Gentlemen, start with your sausages.
Just days after beloved hot dog-eating champion Joey Chestnut was ejected from Nathan’s famous 4th of July international hot dog-eating contest, Netflix announced that he has bigger plans in store for him. Chestnut will soon face off against his fiercest rival, Takeru Kobayashi, in a Netflix special airing later this year.
Chestnut vs Kobayashi: unfinished meat will be a live-streamed event taking place on Labor Day, marking the first time in 15 years that the champions will face each other. The last match between Chestnut and Kobayashi was in 2009, when Chestnut bested him in a hot dog eating contest.
“Throughout all 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 much better. I know fans have been waiting a long time for another chapter in 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, dubbed the “godfather of competitive eating,” dismissed any notion that he was planning to retire anytime soon.
“For me, retiring will only happen after I take it down one last time,” he said. “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.”
Their epic rivalry and the sport of competitive eating was captured in the 2019 documentary. 30 by 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 4th of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest. He was recently fired from the competition after signing a new partnership with Impossible Foods to promote his new vegan hot dog.
A statement from Major League Eating, the organization that sanctioned Nathan to host the event, notes that they were going to allow Chestnut to participate in the Netflix Labor Day event, however, his association with Impossible was what ultimately led to him they fired
Takeru Kobayashi vs. Joey Chestnut will definitely be a Netflix event you can’t miss. 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 in 2010.
Unfinished Beef is one of many live sporting events the streamer has in the works.
The streamer recently won the rights to stream. WWE raw in a massive 10-year, $5 million deal starting in 2025. Netflix will also stream NFL games on Christmas starting this year.
Chestnut vs Kobayashi: unfinished meat It airs live on Netflix on Monday, September 2. The time has not been announced.
