Joey Chestnut Breaks World Record As Winner Of Netflix's Unfinished Beef

Until this year, Joey Chestnut was Mr. Fourth of July. While the 16-time winner of the Mustard Belt did not participate in the 2024 Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest (Major League Eating and Nathan's couldn't stomach the idea of his endorsing Impossible Foods vegan dogs), he did engage in a friendly Independence Day eating contest on an Army base, beating a team of soldiers 57 dogs to 49. Two months later, Chestnut scored another major wiener win. It seems we can now call him Mr. Labor Day as well. In his latest holiday hot dog eating event, he triumphed over longtime rival Takeru Kobayashi and set a new world record.

The competition, which was streamed live on Netflix, was dubbed "Unfinished Beef " and featured a hot dog eating contest involving only the two world-class eaters. Chestnut won a decisive victory, scarfing 83 hot dogs and buns in just 10 minutes to Kobayashi's 66. He was thrilled to have broken 80 at last, shattering his previous record of 76 hot dogs set at Coney Island in 2021. Not only did Chestnut get all the glory, but he also took home $100,000 and a WWE-style title belt.

While Netflix may have booked the Joey Chestnut-Takeru Kobayashi hot dog eating contest as if their rivalry is one of the biggest in competitive eating, the truth is that it's been lopsided for over a decade. Although Kobayashi beat Chestnut in the Nathan's showdown in 2005 and again in 2006, Chestnut emerged the victor in their next three contests. Kobayashi did not compete at Coney Island after 2009 due to a contract dispute and was arrested when he showed up uninvited in 2010. 

Before the Netflix event, Kobayashi retired from competitive eating due to health issues. When the contest was announced, he declared that he couldn't retire until he had beaten Chestnut for a final time. Since he failed to do so by a rather significant margin, will he hang up his bib, put away the Pepto Bismol, and graciously go down in defeat, accepting his status as the second-best hot dog eater of all time? In a statement shared by Netflix via X (formerly Twitter), Kobayashi announced his intention to do just that. However, Chestnut is skeptical and doubts his rival will want to let things end this way. Does this mean there'll there be another showdown next Labor Day? Better not let that Netflix subscription lapse just in case.