- In September, Netflix will host a live competitive eating contest between heavyweights in the sport of competitive hot dog eating.
- Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi will face off for the first time in over a decade to decide who the Glizzy King truly is.
- Both eaters hold world records but Chestnut holds the record for most hot dogs eaten in 10 minutes.
Over the last year, Netflix has been experimenting with broadcasting live content. While initial tests with live content were terrible, the platform appears to be turning hard into live content.
On Wednesday, Netflix announced it was planning another live event only it’s not a sport that many engage with. That sport being competitive hot dog eating.
The event will feature premier eaters and rivals Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi going head to head to determine who the best hot dog eater in the world is.
On paper, Chestnut has the edge. He has won the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest (featured in the video above) 16 times, including every year on the trot since 2016.
“Through all of my years in competitive eating, Kobayashi stands out as my fiercest rival,” Chestnut said in a statement. “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!”.
Chestnut also holds the world record for most hot dogs eaten in 10 minutes, with 76.
Kobayashi is also a record holder having won the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest six consecutive times between 2001 and 2006. “Retiring for me will only happen after I take him down one last time,” Kobayashi told 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.”
Importantly, both competitors have been banned from the competition. Kobayashi was banned due to a contract dispute while Chestnut is banned from this year’s competition because he entered into a deal with Impossible Foods, a competitor to Nathan’s. The pair also haven’t faced each other since 2009.
So, Netflix has taken it upon itself to pit the two eaters in a head-head contest on 2nd September. The event has been dubbed Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef and the eaters will need to consume as many beef hotdogs as they can.
Netflix says it will announce the location and time of the face off at a later date.
You can check out Chestnut’s performance at last year’s hot dog eating contest below. While Kobayashi is an accomplished competitive eater in his own right, whether he can compete with Chestnut remains to be seen.
Oddly, despite Netflix having experimented with several sports, this is the one we’re most intrigued by.
