Joey Chestnut rallied to break a world record 83 hot dogs on Monday, enjoying another victory over rival Takeru Kobayashi, who struggled to catch up with the world’s best competitive eater in Netflix’s “Unfinished Beef” Labor Day showdown.
Following the same format as the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest held in Coney Island, New York, Chestnut and Kobayashi had 10 minutes to eat as many hot dogs as they could. According to host Rob Riggle, production had prepared 300 hot dogs in anticipation of the event, streamed live on Netflix from the Hyper X Arena in Las Vegas.
Contestants were not allowed to pound or pour water on the sausages, or separate the beef franks from their buns, with penalties for excess crumbs and regurgitation. While Kobayashi could only eat 67 hot dogs, Chestnut put back 83, breaking his own world record of 76 at Nathan’s 2021 competition.
David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix
“I’ve been trying to hit 80 hot dogs for years. Without Kobayashi, I could never 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,” Chestnut said on stage after the win.
“I feel like I did everything I could,” Kobayashi replied through an interpreter. The Nagano, Japan, native had announced his retirement from competitive eating earlier this year in the Netflix documentary “Hack Your Health: Secrets of Your Gut,” where he also revealed that he can no longer feel hunger.
Kobayashi held Nathan’s title from 2001-2006 before Chestnut took the throne and munched his way to 16 wins in 17 years. Chestnut was suspended from the competition this year over his partnership deal with Impossible Foods, forfeited the “mustard belt” to Patrick Bertoletti.
Netflix’s next scheduled live event is Jake Paul’s Boxing Showdown against Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.