


Gentlemen, start your wieners.
Just days after Joey Chestnut, the beloved hot dog-eating champion, was booted from Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest, Netflix announced that it has bigger plans in store for him. Chestnut will soon be facing off against his fiercest rival, Takeru Kobayashi, in a Netflix special slated to stream later this year.
Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef will be a live streamed event taking place on Labor Day, marking the first time in 15 years that the champions will be facing off against each other. Chestnut and Kobayashi’s last showdown was in 2009 when Chestnut bested him in a hot dog eating competition.
“Through all of my years in competitive eating, Kobayashi stands out as my fiercest rival,” Chestnut said in a press release. “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!”
Kobayashi, who has been dubbed the “godfather of competitive eating,” shut down any notion that he was planning on retiring soon.
“Retiring for me will only happen after I take him down one last time,” he said. “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.”

Their epic rivalry and the sport of competitive eating was captured in the 2019 documentary 30 for 30: The Good, The Bad, The Hungry (currently streaming on Netflix and Disney+).
Chestnut is a champion in the world of competitive eating. He currently holds 55 world records and is the undefeated, 16-time champion of Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest. He was recently let go from the competition after penning a new partnership with Impossible Foods to promote their brand new vegan hot dog.
A statement from Major League Eating, the organization that Nathan’s sanctions to run the event, notes that they were going to allow Chestnut to participate in Netflix’s Labor Day event, however, his partnership with Impossible was what ultimately got him axed.
Takeru Kobayashi vs. Joey Chestnut will definitely be a can’t-miss Netflix event. Kobayashi is a fitting competitor for Chestnut. The six-time champion of Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Contest currently holds 10 world records, but was banned from competing again 2010.
Unfinished Beef is one of many live sporting events the streamer has coming down the pipeline.
The streamer recently won the rights to stream WWE Raw in a massive 10-year, $5 million deal beginning in 2025. Netflix will also stream NFL games on Christmas starting this year.
Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef streams live on Netflix Monday, Sept. 2. The time has not been announced.