Joey Chestnut and Some of His Most Amazing World Eating Records

So, what food or snack do you think you could set a world eating record with?

If you were a contestant on the game show Jeopardy and you were asked to name the most famous category that two people could discuss, would your answer be food? Food would be my answer as well. Travel the world and you will find that people love to talk about the weather and talk about their favorite foods.

Now for a moment, think about your favorite foods. Also, have you ever had the idea to see how many of your favorite foods or snacks you could eat in a certain period of time?

I will confess many years ago while sitting in the drive through of Krispy Kreme on Bragg Boulevard in Fayetteville, North Carolina, I had the thought. I'll bet I could eat an entire dozen of the glazed doughnuts in less than 5 minutes. I never personally took the challenge but I still to this day, believe I could easily eat a dozen donuts in less than 300 seconds.

Every year about this time, the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest starts getting lots of attention. The eating contest is always held in New York City on the 4th of July.

For 16 years, a gentleman by the name of Joey Chestnut has claimed the Mustard Yellow Belt for consuming the most hot dogs and buns. Joey's world eating record is 76 hot dogs and hot dog buns in just 10 minutes.

During the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, there is also a female competition. Miki Sudo holds the women's world's eating record of eating 48.5 hot dogs and hot dog buns in 10 minutes.

If you think that you are up to the challenge, click here for more information on the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. You might have what it takes to set a new world eating record.

To see this incredible human eating machine in action, check out my list of videos below of Joey Chestnut and a 10 of his record-setting efforts.

121 Twinkies In 6 Minutes

55 Glazed Doughnuts In 8 Minutes

141 Hard-Boiled Eggs In 8 Minutes

93 Krystal Hamburgers In 8 Minutes

25.5 Ice Cream Sandwiches In 6 Minutes

126 Tacos In 8 Minutes

5 Pounds of Breakfast in 6 Minutes

32 Big Macs in 38 minutes

413 Chicken Wings In 12 Hours

76 Nathan's Hot Dogs and Hot Dog Buns In 10 Minutes

U.S. News & World Report has released their new Best Places to Live rankings for 2024-2025, and the Tar Heel state got some major love! In a list of 150 major cities, two North Carolina cities were ranked among the top 10 best places to live in the US.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the ranking was compiled using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Labor, and some of the publication's own internal resources. The data was then sorted into four different categories by which each major city would be scored.

The categories were assigned different weights depending on how strongly Americans felt each factor mattered when choosing a place to live. The four categories in order of weight are as follows:

According to the official rankings, Charlotte and Raleigh are the two best places to live in North Carolina. The two cities made it to #5 and #6 respectively.

Charlotte scored extremely well overall, with the Queen City's quality of life and economic value placing it among the top places in the country to live. Charlotte was also commended for its sprawling metro area and bustling downtown scene, while still maintaining its southern charm.

Raleigh ranked almost neck-and-neck with Charlotte, with North Carolina's capital scoring highly in the Quality of Life category. The publication highlights Raleigh's bustling art and music scenes, as well as its beautiful green spaces and activity space. The city of Raleigh also received high marks for its strong sense of community among the residents.

The full rankings (seen here) reveals some interesting information about other major cities in the US, including other cities in North Carolina. Here are some of the key takeaways.

Ranked #1 overall, Naples, Florida was determined to be the best city to live in the US. The city scored highly for its overall quality of life, especially among retirees who desire a pristine beachfront view in their twilight years.

It's certainly a surprising #2, but Boise, Idaho has much to offer for outdoorsy types. Boise offers a plethora of different terrains for adventurers, including mountain ranges, canyons, deserts and lakes.

Colorado Springs, Colorado was ranked as the #3 best place to live for its blend of natural beauty and rustic modernism. Despite its endless array of events and activities, Colorado Springs maintains a small town charm that residents find intoxicating.

North Carolina's sister state did just a hair better in the ranking, with the South Carolina city of Greenville landing at #4 in the overall ranking. Greenville's downtown area is a central hub for local businesses, bars, restaurants and boutiques. The city is also quite lively during the summer season.

- Asheville (#17)

-Greensboro (#23) 

-Hickory (#26)

-Winston-Salem (#60)

-Fayetteville (#113)