Joey Chestnut showcased his extraordinary competitive eating skills by consuming a record-breaking 83 hot dogs during a Labor Day event, outpacing his rival Takeru Kobayashi, who struggled to keep up in the highly publicized showdown featured in Netflix’s “Unfinished Beef.”
In a format similar to the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest held in Coney Island, New York, the two competitors had a time limit of 10 minutes to eat as many hot dogs as possible. The event was hosted by Rob Riggle and streamed live from the Hyper X Arena in Las Vegas, where a total of 300 hot dogs were prepared for the competition.
Rules prohibited competitors from dunking or pouring water over the hot dogs, separating the sausages from their buns, or causing excessive crumbs and regurgitation, which could result in penalties. While Kobayashi managed to eat 67 hot dogs, Chestnut surpassed his previous record of 76, which he set in the 2021 Nathan’s contest.
After his victory, Chestnut expressed his gratitude toward Kobayashi, stating, “I’ve been trying to hit 80 hot dogs for years. Without Kobayashi, I was never able to do it. He drives me. We weren’t always nice to each other, but I love what he can do. We push each other to be our best.”
In response, Kobayashi, who announced his retirement from competitive eating earlier this year, remarked through an interpreter, “I feel like I did everything I could.” The former champion, who held the Nathan’s title from 2001 to 2006, revealed in a Netflix documentary that he can no longer feel hunger.
Chestnut had been barred from this year’s Nathan’s contest due to a partnership with Impossible Foods, which resulted in him forfeiting the “Mustard Belt” to Patrick Bertoletti.
Looking ahead, Netflix’s next live event will feature Jake Paul’s boxing match against Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.