Joey Chestnut Is Hungry and Headed to Western Days and the State Fair

One hundred and eighty-two chicken wings in 30 minutes. 141 hard-boiled eggs in 8 minutes. Nearly 14 pounds of pork ribs in 12 minutes. And of course, most famously, a world record of 76 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs in 10 minutes, on the Fourth of July in 2021. You know exactly who we’re talking about, and he’s on his way to Dallas this fall. 

Take some of the best and worst of America, let’s say our knack for mythologizing entertainers mixed with gross consumerism and, well, literally gross things, compress it into one figure, and you’d get Joey Chestnut. Anytime you think society has moved past circus freaks, turn on the TV on July Fourth and you’ll realize that we’ve never changed, but our contemporary bearded ladies are just dunking hot dogs in water and gulping them down. 

But what can you say? What draws a crowd deserves a crowd, and surely crowds will be flocking to Lewisville this weekend, where Chestnut will compete in the Padrino Foods World Tamale Eating Championship.

The competition is part of the annual Western Days festival on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 26 and 27, and will feature live music, food, and vendors.

Chestnut will be competing against at least nine other eaters in the tamale championship, where he’s already taken home the top prize in 2020 and three years in a row from 2012-14. Chestnut notably does not hold the world record for tamale eating, which was set at 95 in 2019 by Geoffrey Esper, who went on to win again in 2021, 2023 and 2024. It’s anyone’s game this year, though, as Esper won’t be competing, but past champions like Adrian “The Rabbit” Morgan will be. 

All the Tamales at Western Days

The World Tamale Eating Championship will take place on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 1 p.m. in front of Lewisville City Hall. Admission to the event is free. If you’re hanging around, parts of the festival will become ticketed for just $15, beginning at 6 p.m.

Big Tex at the State Fair

If you can’t make Western Days, North Texas will still have one more chance to see Chestnut in the flesh. Ahead of the State Fair of Texas, Chestnut will be the halftime show for the Dallas Trinity FC and Club America Femenil match on Oct. 18 at the Cotton Bowl.

But instead of a competition against fellow competitive eaters, Chestnut will be eating State Fair food, and you have the chance to vote on what he tries. The options are between this year’s annual Big Tex Choice Awards winners. For Best Taste – Savory, the crab and mozzarella arancini. As for the Best Taste – Sipper, the Cookie Chaos milkshake, complete with cookie butter, Oreo cookies and a Biscoff rim. Finally, the winner of Best Taste – Sweet, the Chill and Thrill Delight, a cup of mixed fruit soaked in watermelon juice and topped with shaved mango sorbet. 

You can vote between those three options, or for a fourth “mystery dish” option, which we’d bet on being the ultimate winner. You grab tickets to the match and cast your vote online. We’re not exactly sure what he’s doing at this fair event, but if it’s seeing how much he can eat, we vote for the bacon wagyu smash cheeseburger with two deep-fried deviled eggs as the bun. Oof.