- Contestant breaks solo record by consuming 83 hot dogs within a 10-minute span.
In a fight between two renowned hotdog gobbling titans, USA's Joey Chestnut smashed his earlier world record. Within a mere ten minutes, the 40-year-old wolfed down 83 hotdogs, bettering his personal best of 76. Meanwhile, his Japanese opponent and rival, Takeru Kobayashi, boosted his personal record yet only managed 66 hotdogs at the hotdog-gorging competition in Vegas.
For the first time in 15 years, these two gastronomic titans clashed heads. Netflix streamed the live spectacle titled "Unfinished Beef" on Monday, with the pair shoveling hotdogs down their throats with both hands and chugging water, all while an exhilarated crowd watched on.
Chestnut bagged the trophy and a whopping $100,000 as the winner. He confessed following his triumph that he had been aiming for 80 hotdogs for years, and having Kobayashi as his opponent had spurred him on to give it his all.
The colossal 100-kg Chestnut and his lighter foe, Kobayashi, had last met in battle back in 2009, with Chestnut emerging victorious with 68 hotdogs in his stomach.
Kobayashi is a pioneer in the annual Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, held on the USA's Independence Day in New York. He ruled the event with six consecutive victories from 2001, but was barred from joining in 2010 due to a contract squabble with the event's organizer, Major League Eating.
Chestnut claimed the "Nathan's Famous" title for the first time in 2007 and has since bagged it a total of 16 times. However, he was expelled from the event last July due to a sponsorship deal with plant-based food company Impossible Foods. In Chestnut's absence, American Patrick Bertoletti clinched his first title, devouring 58 hotdogs.
In the intense competition, the mixed crowd cheered for both contestants, showing their support for both American and Japanese hotdog champions. Despite their different strategies, both Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi showcased a mixed display of resilience and determination during the contest.
