World champion eater looks forward to returning to Big EDate: 8/23/2018 WEST SPRINGFIELD – World champion competitive eater Joey Chestnut – known for eating 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes at the 2018 Fourth of July Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest – will be returning to the Eastern States Exposition to compete in the third annual White Hut Cheeseburg Eating Championship.
Last year, Chestnut ate 52 cheeseburgs in 10 minutes, setting a new world record. This year’s competition will take place on Sept. 15 at 12 p.m. on the Court of Honor Stage – which is sponsored by Mattress Firm. All competitors are professional eaters and will have 10 minutes to consume as many White Hut cheeseburgs as they can.
Chestnut is a California native and is currently ranked first in the world by Major League Eating. In 2007, he won the 92nd Annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest for the first time, beating six-time defending champion Takeru Kobayashi. He has defended the title 11 times since then – his only loss being in 2015.
Reminder Publishing spoke with Chestnut to see how he’s preparing for The Big E competition and to learn more about his strategies. The following is a lightly edited version of the interview.
Reminder?Publishing: Before we get into competing, tell me a little bit about your background first.
Joey Chestnut:?I’m from Vallejo, CA. I moved to San Jose for school – I went to San Jose State University to study civil engineering. I worked part time in construction and went into construction management. However, I realized I wanted to be a competitive eater at 21 when I was still in college. It was my little brother – he knew I could eat more than anyone in the family. Growing up, we had four boys in the family. We would compete in everything. Me and my little brother would lose in everything except for eating – and he knew I could eat more than him. When I was in college, I would eat healthy during the week and then go home to my parents’ house on the weekends. I would eat all of their food and binge. So, my brother knew I really could eat more than anyone. He entered me into a lobster-eating contest in 2005.
RP:?Was there a defining moment where you realized this is what you wanted to do full-time?
JC:?Even when I started doing it, it wasn’t like I wanted to make it my job – I never thought I could make it my job. It was weird – the first time I didn’t even want do it; I just did it for my brother. I’m actually a really shy guy. The hardest part was being on stage and eating in front of everyone. But afterwards, I was like, ‘I think I can do this and I think I can win.’ Then I won the second competition and realized I loved it. I loved traveling and making people happy as I ate. Then my goal was to beat Kobayashi. After I beat him, I just kept getting bigger and bigger. I never imagined giving up my day job. But now, I travel around and eat and it really is the best job I ever could imagine. I don’t know how it happened, but it did and I’m just so happy.
RP: What does it mean to be a competitive eater? What does it entail?
JC:?There are no coaches or books, so it’s been a lot of trial and error, figuring out my body and just paying attention. Being really in tune with my body – knowing when I’m empty, when I feel full and if that’s just a feeling or if I’m actually full – is really important. I’m learning how much I can push my limits. One of the biggest myths is that competitive eaters eat like this all the time and that’s not at all true. After a contest, I’m eating really healthy. I eat a high-fiber diet to try to get everything out and cleanse my system. Before a competition I fast. It’s a lot of body manipulation and prep.
RP: Can you elaborate more on your preparation and recovery process?
JC: Immediately after a competition, I do a high-fiber diet – romaine lettuce, cucumbers and I might even go for some blue cheese dressing because it makes even a romaine salad taste good. It usually takes almost two days to start recovering, which is normal for anyone who pushes their body past their limits. Think about a boxer, it will take a week for them to recover. I think once I started realizing that I’m not going to feel good after eating contests, I was able to push myself even farther and it helped. Fasting before a competition is a big deal. It took me a while to get my fasting down. You want to be empty, but not empty for so long that those stomach muscles aren’t used to stretching. So, I fast for about a day and a half before a competition. To prepare for the White Hut competition, I will have a protein supplement, coffee, water and lemon juice.
RP: What motivates you to continue doing this for a living?
JC: I’ve had real jobs in construction management. I had a boss and we’d have to argue over money and changes and schedules and all those things. This is just a beautiful contest where you can eat, win and make people happy. It’s so simple. I feel like a kid – I’m 34 and there’s something so simple about it; it’s like playing a game or a sport for your job. Plus I get to push myself physically and mentally. I really do love eating, so, I get paid to do what I love. I do love the little aspects of all the competitions – meeting new people while I’m traveling and eating good food – it doesn’t feel like a job.
RP:?What is the most challenging part about competing?
JC:?Just figuring out my body. It took a long time and I have finally figured out my body. But, it was a lot of work to learn about my body and a lot of trial and error. I guess the hardest part always changes. When I was younger, the hardest part was learning about my body. Now, the hardest part is traveling all the time. I have a dog and I have to take care of my dog when I travel. I still love the traveling, but it’s hard.
RP: Do you consider what you do a sport?
JC:?Absolutely. If I thought of it as just a hobby, I wouldn’t be able to devote the amount of time and energy I do. So, I see it as a sport, and most of the people who actually watch the contests see it as a sport.There will always be critics and they’re absolutely entitled to their opinions, but I have to see this as a sport. I’m really lucky because I’ve somehow developed a fan base and they support me and encourage me – it’s great to have. I know what I do is weird – I’m not disillusioned at all. It’s weird and it’s out there, but it’s fun.
RP: You’ve definitely gained a fan base – I think it’s safe to say you’re the new face of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. What is that competition like? What are your strategies?
JC:?It’s my Super Bowl, World Series, and Daytona combined into one. It’s the biggest contest – I put more work into that contest than I do any other contests combined. If you’re a competitive eater, you have to go out there and do your best. It takes about two months of preparation, which involves practice contests and fasting. I increase the amount of food I eat every practice contest to build my tolerance. During the competition, I eat two pieces of meat at a time and a bun and a bun – both buns are wet. I chew enough to swallow comfortably, sometimes I swallow too big of a chunk and it slows me down. The muscles in my throat are pretty strong – even if something gets stuck there I can work it up or down. Hopefully, I can get the buns wet enough so I don’t have to drink water during the contest – that’s one of the goals. If my throat is nice and strong, it’ll all work out perfectly.
RP: How does the White Hut competition compare to the hot dog contest?
JC:?Well, with the cheeseburgers, there’s more meat. They also have cheese and caramelized onions – there’s a lot more flavor, which doesn’t bother me at all. They taste delicious. There is also no dunking at the White Hut contest, so I’m eating it like a burger with one hand, and drinking water with the other to help me swallow. Last year, I found a pretty good rhythm. It was my first time at the White Hut contest, and usually I get better every year so I’m hoping I can improve this year.
RP:?Are you looking forward to coming back to the area?
JC:?Absolutely. The venue is amazing. There were so many people last year and the crowd was electric. I was also amazed at how big the fair is. It’s amazing. I’m excited to get back there. I was a bit late last year, so I’ll be sure to be there early this year.
RP:?Why do you think people enjoy watching these competitions?
JC: It’s different. There are some people who are like, ‘Oh my God, yes,’ and other people who are like, ‘Oh my God, it’s so weird.’ I think there are a couple of things that everybody can kind of relate to. Everybody loves to eat – whether you admit it or not – and everybody has some kind of food where they’re like, ‘I wonder how much of this I can eat.’ Not everyone knows what it feels like to hit a homerun or play other sports, but everyone knows what it’s like to eat and feel full or to want to eat more. So, everybody can kind of relate. I feel like there’s a little intrigue – for the most part there are a lot of smiles at the competitions.
RP: Lastly, and maybe most importantly, do you think a hot dog is a sandwich?
JC:?The hot dog is its own thing now. If you start calling a hot dog a sandwich, then anything with meat can be considered a sandwich. Is a gyro a sandwich? Well, then you might as well make a burrito a sandwich as well. I think sliced bread is a big contributing factor to the sandwich.
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