Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi to Settle ‘Unfinished Beef’ in Netflix Hot Dog-Eating Competition — Get Date
Netflix will determine, once and for all, who can down the most wieners.
Sixteen-time hot dog-eating champion Joey Chestnut will face off against his longtime rival, six-time hot dog-eating champion Takeru Kobayashi, in the live Netflix special Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef.
The competitive eating competition will stream live Monday, Sept. 2 — aka Labor Day. The location and timing will be announced at a later date.
News of Chestnut and Kobayashi’s rematch comes one day after Chestnut was banned from participating in Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, which is held each year on the Fourth of July. The perennial winner recently signed a deal to be a spokesperson for Impossible Foods, which goes against brand exclusivity rules.
“We are devastated to learn that Joey Chestnut has chosen to represent a rival brand that sells plant-based hot dogs rather than competing in the 2024 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest,” a spokesperson for Major League Eating previously told TVLine. “MLE and Nathan’s went to great lengths in recent months to accommodate Joey and his management team, agreeing to the appearance fee and allowing Joey to compete in a rival unbranded hot dog eating contest on Labor Day. For nearly two decades we have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provisions. However, it seems that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with a different hot dog brand over our long-time relationship.”
Meanwhile, an Impossible Foods spokesperson issued a statement of support for Chestnut, arguing that “meat eaters shouldn’t have to be exclusive to just one wiener.”
Chestnut and Kobayashi have not faced off in a hot dog-eating competition since 2009, when Chestnut bested Kobayashi in a five-hot dog “sudden death” eat-off. Chestnut is responsible for the top 10 performances at Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, including downing a record 76 hot dogs and buns in 2021. He ate 62 franks and buns in 2023, which was enough to earn the competitive eater his 16th title.
Will you be tuning in for Chestnut vs. Kobayashi on Netflix? Let us know in Comments.
Seems like there is room for a meat-based (?) hot dog contest separately from the plant-based hot dog contest. One should not negate the other. And losing Joey to this “rival” hot dog company will not help Nathan’s!