Joey Chestnut wins Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2023

Joey Chestnut’s dominance as America’s top eater continued into 2023. The king of competitive eating added another Mustard Belt title to his resumé on the 4th of July, winning Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest once again.

Chestnut was on a mission after a two-hour delay due to weather. Joey “Jaws” downed 62 hot dogs on Tuesday, winning his 16th Mustard Belt and taking the top prize in the event for an eighth-consecutive year. It’s just another major accomplishment for the greatest athl-eat we’ve ever seen.

It wasn’t a record-breaking performance for the eating champion, but he did win the event by a wide margin, eating 13 more hot dogs than anyone else in the field.

How does Chestnut’s success in the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest compare to some of the other all-time great champions in sports? Bill Russell won 10 NBA championships. Tom Brady won seven Super Bowl rings. Michael Jordan owns six NBA titles. Tiger Woods is a 15-time major champion.

The only one to really compare Chestnut’s success to? WWE legend Ric Flair, a 16-time World Heavyweight Champion. Talk about elite-level company.

Even at age 39, Joey Chestnut is showing no signs of slowing down. Now the question becomes, can he reach the milestone of winning 20 Mustard Belts in his lifetime? It almost feels inevitable after this year’s victory.

Joey Chestnut comments on winning 16th Mustard Belt

Although Chestnut said setting a new world record at 77 hot dogs was “doable” in a recent podcast appearance on Pardon My Take, he came up well short of that goal. Still, Joey “Jaws” chowed down on 62 hot dogs to win his 16th Mustard Belt.

But he’s not satisfied with just getting the win at Coney Island. He wants to continue to break world records — which he already owns (76).

“Oh my gosh, yes, I love to push myself. I’m getting older,” Chestnut said. “I’m 39. It’s great to be able to push for a new records and know that I can still push my body to new limits. Today, things got in the way, but I’ll be coming back.”

In perhaps the most unsurprising comment of the day, Chestnut said he still “had some leftover room” after eating 62 hot dogs. What will he be consuming the rest of the Fourth of July?

“I’ll be having some beers later,” he said.