In Labor Day dog fight, Joey Chestnut smokes Takeru Kobayashi in hot dog-eating rivalry

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.