Netflix will redefine the term “binge-watching” on Labor Day, when it airs a live matchup between longtime rivals and gastronomic gladiators Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi.
The pair will headline a “winner-takes-all” hot dog eating matchup called Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef, according to the streamer — the first time the pair have challenged each other since 2009.
The news was announced Wednesday, June 12 — a day after Major League Eating (MLE) revealed Chestnut would not be competing in Nathan’s Fourth of July hot dog eating contest this year due to his decision to endorse vegan hot dogs instead of Nathan’s.
“Retiring for me will only happen after I take him down one last time,” said Kobayashi, a six-time Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Champion, who is colloquially referred to as the “Godfather of Competitive Eating.”
He added, “This rivalry has been brewing for a long time. Competing against Joey live on Netflix means fans all over the world can watch me knock him out.”
Kobayashi stormed the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2001, when he won the coveted mustard yellow belt by eating 50 hot dogs in ten minutes — doubling the previous record for the contest.
He dominated the contest for years, thanks to his so-called Solomon Method: Dunking his dogs in liquid to make the glizzies easier to gobble.
Chestnut later emerged as his main nemesis in the annual event, and the pair went head-to-head every July 4, with Joey finally beating Kobayashi in 2007.
However, a contract dispute between Kobayashi and MLE saw him banned from the competition since 2010, clearing the way for Chestnut to dominate virtually unchallenged since.
Chestnut has won the contest 16 times, and on July 4, 2021 set the world record at the Nathan’s event by eating 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes.
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