- Netflix will screen battle between competitive eating legends in September
- Rivals have won famous hot dog eating contest 22 times between them
- Rivals haven’t faced off against each other for more than 10 years
Netflix has announced it is to screen a face-off between two legends of the competitive eating world in September who haven’t met in years.
Standout names
In the high stakes world of competitive eating, two names have stood out for the last 20 years, Japanese eater Takeru Kobayashi and US rival Joey Chestnut. Now, the pair will come face to face in Netflix’s Chesnut vs Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef – a live event that will be screen on September 2.
Between them, Chestnut and Kobayashi have won Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest in New York on 22 occasions – Chestnut has triumphed on 16 occasions, including every year since 2016, with Kobayashi taking the title six times.
Chestnut also holds the world record for eating most hot dogs in two minutes: 76, along with 54 other hot dog eating related records. Kobayashi holds another 10 records.
First meeting in 15 years
But the pair have not met each other across a table since 2009 – on that occasion, Chestnut was victorious after a ‘sudden death’ eat-off (apparently that is a thing).
The reason why they haven’t met is partly down to the contest at Nathan’s Famous – generally considered the most prestigious hot dog-eating contest – as Kobayashi has been banned since 2010, due to a contract dispute.
But now Chestnut has also been excluded from the event. As Pubity reported earlier in the week, Chestnut has been kicked out due to a deal he has signed with Impossible Foods, which is a rival wiener brand to Nathan’s.
Netflix has moved quickly to sign up the pair for this contest, which could be seen as battle for the crown of champion hot dog eater. Who will win? Tune in on September 2.
