Joey “Jaws” Chestnut has taken down hot dogs, wings, Twinkies, and just about everything else you can eat against a timer. But on Friday, September 12 at Oracle Park, the 41-year-old GOAT of competitive eating put his stomach on the line for a different kind of challenge: plant-based nuggets.
The setup was simple — 99 Impossible Chicken Nuggets in nine innings during the Giants–Dodgers rivalry game. Branded the “99 in 9 Challenge,” the promotion even brought in a fan, Jayson Toweh, who won a nationwide contest to sit beside Chestnut at the giant glove in left field.
“I don’t have a nugget record. I really think I can do 99 after two innings,” Chestnut said before first pitch — and he wasn’t kidding. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the undisputed eating legend blew past the challenge almost immediately, polishing off the first 99 nuggets before the second inning had even wrapped, dipping into sauces along the way. By the third, he had crossed 150, washing them down with warm water to keep pace.
By the seventh inning, he was sitting at 250 nuggets. Another 25 went down before the final out, giving him a staggering total of 275 for the game. Impossible Foods came prepared, hauling in 2,000 nuggets to Oracle Park just to make sure he wouldn’t run out.
This isn’t the only food feat Chestnut has notched lately. Just two months ago, he reclaimed his crown at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, downing more than 70 dogs and buns in 10 minutes for his 17th Mustard Belt.
In March, he was in Miami for the Wings for Wishes charity showdown, where he inhaled 192 chicken wings in 10 minutes — and still had to settle for second, losing to James Webb who crushed 224. And earlier this month, he hopped the border to Toronto and walked away with another win, scarfing 26.5 pounds of poutine in 10 minutes at the World Poutine Eating Championship.
