Joey Chestnut mustered the strength to down a world record 83 hot dogs on Monday, relishing another victory against rival Takeru Kobayashi, who struggled to catch up to 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, the production had prepared 300 hot dogs in anticipation of the event, streamed live on Netflix from the Hyper X Arena in Las Vegas.
Competitors were not allowed to dunk or pour water on the hot dogs, or separate the beef franks from their buns, with penalties levied for excess crumbs and regurgitation. While Kobayashi was only able to eat 67 hot dogs, Chestnut put back 83, beating his own world record of 76 set at the 2021 Nathan’s contest.
David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix
“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,” Chestnut said on stage after the win.
“I feel like I did everything I could,” Kobayashi responded via an interpreter. The Nagano, Japan, native had announced his retirement from competitive eating earlier this year on the Netflix documentary “Hack Your Health: Secrets of Your Gut,” where he also revealed he can no longer feel hunger.
Kobayashi held the Nathan’s title from 2001-2006 before Chestnut took the throne, munching his way to 16 wins in 17 years. Chestnut was banned from the competition this year over his partnership deal with Impossible Foods, forfeiting the “Mustard Belt” to Patrick Bertoletti.
Netflix’s next scheduled live event is Jake Paul’s boxing showdown against Mike Tyson in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.