Joey Chestnut will officially take on Takeru Kobayashi in a one-on-one hot dog eating contest over Labor Day Weekend, as the two rivals will look to finally determine who is the greatest competitive eater of all time.
This event, titled “Unfinished Beef,” will take place on September 2 and stream live on Netflix, though a time and location for the competition has yet to be determined, according to Netflix.
The announcement for this competition comes just days after Chestnut was banned from the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on the Fourth of July due to contract issues following Chestnut’s signing with a vegan food brand, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Chestnut has dominated the hot dog eating contest in the past, winning 16 total competitions while securing victory every year since 2016, including a record 76 hot dogs during the 2021 contest.
Chestnut said that Kobayashi has been his “fiercest rival” since the beginning of his career, adding that he cannot wait to once again face off against one of the best eaters in history.
“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!” he added, according to Netflix.
While Chestnut has become the most well-known competitive eater of his generation, Kobayashi came to be known as the “godfather of competitive eating” due to his impressive feats in the sport.
Kobayashi won the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest six consecutive times (2001-2006) and broke over 10 different records in the sport.
Current records held by Kobayashi in Major League Eating include eating 41 lobster rolls in 10 minutes, 57 cow brains in 15 minutes, and 20 pounds of rice balls in just 30 minutes.
Although Kobayashi announced his retirement from the sport just months earlier due to concerns about his health, he said his retirement would be put on hold until after he faces off against Chestnut.
“Retiring for me will only happen after I take him down one last time,” he said, per 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,” he added.
The two rivals competed at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest five times before Kobayashi was banned due to a contract dispute. Kobayashi won the first two matchups, and Chestnut won the final three.