Netflix Spotlights Banned Eater Joey Chestnut in 'Unfinished Beef' Special

The world's two most famous competitive eaters of the 21st century, if not of all-time, will not be facing off at the competition that made them famous. Neither Takeru Kobayashi, who announced his retirement in May, nor Joey Chestnut, who was banned from the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, will compete on Coney Island this July 4.

Read more: 'Gutted' Joey Chestnut Breaks Silence On Nathan's July 4 Hot Dog Eating Contest Ban

Instead, the longtime rivals are taking their talents to the world's most popular streaming platform.

On Wednesday, Netflix announced a date for "CHESTNUT VS. KOBAYASHI: UNFINISHED BEEF" — Sept. 2. The live faceoff will feature the two most decorated eaters in the history of the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.

The timing of the announcement suggests a cleverly orchestrated bit of attention around Chestnut's banishment from the July 4 competition. His name was scarcely in the news before the ban was announced Tuesday by Major League Eating, the event's governing body.

Their dispute allegedly stemmed from Chestnut's sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods, a company that makes plant-based hot dogs and competes with Nathan's Famous. Chestnut responded to the ban in a series of posts to his Twitter/X account, saying he doesn't have a contract with MLE or Nathan's, and the parameters of his contract with Impossible shouldn't prevent him from eating in the July 4 competition.

One day later, Chestnut finds himself thrust into the highest-profile eating competition ever streamed.

The presence of Kobayashi, who had reportedly retired, was even more surprising. The 46-year-old announced his desire to cease eating competitively in a Netflix documentary, "Hack Your Health – The Secrets of Your Gut."

"It's all I've done for the last 20 years," he said.

Kobayashi said in the documentary that decades of overeating for sport left him with no appetite or no sensation of fullness, which his wife Maggie James said has caused Kobayashi to go days without eating anything at all.

Come September, Kobayashi and Chestnut will indulge in an all-you-can-eat frenzy.

Chestnut, 40, has won the Nathan's Hot Dog competition 16 times (2007-14, 2016-23). Kobayashi won the event six times (2001-06), nearly doubling the previous event record in the process.

"Through all of my years in competitive eating, Kobayashi stands out as my fiercest rival," Chestnut said, via Variety. "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!"