Posted on: January 31, 2026, 08:53h.
Last updated on: January 31, 2026, 09:52h.
- Joey Chestnut narrowly defended his world title at the 4th annual Siegel’s Bagelmania Bagel Eating Competition in Vegas on Saturday
- He beat his fiercest competitor by one‑eighth of a bagel, the closest finish in event history
By mere bites, Joey Chestnut defended his bagel-eating championship title at the fourth annual Siegel’s Bagelmania World Bagel Eating Competition in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 31.
Chestnut — who has held more Major League Eating world records than any living human, from hot dogs to Twinkies to hard‑boiled eggs — beat his fiercest competitor by only one-eighth of a bagel.
Chestnut inhaled 16 7/8 bagels to Patrrick Bertoletti’s 16 3/4, the closest finish in the event’s history. Almost more of a rounding error than a victory, the heartbreakingly tiny gap will surely haunt Bertoletti every time he walks past a bakery.
Bertoletti nearly matched Chestnut last year, too, 14.5 bagels to his winning 15.
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The format remained unchanged: eight minutes, unlimited plain bagels, mandatory cream cheese, and absolutely no dignity.
For his esophageal brinkmanship, Chestnut received $5,000 of the $10,000 in prize-biting money, as well as a championship title belt and at least a 250 mg/dL triglyceride spike.
Rounding out the top five places were the event’s other regulars:
3. Geoffrey Esper — 16 1/8 bagels
4. James Webb — 16 bagels
5. Nick Wehry — 13 7/8 bagels
All eaters bested their bagel consumption from last year.
Esper still holds the world record, 17 3/4 bagels, which he managed in 2023’s inaugural holey war.
The event was livestreamed, for the first time, on TrillerTV, a platform normally devoted to combat sports.
