American aggressive eater Joey Chestnut proved his dominance by smoking his nemesis, Japan’s Takeru Kobayashi, in a much-hyped scorching dog-eating contest streamed dwell Monday on Netflix.
With a $100,000 grand prize and bragging rights to develop into “Biggest of All Time” on the road, Chestnut inhaled 83 scorching canine in 10 minutes to Kobayashi’s 66 — their first dog-to-dog faceoff in 15 years.
Chestnut, 40, stuffed his face and washed down scorching canine with cups of water in a cheering area within the Luxor Resort and On line casino in Las Vegas, in the end besting his private document of 76 scorching canine.
Kobayashi, 46, had introduced his retirement this yr, however he stated he would return for redemption in opposition to Chestnut.
“I used to be making an attempt to get 80 scorching canine for years, and with out Kobayashi, I used to be by no means capable of do it,” Chestnut stated after his victory. “He drives me. We weren’t all the time good to one another, however I like the way in which we push one another to be our greatest.”
Netflix billed the occasion as “Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef,” pitting the 2 adversaries as rivals on the identical stage as heavyweight boxers Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield and NBA superstars Michael Jordan and Larry Chicken.
After his loss, Kobayashi stated via a translator that he “felt like I did all the pieces I may.”
Final month, Chestnut appeared on NBC’s “TODAY” present alongside Kobayashi to foretell that the occasion would surpass their private bests.
“I believe we’ll make world data,” Chestnut stated.
Chestnut, whose nickname is Jaws, was noticeably absent from this yr’s July 4 contest at Nathan’s flagship location in Coney Island, within the Brooklyn borough of New York Metropolis. He stated occasion organizer Main League Consuming dominated him ineligible — a lot to the frustration of his followers — after he started partnering with a competing plant-based rival. Main League Consuming, nevertheless, denied he was “banned.”
Kobayashi’s return to competitors was sudden, however for a special purpose: This yr, he revealed within the Netflix documentary “Hack Your Well being: The Secrets and techniques of Your Intestine” that he was retiring from aggressive consuming after he now not felt hungry and questioned about “what injury I’ve achieved to my physique.” He estimated he has consumed 10,000 scorching canine in his profession.
However he stated on “TODAY” that after he ceased aggressive consuming for the previous 5 years, the chance to scarf down scorching canine once more with Chestnut “means quite a bit” as a result of he is retired.
“Actually, I am again for at some point,” stated Kobayashi, who’s nicknamed the Tsunami.
His string of wins within the annual Nathan’s contest within the early and mid-2000s helped to popularize aggressive consuming.
On July 4, 2009, when he and Chestnut final competed in opposition to one another, Chestnut devoured 68 scorching canine and buns in 10 minutes, lapping up a victory over Kobayashi’s 64½ scorching canine and buns. Chestnut would go on to develop into the competition’s pre-eminent champion, whereas Kobayashi stopped competing in that occasion in 2010 due to a contract dispute.
Till then, Chestnut had crushed Kobayashi 3 times in competitors, whereas Kobayashi surpassed him twice.
“We’ll eat some scorching canine for actual on Labor Day,” Chestnut stated on “TODAY.”
Netflix gave the pair 10 minutes to eat as many scorching canine as they might abdomen however warned that the foundations can be more difficult, together with no dunking scorching canine or buns in water and no separating the wieners from the bread.
The Labor Day particular included undercard occasions, as nicely. Aggressive eater Matt Stonie handily defeated three adorned Olympians — swimmers Ryan Lochte and Ryan Murphy and water polo participant Max Irving — in a rooster wing-eating contest. British aggressive eater Leah Shutkever additionally ate a document quantity of watermelon in three minutes below Guinness World Data.