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Joey Chestnut Smashes Rival in Record Hot-Dog Eating Contest

The American ultra-eater faced off with Japanese legend Takeru Kobayashi for the first time in 15 years.

Champion competitive eater Joey Chestnut smoked his longtime rival Takeru Kobayashi in Netflix’s Unfinished Beef hot dog-eating contest on Monday, shattering his world record for the number of franks consumed in 10 minutes and taking home a $100,000 prize.

Chestnut, who holds 55 eating-related world records, put down 83 hot dogs and buns, seven more than his 2021 personal best. Meanwhile, Kobayashi fell short at 66 hot dogs.

“I’ve been trying to hit 80 hot dogs for years, and without Kobayashi I was never able to do it,’’ the American eating legend said, according to USA Today. “He drives me. We weren’t always nice to each other, but I love the way we push each other to be our best.’’

The live event at the Luxor in Las Vegas brought Kobayashi and Chestnut together for the first time in 15 years, after the duo faced off five times at the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4.

Chestnut, who won the Nathan’s chow-fest 16 times and went undefeated from 2015 to 2023, was absent from this year’s festivities after the American world record holder signed a sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods, promoting the company's new vegan hot dog, a rival company to Nathan’s and Major League Eating.

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