2005 – Levi Oliver, Austin, TX
2006 – Tim “Eater X” Janus, New York City, NY
2007 – Tim “Eater X” Janus, New York City, NY
2008 – Patrick Vandam, Eagan, MN
2009 – Juliet Lee, Germantown, MD
2010 – Tim “Eater X” Janus, New York City, NY
2011 – Tim “Eater X” Janus, New York City, NY
2012 – Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, San Jose, Calif. (102)
2013 – Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, San Jose, Calif.
2014 - Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, San Jose, Calif.
2015 - Miki Sudo, Las Vegas, NV (61)
2016 -Adrian "The Rabbit" Morgan
2017 - Geoffrey Esper (83.5 tamales)
2018 - Darron Breeden (70) 
2019 - Geoffrey Esper (95) - Current World Record
2020 - Joey "Jaws" Chestnutt (93)
2021 - Geoffrey Esper (86)
2022 - Derek Hendrickson (50)
2023 - Geoffrey Esper (80)
2024 - Geoffrey Esper (88)
2025 - Joey "Jaws Chestnut (96) - Current World Record

June 2005 – Levi Oliver (36 tamales, 10 minutes and 30 seconds)
May 2006 – Chip Simpson (41 tamales, 12 minutes)
September 2006 – Tim “Eater X” Janus (51 tamales, 12 minutes)
May 2007 – Joey Chestnut (53 ½ tamales, 12 minutes)
September 2007 – Tim “Eater X” Janus (71 tamales, 12 minutes)
September 2012 – Joey Chestnut (102 tamales, 12 minutes)
September 2013 - Joey Chestnut (91 tamales, 10 minutes - * less time due to tamale shortage)
September 2018 - Darron Breeden (70 tamales, 10 minutes)
September 2019 - Geoffrey Esper (95 tamales, 10 minutes)
September 2025 - Joey "Jaws" Chestnut (96 tamales, 10 minutes)

• Traditional pork tamales are used in the contest, each weighing approximately 2.5 ounces.
• During the 2005 contest, eaters had to remove their tamales from the corn husks during the competition. In subsequent contests, the tamales have been shucked in advance.
• The 2005 event is the only one to have ended in a tie. Levi Oliver of Austin beat Donavon Busta of Denver in a three-tamale eat-off to claim the inaugural crown and establish the first world record for tamale consumption.
• During the 2007 event, Rich LeFevre finished second by eating an astounding 51 tamales despite competing with missing front teeth, lost during another contest the week before.
• The only Lewisville resident ever to place in the money at the Championship is Zack Alvarado, who placed fifth in 2009 by eating 23.5 tamales.
• There have been only three “reversals” in event history, one in 2006 and two in 2011.
• Nate Biller of Wichita Falls holds the Texas record with his mark of 50.5 tamales in the 2012 event. Biller has competed in the Championship seven times (most of any competitor) and placed in the top seven each time.
• During the 2012 championship, 12 contestants combined to eat 555 tamales – about 46 dozen. That is nearly 87 pounds of food, more than seven pounds per competitor
• The inaugural World Tamale Eating Championship was held during the Bassmaster Elite 50 Country Fair at Lewisville Lake in June 2005 and was won by Levi Oliver of Austin, who established a world record by eating 36 tamales in 10 minutes, 30 seconds. He remains the only Texan to win the world title in tamales.
• MLE is the governing body of all stomach-centric sports, conducting more than 70 events annually including the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, N.Y. The competitive eating community, which numbers more than 3,000 veteran and rookie athletes, travels the nation in search of top titles and the glory that they provide.
• In 2018, the tamale contest was changed to a 10-minute Padrino Foods tamale contest. The world record was set in this new contest with Darron Breeden eating 70 tamales in 10 minutes. The following year, Geoff Esper set a NEW World Record, eating 95 tamales in 10 minutes.
• The World Record was broken in 2025 when Joey "Jaws" Chestnut consumed 96 tamales in 10 minutes. Joey now owns the world record in both the 12-minute and 10-minute contests.