Joey Chestnut Broke His Own World Record During Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef

Here’s everything that went down on the day of the dog.

It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there — and on Sept. 2 at 3:00 p.m. EST, it was a man- eat–(hot) dog world, too. Streaming live on Netflix, 16-time hot dog– eating champion Joey Chestnut faced off against rival and six-time hot dog–eating champion Takeru Kobayashi in Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef , the ultimate wiener-takes-all competition. Did Chestnut maintain his title as the world’s greatest, or did Kobayashi gnaw with a vengeance and regain his throne? 

First, here’s a recap of what went down during the live event. 

David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix

Matt Stonie took on Olympians Ryan Murphy, Max Irving, and Ryan Lochte

To start off the show, competitive eater Matt Stonie took on three decorated Olympians in the ultimate one-against-three chicken wing showdown. The rules? Whoever eats the most chicken wings in three minutes takes the honors. Despite beng outnumbered, Stonie eviscerated the competition by eating 53 wings on his own — the team of Olympians only managed to swallow 36, or 12 apiece. 

David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix

Leah Shutkever set the Guinness World Record for most watermelon eaten in three minutes

Shutkever has set dozens of records for competitive eating (remember, she has the ability to bite and swallow at the same time), but in order to set the Guinness World Record for most watermelon eaten in three minutes, she had to consume 1750 grams — or 4 pounds – within the time frame. Shutkever beat the record with time to spare, consuming 2400 grams of watermelon with 30 seconds left on the clock. 

David Becker/Getty Images for Netflix

Joey Chestnut won Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef

The stakes were high: In addition to the eternal glory of settling a 15-year beef, the winner took home a one-of-a-kind hot dog trophy and WWE-designed championship belt, presented by WWE superstars Rey Mysterio and Omos. In the end, Chestnut took the whole dog — 83 dogs, to be exact, beating Kobayashi by 17 dogs for a final score of 83-66. Chestnut's 83 dogs broke the world record for most eaten in 10 minutes, without dunking them in water, in the history of competitive eating.

What’s the beef between Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi?

For years, the rivalry between Chestnut and Kobayashi dominated headlines at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest, but the two competitive eating legends have not faced off in a hot dog–eating competition since 2009, when Chestnut finally bested Kobayashi in a five-hot dog “sudden death” eat-off. The live event on Sept. 2 was their first time coming face-to-face in 15 years.

The Competitors

Who is Joey Chestnut?

Born and raised in San Jose, California and weighing in at 222 pounds, Chestnut holds 55 world records for competitive eating, including the world record for most hot dogs — 76 in 10 minutes, to be precise. 

“Through all of my years in competitive eating, Kobayashi stands out as my fiercest rival,” said Chestnut. “Competing against him pushed me to be so much better. I know that fans have waited a long time for another chapter of our rivalry and I can’t wait for our massive showdown live on Netflix! It’s time to give the people what they want!”

Joey Chestnut has consumed nearly 335,000 calories in hot dogs alone, roughly the same amount of calories the average person eats in six months.
 

Career Highlights

Hard-boiled eggs in 8 minutes

Chicken wings in 30 minutes

Krystal burgers in 8 minutes

Who is Takeru Kobayashi?

Weighing in at 158 pounds and described as the “godfather of competitive eating,” Kobayashi won the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest six consecutive times from 2001–2006, breaking his own record. In 2010, Kobayashi was banned from competing in the competition due to a contract dispute. He continued to break world records for competitive eating and currently holds more than 10 world records in the sport. Though rumors swirled about his retirement, Kobayashi says he is here to stay. 

“Retiring for me will only happen after I take him down one last time,” Kobayashi told Netflix. “This rivalry has been brewing for a long time. Competing against Joey live on Netflix means fans all over the world can watch me knock him out.”

Kobayashi is known for the “Kobayashi Shake,” a technique where he wiggles his body to force food down his esophagus and compact it into his stomach.
 

Career Highlights

Cow brains (17.7 pounds) in 15 minutes

Pounds of rice balls in 30 minutes

Lobster rolls in 10 minutes

The Rules

There are key changes to the regulations compared to how Chestnut and Kobayashi competed at the Nathan’s Fourth of July contest in 2009 — the updated rules make it both more challenging, and more fair.  

RULE #1: 10-minute contest to eat the most hot dogs and buns

RULE #2: NO dunking or pouring water on hot dogs and buns

RULE #3: NO separation of hot dogs from buns

RULE #4: Penalties may be issued for breaking of rules, or regurgitation. 

RULE #5: 30 seconds to finish what’s left in their mouths at end of 10 minutes

RULE #6: Excess crumbs are weighed and deducted from scores if necessary.

RULE #7: Tiebreaker — Three minutes overtime. Should a second overtime be necessary, winner will be first to finish five hot dogs and buns

Frequently Asked Questions

Who hosted Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef?

Actor and comedian Rob Riggle and TV personality and WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Garcia (formerly known professionally as Nikki Bella) hosted. Calling the match alongside Riggle and Garcia were Cari Champion and Chris Rose.

Who are the undercards?

Competitive eater Matt Stonie took on three decorated Olympians in a fight for who can eat the most chicken wings. They included: nine-time Olympic medalist in swimming Ryan Murphy, bronze medalist in water polo Max Irving, and 12-time Olympic medalist in swimming Ryan Lochte. Competitive eater Leah Shutkever set yet another Guinness World Record live during the show, eating the most watermelon ever consumed in three minutes.

What did Joey Chestnut win?

WWE superstars Rey Mysterio and Omos will presented Chestnut with a WWE-made custom championship title belt. And just a reminder: The WWE is coming to Netflix in 2025. 

Is a hot dog a sandwich?

For a question as sensitive and technical as this, let’s leave it to the experts. Check out the video below!

When is Netflix’s next Live event?

The Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing event will stream Nov. 15.  Netflix Sports continues to expand its offerings as it will exclusively stream WWE Raw every week of the year starting in 2025 as well as stream NFL games on Christmas from 2024 to 2026. To catch up on the long-standing competitive eating rivalry that came to a head in Unfinished Beef, check out 30 for 30: The Good, The Bad, The Hungry on Netflix in the United States. 

Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi Taste Test Gourmet Hot DogsHaute dogs, anyone?