Joey Chestnut claimed his 18th title at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, 2026, consuming more than 17,000 calories in just 10 minutes. He ate a total of 66 hot dogs and buns at Coney Island, defeating runner-up Patrick Bertoletti by 15 hot dogs.
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According to nutritional information from Nathan's beef franks and Wonder bread, Chestnut ingested approximately 17,820 calories during the contest. His meal included 38,940 milligrams of sodium, 1,716 grams of carbohydrates, and 594 grams of protein, along with 891 grams of fat, 396 grams of saturated fat, and 1,320 milligrams of cholesterol.
Chestnut has dominated the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, winning the last 10 events he has entered. He missed the 2024 contest due to a ban related to a competing sponsorship deal but returned in 2025, winning by eating 70.5 hot dogs. At 42 years old, Chestnut continues to be a leading figure in competitive eating, recently setting a world record by consuming 16 pounds of bologna at the Ultimate Bologna Showdown in Knoxville, Tennessee.