in a gross out contest and says hed think twice about crab cakes on a hot day; he did that once and says that everyone was sick afterwards.

Though Chestnut is clear in that the better the food, the easier it is to tuck away.

So long as they make it taste good, Ill eat pretty much anything.

When asked if he could really taste the food when he was ramming it into his mouth at high speed, he recoiled in surprise: Dude, are you serious? Thats like, can a race car driver tell if theyre on a bad road? Yeah, if theres a bump on a bad road, its gonna hit harder.

If theres a flavor I dont like, oh my God, it hits me harder, and I have to eat it again and again.

(But) when the food is prepared good, theres no flavor fatigue and Im in my happy place.

Im a fat boy having fun.

No matter what anyone thinks of his career, Chestnut says that he wouldnt do anything differently.

Food brings everybody together, he explains, and everybodys happy.

And one day, when hes no longer eating competitively, how would he like to be remembered? He pauses for a moment and says: Joey Chestnut is a happy guy that didnt say no very often! Editors Note: This story has been updated with additional information..

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