Meet champion hot-dog eater Joey Chestnut, starring on Netflix soon: he’s banned from the Nathan’s contest in NYC, but is set to compete against Japan’s Takeru Kobayashi in a live event

Jun 14 , 2024

US competitive eating legend Joey Chestnut will face off against a fierce rival in a hot-dog eating contest on Netflix after he was excluded from Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot-dog eating contest. Photo: Reuters

Joey Chestnut, defending champion of the annual July Fourth hot-dog eating competition on New York City’s Coney Island, is excluded from this year’s event because he is sponsoring an all-veggie frankfurter of another brand, organisers said on June 11.

Joey Chestnut is a top-ranked competitive eater from Indiana, US. Photo: @joeychestnut/Instagram

In a statement posted to its X (formerly Twitter) social media account, Major League Eating (MLE), which oversees Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot-dog eating contest, said it was “devastated” by Chestnut’s decision to switch commercial fealty to a rival frank.

Chestnut, a construction engineer by trade and native of Indiana, said in his own statement on X that he was “gutted” to learn that he was being “banned” from the Nathan’s Famous contest after 19 years – but he promised his fans via social media that “you’ll see me eat again soon!!”

It now emerges he will go head-to-head on Netflix in September with Japan’s Takeru Kobayashi, a former world record holder who won the same New York event six times in a row before he was beaten by Chestnut in 2007.

Here’s what we know about champion hot dog eater and soon-to-be Netflix star, Joey Chestnut:

Joey Chestnut is a top-ranked competitive eater in the world

Joey Chestnut celebrates his 15th championship title during the 2022 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot-dog eating contest on Coney Island in New York, in July 2022. Photo: AFP

According to Major League Eating, he has won the Nathan’s contest on July 4 – which draws thousands of fans each year – a total of 16 times, including in 2021, when he set a world record by eating 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.

“Through all of my years in competitive eating, Kobayashi stands out as my fiercest rival,” said Chestnut, 40, quoted in a Netflix press release.

Former world record holder Takeru Kobayashi (right) and Joey Chestnut look on at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot-dog eating contest official weigh-in ceremony in New York City, in 2009. Photo: AFP

Kobayashi, 46, will come out of semi-retirement for the showdown. “Retiring for me will only happen after I take him down one last time,” said Kobayashi, in the same statement.

He’s also broken records in other categories

Joey Chestnut is a construction engineer by trade. Photo: AFP

Other than hot dogs, he’s also broken records in several other food categories. Chestnut’s website lists a number of world eating contests that he has conquered.

Apple pie: 4 1.3kg apple pies/Mapleside Farms/eight minutes/September 13, 2013

Burritos, long form: 6.5kg burritos/Illegal Pete’s Burritos/10 minutes/May 28, 2016

Chicken wings: 3.45kg Buffalo chicken wings/12 minutes/September 2, 2012

Donuts, glazed: 55 glazed donuts/Salvation Army National Donut Day/eight minutes/June 2, 2017

Eggs: 141 hard-boiled eggs/8 minutes/October 5, 2013

Will Joey Chestnut compete at the Nathan’s contest again?

Joey Chestnut (centre left) celebrates winning the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot-dog eating contest in Coney Island, in July 2022. Photo: AP Photo

The New York Post, which broke the story, reported that Chestnut had reached a deal to represent Impossible Foods, which recently introduced beef-substitute hot dogs made from soy protein and other plant-based products.

Calling Chestnut “an American hero”, the Nathan’s contest organisers said they had already gone to “great lengths” to accommodate him by agreeing to an appearance fee and allowing Chestnut to compete in another “unbranded” hot-dog eating contest on Labour Day.

A banner displaying world champion Joey Chestnut seen at the 2023 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot-dog eating contest at Coney Island in New York City, in July 2023. Photo: Reuters

“However, it seems that Joey and his managers have prioritised a new partnership with a different hot dog brand over our long-time relationship,” the statement said. “We hope that he returns when he is not representing a rival brand.”

Chestnut responded on X: “To set the record straight, I do not have a contract with MLE or Nathan’s, and they are looking to change the rules from past years as it relates to other partners I can work with.”

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Excluded from the annual July 4 Nathan’s contest for promoting rival plant-based brand Impossible Foods, he will appear on Netflix live event Chestnut vs Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef, instead
The top-ranked competitive eater is a construction engineer by trade, who’s also broken records in several other food categories like burritos, donuts, chicken wings, apple pies and eggs