Joey Chestnut is the most famous competitive eater in the country, as he has become the face of the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.
However, Chestnut doesn't just show up to the contest on July 4th without preparing. The 41-year-old spends the first half of the year preparing for the event, which takes up much of his time every year.
Therefore, it's hard for Chestnut to commit this much time to the hot dog eating contest and carry a full-time job in another field. Here's a breakdown of Chestnut's career choices and how he got to this point.
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What does Joey Chestnut do for a living?
Chestnut is a full-time professional competitive eater for Major League Eating.
While he is best know for his Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest performances, Chestnut has competed in a variety of eating contests and holds the record in over 50 different food eating contests.
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Does Joey Chestnut have a day job?
Joey Chestnut has made a career out of professional eating, but in the beginning, he did primarily compete on the side while he had a main job.
As Chestnut rose in the professional eating world in the 2000s, he worked for a construction management company during the week, while competing on the weekends. However, he left that job in 2010 to pursue competitive eating full-time at the young age of 26 years old.
"My mom was worried," Chestnut said about his career change, via USA Today. "I mean, it's nice to have a job. You've got health care and retirement, all that stuff. So I had to convince my mom that I still had a plan for all that stuff."
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How does Joey Chestnut train for hot dog contest?
Chestnut begins preparing for the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest six months before the event, according to Business Insider. He begins by working out and getting in shape at the start of the year before adding in the hot dogs in April.
Chestnut spends the months leading up to the contest with practice hot dog eating contests, where he prepares for the contest at the beginning of the week with a two-day cleanse, competes in the middle, then recovers for a few days at the end with a normal diet. He usually begins the practicing at the end of April, then repeats the process every week for the next few months.
Additionally, Chestnut has specific jaw and throat exercises that allows him to eat the hot dogs more easily.
"In between practices, I'm working on my jaw and throat," Chestnut said, via Business Insider. "I have a weird routine of exercises I do that really make those little muscles in my jaw and throat much stronger."
Joey Chestnut career earnings
According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, Chestnut has a net worth of $3 million and earns over $500,000 each year. That money mainly comes from sponsorship deals and prize money winnings.
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