Joey Chestnut Breaks Hot Dog Eating Record

Chestnut Munches on 59 1/2 Hot Dogs in 12 Minutes, Beat Takeru Kobayashi

He won't be hungry for quite some time, and it's doubtful his next meal will come from Nathan's.

Joey Chestnut, a professional eater, broke the world's record for most hot dogs consumed in 12 minutes by stuffing 59 ½ hot dogs and buns, according to MSNBC. He was competing at the Southwest Regional Hot Dog Eating Championship at a Tempe, Ariz., mall when he broke fellow competitor Takeru Kobayashi's record of 53 ¾.

Chestnut's prize was a free trip to New York, a year's supply of hot dogs, and a $250 gift card to the mall. While in New York, Chestnut tossed the first pitch of the Mets-Diamondbacks baseball game on Sunday.

Because of his record-setting win, Chestnut qualifies to compete for the Mustard Yellow International Belt, a highly sought-after prize in the competitive eating circle. He will try to win the belt at the upcoming Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest at Coney Island in New York. This is where Chestnut came in second last year and missed taking the top spot by 1 ¾ hot dogs and buns. The showdown should be an exciting one because Kobayashi has won it 6 years in a row, with Chestnut often right behind him.

Ryan Nerz, a representative of Major League Eating (a governing body of eating competitions) was impressed by Chestnut's win. He told reporters that Chestnut's hot dog feat was frankly "unbelievable- he just keeps going. These guy's numbers have been going up at a tremendous clip."

"I always thought there was a limit," Nerz added, "a limit to the human stomach and a limit to human willpower, but I guess not."

Chestnut, a San Jose native, has only been competing professionally for three years in the International Federation of Competitive Eating. At 23, Chestnut has managed to have a few record-setting performances in several categories. He's downed 6.25 pounds of asparagus in 10 minutes, 182 chicken wings in 30 minutes, 47 grilled cheese sandwiches in 10 minutes, and 18.5 Waffle House waffles in 10 minutes, 23 seconds. No American has beaten him in any IFOCE competition in the past year.