It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there — and on Sept. 2, it will be a man- eat–(hot) dog world, too. Streaming live on Netflix, 16-time hot dog– eating champion Joey Chestnut will face off against rival and six-time hot dog–eating champion Takeru Kobayashi in Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef in the ultimate wiener-takes-all competition. Will Chestnut maintain his title as the world’s greatest, or will Kobayashi come in with a vengeance and regain his throne?
For years, the rivalry between Chestnut and Kobayashi dominated headlines at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest, but the two competitive eating legends have not faced off in a hot dog–eating competition since 2009, when Chestnut finally bested Kobayashi in a five-hot dog “sudden death” eat-off. This will be their first time coming face-to-face in 15 years.
Born and raised in San Jose, California, Chestnut holds 55 world records for competitive eating, including the world record for most hot dogs — 76 in 10 minutes, to be precise.
“Through all of my years in competitive eating, Kobayashi stands out as my fiercest rival,” said Chestnut. “Competing against him pushed me to be so much better. I know that fans have waited a long time for another chapter of our rivalry and I can’t wait for our massive showdown live on Netflix! It’s time to give the people what they want!”
Described as the “godfather of competitive eating,” Kobayashi won the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest six consecutive times from 2001–2006, breaking his own record. In 2010, Kobayashi was banned from competing in the competition due to a contract dispute. He continued to break world records for competitive eating and currently holds more than 10 world records in the sport. Though rumors swirled about his retirement, Kobayashi says he is here to stay.
“Retiring for me will only happen after I take him down one last time,” Kobayashi told Netflix. “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.”