Joey Chestnut ate 83 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes on stage in Las Vegas for a Netflix live event on Monday. His longtime rival, Takeru Kobayashi, ate 66.
David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix
hide caption
convert caption
David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix
Glizzy addict champion Joey Chestnut does it again.
The world of number one ranking Eater not only beat his arch-rival, but also broke his own world record when he devoured 83 hot dogs in buns in just 10 minutes in a much-hyped competition on Monday.
Chestnuts made headlines earlier this summer when he was banned from Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest for signing an advertising deal with Impossible Foods, a company that makes plant-based meat alternatives (including soy protein sausages).
It’s a stunning turnaround for Chestnut, who has become an icon of the Coney Island competition, winning 16 times since 2007 — the first year he beat reigning champion Takeru Kobayashi.
Chestnut vowed that fans would see him eat again, and didn’t wait long to do so. He kept a 4th of July Hot Dog Contest at Fort Bliss Army Base in Texas, ate 57 hot dogs in five minutes to beat a team of four soldiers who only ate 49.
But the real drama came on Monday, when Chestnut and Kobayashi faced off for the first time in 15 years in a Netflix live-streaming event called “Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef.”
The rematch has been in the works for more than a decade.
Takeru Kobayashi and champion Joey Chestnut witness the official weigh-in of the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest in July 2009. That was the last year they competed against each other, until Monday.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
hide caption
convert caption
Mario Tama/Getty Images
The “hot dog take all” contest, announced just days after Chestnut was suspended from Coney Island in June, brought together the biggest competitors in the hot dog-eating world.
Kobayashi, 46, made his name as a competitive eater in his native Japan before bringing his talents to the United States in the early 2000s. He is credited with popularizing the sport in the United States and bringing competitors, spectators and sponsors to events like Coney Island.
The man nicknamed “The Godfather of Eating Contests” won that sacred competition six years in a row, including beating Chestnut twice.
But the underdog eventually became a household name: Chestnut beat Kobayashi three years in a row—including once in a surprise “fight to the death”—and won every subsequent contest, at least until this summer.
Kobayashi parted ways with Major League Eating (MLE) — the management organization currently at odds with Chestnut — in 2010 due to a contract dispute, but continued to set world records in other competitions.
Tens of thousands of hot dogs later, Kobayashi, 46, announced his retirement earlier this year — but confirmed over the summer that he would only step down after beating Chestnut “one last time.”
For his part, Chestnut welcomed the challenge. In a pre-recorded video played before the contest on Monday, he pointed to his previous victories over Kobayashi and declared, “In the discipline of sausages, I’ve got his number.”
“I’m trying to prove I’m the best,” Chestnut added. “He probably wants to win really, really, really bad. I need to win.”
And Chestnut did it. He ate 83 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes—breaking his own world record of 76, set at Coney Island in 2021. Kobayashi finished with a total of 66, breaking his previous record of 64.5 set in 2009.
After the competition, Kobayashi officially has announced his retirement.said, “I bet everything on this.”
But in the same video clip shared by Netflix, Chestnut said he thought it was “highly unlikely” he would face Kobayashi again.
“He’s run a personal best,” Chestnut added. “Nobody wants to go home on a losing streak. I’m hungry for whatever’s next.”
Chestnut was forced to adjust his technique, but it paid off.
From left to right, Joey Chestnut, Rob Riggle and Takeru Kobayashi speak on stage during the LIVE Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef match at Hyper X Arena in Luxor, Las Vegas on Monday.
David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix
hide caption
convert caption
David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix
The event, hosted by actor Rob Riggle and former WWE wrestler Nikki Garcia (formerly known as Nikki Bella), took place in Las Vegas to a warm welcome.
Poolside, a cheerleading band, with members wearing “Team Joey” and “Team Kobi” T-shirts, played DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win,” while several other contestants also entertained viewers with their own performances.
Matt Stonie — who broke Chestnut’s winning streak at Coney Island in 2015 — went up against three Olympians in a chicken wing contest. He ate 53 chicken wings in three minutes, beating the combined efforts of water polo player Max Irving and swimmers Ryan Lochte and Ryan Murphy, who each ate 36 wings.
Next up is 24-time Guinness World Record holder Leah Shutkever, who earned another spot in the books by eating more than 2,000 grams (over four pounds) of watermelon in three minutes.
Nearly an hour after the special began, the men nicknamed “Jaws” and “Tsunami” finally took the stage and took their seats.
Crucially, one of the contest’s rules forbids contestants from dipping their hot dogs in water, a signature part of Chestnut’s technique (drinking from a cup is allowed—though most of it ends up on the contestant’s shirt). But that doesn’t seem to slow him down—quite the opposite.
“When I first heard about the no-dip rule, I was really nervous, but then I learned how to eat them like this,” Chestnut said after his win. “And every other hot dog contest I enter, I’ll eat some without dipping—which is awesome.”
Chestnut and Kobayashi started the contest at an even pace, although Chestnut had a slight advantage after the first minute and this advantage only continued to expand. By the middle of the quarter, he led Kobayashi 51-44.
And he ate his record-breaking 77th hot dog with a lavish 1 minute and 10 seconds left (by this time Kobayashi was on his 63rd).
“He may look miserable on the face, but inside he is always smiling and happy,” one of the commentators exclaimed.
After the scores were verified—a process that included checking the soles of the men’s shoes to see if they had stepped on any bread crumbs to surreptitiously hide leftovers—Chestnut was officially crowned the winner.
He received a gold hot dog statue, a $100,000 prize and a glittering WWE championship belt presented by wrestler Rey Mysterio.
It’s one of many nods to the fact that WWE “Raw,” its flagship weekly show, is Coming soon to Netflix in 2025 (the streaming service is also promoting upcoming live events like the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing event in November and several consecutive NFL Christmas games starting this year).
As Kobayashi looked on drenched, Chestnut praised him—for his own victory.
“I’ve been trying to eat 80 hot dogs for years, and without Kobayashi, I never would have done it,” he said on stage. “He pushes me. We’re not always nice to each other, but I love how we push each other to be the best.”
