JOEY Chestnut is the most successful competitive eater in the history of the sport.
Here we get to know his ex-fiancée Neslie Ricasa, whom he even proposed to at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
Joey Chestnut is a competitive eater from Fulton County, KentuckyEPA/Justin Lane Joey proposed to his then-girlfriend Neslie Ricasa ahead of the 98th annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating ContestGetty ImagesWho is Joey Chestnut’s ex-fiancée Neslie Ricasa?
Neslie Ricasa was a fellow competitive eater — though her career was relatively short compared to Joey’s.
Her most notable achievement was at the 2013 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, where she consumed 10 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.
However, Neslie’s personal best is 14 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.
She also competed in the Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship in 2013, where she ate 59 dumplings in 10 minutes.
Neslie has also worked as a financial analyst at Thomas Foods International.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from San Jose State University.
Prior to graduating, Neslie worked as an accounting assistant for EK Health Services in August 2014.
The following year, she went on to hold the same position at Star Elevator.
When did they break up?
Chestnut and Neslie began dating in 2011.
The two were dating for three years when Chestnut popped the question before the 2014 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.
They remained engaged with the intent to marry the following year, however, the two split before their big day.
In 2015, Joey told the New York Post: “I thought it would be bittersweet. I’m not going to let it hurt me.
“Last year, the whole engagement affected me. This year I will definitely have less distractions.”
As of June 2025, Neslie is married to Drew Fly, they have two children together and reside in San Jose.
Who is Joey Chestnut?
Joey Chestnut is a competitive eater, born on 25 November 1983, in Fulton County, Kentucky.
In 2005, he made his pro debut when he beat Rich LeFevre in an asparagus-eating championship.
Later the same year, the Kentucky native entered his first Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, placing in third.
Two years later, Joey went on to win the famous hot dog contest, beating Takeru Kobayashi, who had been on a six-year winning streak.
From 2007, Joey went on an even longer streak of his own, until he was defeated by Matt Stonie in 2015.
Joey Chestnut went on to win Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest after proposing to Neslie in 2014In July 2009, he set a new world record by downing 68 hot dogs, then broke his own record again in 2013 by consuming 69.
Joey broke his own contest record yet again in 2020, consuming an astounding 75 hot dogs.
He also took home the 2023 trophy to make it 16 wins out of 17.
Since triumphing over Kobayashi in 2007, Joey has only lost once at the annual event.
However, Joey didn’t defend his crown in 2024 as he was told by organisers he couldn’t compete because of his sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods — a company promoting meat-fee products.
As The US Sun exclusively revealed in June 2024, Joey wasn’t actually banned and was eligible to come back to the contest, but only on the condition he ditched his Impossible Food deal.
Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest MC George Shea told The US Sun: “We would never ban Joey Chestnut — we are not banning him.
“What happened is after 20 years with Nathan’s he signed with a rival brand, a plant-based meat brand which is selling hot dogs which runs into a conflict with Nathan’s.
“As a result that conflict makes it that he can’t [take part on July 4] and that’s always been the case.”
But in June 2025, Joey and Major League Eating announced that the hot dog eating king will return to compete in the Fourth of July tradition.
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