One day after being ruled ineligible to compete in next month’s Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest for signing with a rival hot dog brand, Joey Chestnut has his next event.
Chestnut, a 16-time champion, will face former foe Takeru Kobayashi at “Unfinished Beef” on September 2nd. The competition will be broadcast live on Netflix.
The location has not been determined.
“Throughout all my years of competitive eating, Kobayashi has stood out as my fiercest rival,” Chestnut said in a statement. “Competing against him has pushed me to be so much better. I know the fans have waited a long time for another chapter of our rivalry and I can’t wait for our big showdown live on Netflix! It’s time to give the people what they want!”
Chestnut, 40, won last year’s Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest by consuming 62 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. His record is 76 in 2021. Chestnut has won eight consecutive events.
He was put on the map in 2007 when he upset Kobayashi by eating 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes. Kobayashi entered that event as a six-time champion.
“For me, retirement will only happen after I take him down for the last time,” Kobayashi said in a statement Wednesday. “This rivalry has been brewing for a long time. Competing against Joey live on Netflix means fans around the world can watch me knock him out.”
Kobayashi said in a recent Netflix documentary that he is retiring, noting health problems. In it, he said: “I don’t feel hungry anymore.”
The decision not to include Chestnut in this year’s July 4th Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest generated an immediate uproar.
Major League Eating said Tuesday that Chestnut violated a rule that stipulated that no participant was allowed to promote a competing brand of hot dogs. Chestnut is sponsored by a plant-based food company.
“For nearly two decades we have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provisions. However, it appears that Joey and his managers prioritized a new partnership with a different hot dog brand over our long-standing relationship,” Major League Eating said in a statement.
The organization said she and Nathan recently “went to great lengths” to accommodate Chestnut, including allowing him to compete in “a rival off-brand hot dog eating contest on Labor Day,” an apparent reference to the Netflix event.
Netflix has increased its live sports offering in recent months. It will broadcast the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul boxing match in November and recently announced a three-game deal to show the NFL on Christmas Day.
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