Joey Chestnut was known as “Mr. Fourth of July” until this year because he was so good at the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. On July 4, Chestnut, who has won the prized Mustard Belt 16 times, took his competitive eating skills to a whole new level.
Even though Chestnut didn’t enter the 2024 Nathan’s contest because the event chose to feature Impossible Foods veggie hot dogs instead of regular frankfurters, he found another way to enjoy.
On a U.S. Army base, he competed in a fierce eating fight with a group of soldiers and won, eating 57 hot dogs to their 49.
A New Song And A New Name
For Chestnut, the fun didn’t end there. With just two months having passed since his win on Independence Day, he made more history by breaking a new world record.
It was called “Unfinished Beef,” and it was streamed live on Netflix. There was a hot dog eating competition between Chestnut and his longtime foe, Takeru Kobayashi.
Kobayashi only ate 66 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, but Chestnut ate 83 in that time, which is an amazing feat of eating skill. The old record was 76 hot dogs, which Chestnut set at Coney Island in 2021.
This new record beat that. Along with the new world record, Chestnut won $100,000 and a title belt in the style of WWE. This is yet another achievement in his already amazing career.
The Rivalry Came Back
For more than ten years, the Chestnut-Kobayashi feud has been one of the most important parts of competitive eating. Netflix may have made their feud look like one of the best in the business, but in reality, it has been mostly one-sided over the past few years.
Kobayashi has lost a lot of money after successfully beating Chestnut in the Nathan’s battle in 2005 and 2006. Kobayashi stopped competing in Nathan’s events after 2009 because of a disagreement over a contract. In 2010, he was arrested for trying to participate without being invited.
Because of health problems, Kobayashi had to stop from competitive wrestling, which hurt his career. But he came back in a big way for the Netflix show.
He planned to stop fighting after one last win over Chestnut. Unfortunately for Kobayashi, he lost badly, which made Chestnut even more of a champion in the sport.
What’s Next?
After Kobayashi’s latest post on social media (formerly X), it looks like he is ready to quit and be known as the second-best hot dog eater of all time. This statement comes after a big loss that made it clear that Chestnut is the best at competitive eating.
Chestnut is still not sure about Kobayashi’s exit, though. Because both people are very competitive and hate each other, Kobayashi could always try to make things right.
As the world of competitive eating tries to figure out what this latest event means, fans and followers are left wondering if there will be another great battle. If the competition keeps up, something could happen next Labor Day, so keep an eye out for new information.
For now, Chestnut’s win and performance that broke records have made him the undisputed winner and a real legend in the world of competitive eating.
Yes, the story of Chestnut and Kobayashi is still going on. This is good news for anyone who likes hot dogs or a good underdog story.
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