The favorite to win the July 4 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest has said he earned over $500,000 last year alone
Competitive eating champ Joey Chestnut hasn’t only been putting away hot dogs for almost two decades — he’s also put a few million dollars under his belt, including more than $500,000 last year alone.
In fact, Chestnut, 39, who’s favored to win the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island for the 16th time this July 4, told USA Today that his net worth now exceeds $4 million, largely thanks to his piles of prize money, his paid appearances and his endorsement deals — with Pepsi being a recent “game-changer,” he said.
Indeed, Chestnut has come a long way from when he made his Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest debut in 2005. The San Jose rookie and then-unknown made a splash that year by coming in third place after chowing down 32 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes. So where does the money come from? Chestnut started out working in construction while dabbling in competitive eating on the side. But he was able to leave his job at a construction management company in 2010 to focus on competitive eating full time. He told USA Today that he took the leap of faith when Procter & Gamble-owned PG Pepto Bismol tapped him for four competitive eating contests in 2010 for $10,000 per event.
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