Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi face off in hot dog contest on Netflix.
Competitive eating legend Joey Chestnut has been disqualified from the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest owing to a brand partnership exclusivity conflict. However, fans can still catch the world champion in an alternative sausage showdown in a live-streamed Netflix special where he competes against his fiercest competitor: Takeru Kobayashi.
Chestnut holds the world record for the most hot dogs consumed, having devoured an incredible 76 dogs (with buns) in 10 minutes in 2021. This record is a part of his 55 world records in competitive eating. Kobayashi, on the other hand, has claimed 10 world records in the sport.
The Netflix event, titled “Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef,” is set to premiere on Labor Day, September 2, 2024, at a location that has yet to be revealed. The show aims to resolve a long-standing rivalry between the two, with Chestnut referring to Kobayashi as his “fiercest rival” in a Netflix press statement.
Chestnut and Kobayashi will compete directly for the first time in 15 years.
Kobayashi was the reigning champion of the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest from 2001 to 2006 until Chestnut claimed victory in 2007. Since then, Chestnut has emerged victorious in 16 of the 17 years he has participated. However, they haven’t faced each other directly since 2009 when Chestnut took the lead.
In May 2024, Kobayashi announced his retirement from competitive eating during the Netflix documentary “Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut,” citing health concerns — a logical consequence for someone who has consumed approximately 10,000 hot dogs for his career. Nevertheless, he expressed that he cannot resist one final showdown. “Retiring for me will only happen after I take [Chestnut] down one last time,” Kobayashi said, adding that the upcoming event allows “fans all over the world to see me take him down.”
Chestnut, for his part, acknowledges that he views Kobayashi as both an inspiration and a rival: “Competing against him made me strive to improve,” he shared with the streaming service.
Now, 15 years after their last encounter, the two will finally address their unresolved rivalry while indulging in as many all-beef hot dogs as they can on Labor Day — marking the season’s closing for hot dogs.
