Joey Chestnut to take on Takeru Kobayashi in a no-holds-barred hot dog eating contest, live on Netflix

The world of competitive eating just got a whole lot wilder, as Joey Chestnut will be taking on Takeru Kobayashi in a winner-take-all all, mano a mano hot dog eating contest, live on Netflix. Titled Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef, the special will pit the two eating champions against each other to find out, once and for all, who can eat the most hot dogs.

“Through all of my years in competitive eating, Kobayashi stands out as my fiercest rival,” said Chestnut via a press release provided to Guilty Eats. “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!”

This is, no doubt, what the people want. Or at least it’s what I personally, want, as Kobayashi is the competitive eater who got me obsessed with watching the sport – and his absence has left a gap that hasn’t been filled, even with Chestnut dominating the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, year after year.

"Retiring for me will only happen after I take him down one last time,” added Kobayashi. “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.”

This news comes a mere day after Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest announced they weren’t allowing Chestnut to compete in the storied event, due to his marketing agreement with competing brand Impossible Foods. Though reportedly Nathan’s and Major League Eating (MLE) made every effort to appeal to Chestnut, having him represent Impossible, which produces vegan hot dogs, was just a bridge – or one bite – too far.

And now, this, an event that looks to perhaps eclipse Nathan’s for the eating event of the year – makes Chestnut’s self-banning (MLE and Nathan’s are still hoping to work something out) a little more understandable.

Chestnut holds the world’s record for hot dog eating, with 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes. And he’s been basically unstoppable for eight years in a row, since picking up where Kobayashi left off. Kobayashi, meanwhile, has won Nathan’s Hot Dog contest six times, starting in 2001 – eating double the hot dogs the previous record holder ate and starting a hot dog-eating arms race that thrilled (and let’s be honest, disgusted) fans. The duo hasn’t faced off since 2009, when Chestnut beat the previously unstoppable Kobayashi in a sudden death eat-off, aka whoever could eat five hot dogs the fastest.

Though Netflix is slim on details at the moment, it will stream live on September 2, 2024, aka over Labor Day. Location and exact timing will be announced at a later date. But you know we’ll be watching, hot dogs – a reasonable amount, mind you – in hand.