Joey Chestnut to renew hot dog-eating rivalry with Takeru Kobayashi on Sept. 2
Cowboys vs. Eagles. Yankees vs. Red Sox. Lakers vs. Celtics. Ohio State vs. Michigan. Federer vs. Nadal.
Chestnut vs. Kobyashi.
One of sports' greatest beefs is back for seconds as rival competitive eating champions Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi, the man Chestnut unseated atop of the hot dog-eating world in the July 4, 2007 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog eating contest. The two will face off in a 1v1 hot dog eating contest entitled "CHESTNUT VS. KOBAYASHI: UNFINISHED BEEF" that will air live on Netflix on Sept. 2, the streaming service announced Wednesday.
Kobyashi had won the contest six years in a row before his 2007 loss to Chestnut, who would go on to win the contest 16 out of the next 17 years — that is, before Nathan's announced Tuesday that Chestnut was banned from the competition after signing a sponsorship deal with a competing hot dog brand.
Kobyashi has not been active in high-profile competitive eating for roughly a decade and said in a Netflix documentary released earlier this year that he had decided to retire from the sport due to the physical toll on his body, which his wife said caused him to go for days on end without any appetite or satisfaction of fullness. However, it appears that retirement is on hold.
"Retiring for me will only happen after I take him down one last time," Kobayashi said in Netflix's press release. "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."
Kobyashi was also banned from the Nathan's Hot Dog contest in 2010 due to a contract dispute.
Chestnut said on social media Tuesday that he was "gutted" to learn of his ban from the contest he has dominated for nearly two decades, but assured his fans, "you’ll see me eat again soon!!" Now, we know when "soon" will be.
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