All-Time Eater Joey Chestnut Just Broke A Popcorn Record

You don't earn the nickname "Jaws" without being a formidable eater or a top ocean predator. Joey Chestnut, while not a great white shark, does happen to be one of the all-time greats when it comes to superlative eating feats. At the 2022 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4 in Coney Island, Chestnut wolfed down 63 hot dogs to secure his seventh consecutive Mustard Yellow Belt and claim his 15th title in 16 years (per USA Today).

Although that sounds like a daunting challenge to most mere mortals, it was actually a pretty pedestrian performance by Chestnut's own lofty standards, falling well shy of his record-holding 76 hot dogs devoured in 2021. The man who Major League Eating calls "the greatest eater in history" holds 55 world records in competitive eating, including Taco Bell tacos (53 in 10 minutes), glazed donuts (55 in eight minutes), and eggs (a whopping 141 in eight minutes).

Like any GOAT, Chestnut has embarked on a never-ending quest to break more records and win more accolades. Recently, Joey Chestnut brought his Brobdingnagian appetite to Indianapolis to take down the popcorn-eating record (per UPI).

Chestnut shattered yet another professional eating world record on August 23 at a popcorn eating challenge held at Victory Field in Indianapolis before a Minor League Baseball game, consuming 32 servings of popcorn in only eight minutes (via UPI). Each serving was 24 ounces. He surpassed the previous record of 28.5 servings set only one year earlier in Las Vegas. Chestnut's strategy (and yes, there is strategy and training in professional eating) involved drinking water to help him swallow the popcorn more easily. During an interview with WISH-TV (via YouTube), Chestnut also foresaw the difficulty that awaited: "There's so much air in popcorn. I'll be fighting burps towards the end. A lot of air will be trying to come out."

WTHR, a TV station in Indianapolis, captured the entire grossly fascinating spectacle live on video. Since Chestnut's attempt to beat the popcorn record happened at a baseball game, they have an announcer calling the play-by-play action and encouraging crowd support. Spoiler alert, it features a lot of footage of Chestnut shoveling massive handfuls of popcorn into his "jaws" while sipping a cup of water to force it down.

Don't ever let this man near a buffet or an all-you-can-eat special unless your restaurant wants to lose some money.