Joey Chestnut, a legendary competitive eater, set a new world record by consuming 83 hot dogs in 10 minutes, defeating his longtime rival Takeru Kobayashi, who finished with 66-67 hot dogs. The competition followed the Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest format.
Chestnut, who started his career in 2005 and is still in his prime at 40 years old, has won the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 16 times. Kobayashi, aged 46, has won 6 times and announced his retirement from competitive eating this year, stating that he can no longer feel hunger.
For his victory, Chestnut was awarded $100,000 in prize money, a hot-dog shaped trophy, and a championship title belt from World Wrestling Entertainment. Some 2,400 hot dogs were cooked for the event, with 300 being prepared for the main contest.
Chestnut missed the July 4 event in New York due to a sponsorship deal, allowing Patrick Bertoletti to win with 58 hot dogs, but he was excluded from the Netflix competition. Subsequent contractual disputes prevented Kobayashi from competing at Coney Island against Chestnut.
Chestnut expressed gratitude toward Kobayashi for pushing him to achieve his goal of eating 80 hot dogs, which he had been attempting for years. This was the first time the two competitors faced off in 15 years, as Kobayashi was banned from the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2010 due to a contract dispute.
Penalties were given for excess crumbs and regurgitation. Competitors were not allowed to dunk or pour water on the hot dogs or separate the beef franks from their buns.
Chestnut earns up to $500,000 per year from competitive eating challenges and sponsorships.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: CBS News, The New York Times, CNN, USA Today, Der Tagesspiegel, Sat.1, Die Welt, Newsmax, Bild, MarketScreener, The Express Tribune.