Joey Chestnut Beats Takeru Kobayashi in Netflix’s ‘Unfinished Beef’ Hot Dog-Eating Contest
Joey Chestnut defeated Takeru Kobayashi in Netflix’s hot dog-eating contest in Las Vegas, Nev., on Monday.
Chestnut and Kobayashi, two of the world’s most famous competitive eaters, faced each other in a 10-minute hot dog-eating competition on Labor Day. Chestnut ate 83 hot dogs and buns, beating his own world record of 76, which he set in 2021. Meanwhile, Kobayashi consumed 66 hot dogs.
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The live event, billed as “Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef,” took place at the Hyper X Arena at the Luxor in Las Vegas. Actor Rob Riggle and former WWE star Nikki Garcia hosted the event, streaming live on Netflix.
The competition rules stated that Chestnut and Kobayashi could not dunk or pour water on the hot dogs and buns, could not separate the hot dogs from the buns, and had 30 seconds to finish what was left in their mouths after the 10-minute timer ended.
Chestnut won the $100,000 grand prize and received a WWE-made custom championship belt, presented by professional wrestler Rey Mysterio.
Chestnut and Kobayashi last faced off in 2009, when Chestnut emerged victorious. This year, Kobayashi announced his retirement but said he would return to compete against Chestnut.
Chestnut is a 16-time champion at Nathan’s yearly Fourth of July contest and has won the past eight years in a row. This year, Coney Island’s iconic Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest banned Chestnut its annual competition after he signed a deal with vegan hot dog brand Impossible Foods.
Kobayashi is a six-time Nathan’s champ, winning six years in a row in the early 2000s. Chestnut defeated Kobayashi for the first time in 2007, and the two had a fierce rivalry in the mid 2000s.
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