Watch CBS News

Joey Chestnut: 'I Don't See Myself Stopping Any Time Soon'

(CBS Local)-- Joey Chestnut is the #1 competitive eater in the world and he doesn't have plans to slow down any time soon.

The 11x Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champion is the subject of new ESPN 30 for 30 documentary called "The Good, The Bad, The Hungry." The documentary tells the story of Chestnut's rise to eating glory and his rivalry with Takeru Kobayashi. The San Jose native gives fans an inside look at how he became the top eater in the world.

"The jaw and burping exercises are weird stuff," said Chestnut in an interview with CBS Local. "I put some thought into it, so I don't want to give it away to other competitors. Second, it's really weird, so I know people will judge me."

The Sit Down: Joey Chestnut by CBS Local News on YouTube

For years, Chestnut had one mission and that was to beat Kobayashi at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Content. The man nicknamed Jaws finally pulled through in 2007 when he beat the 6x champ Kobayashi. It's a moment he will never forget.

"It's the only time in my life where I did something where the big majority of people thought was impossible," said Chestnut. "The other competitive eaters thought it was impossible to beat him. All your life you are going to surround yourself with people who are going to encourage you to do things that are hard. Even people close to me thought he was unbeatable. It was an amazing feeling."

While Chestnut is known for his success at Coney Island in New York, he's traveled the country and eaten some of the strangest things imaginable.

"I did cow brain tacos and I always said I wouldn't do weird stuff like that," said Chestnut. "It was at a zombie pub crawl and I was like this sounds like a party to me. They did a good job of cooking them, but they still looked funny. They looked like brains."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.