Latest news with #TakeruKobayashi
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest results: Joey Chestnut claims 17th win with 70.5 hot dogs after 1-year ban
Joey Chestnut took down 70.5 hot dogs at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2025. (NDZ/STAR MAX/IPx) There's a reason Joey Chestnut is the GOAT of guzzling hot dogs. Chestnut consumed an incredible 70.5 hot dogs and bun Friday to capture his 17th win at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. The win marked his first since Chestnut was banned from the competition in 2024 due to sponsorship issues. Advertisement Chestnut returned to the competition with a vengeance, beating second-place finisher Patrick Bertoletti by 24 hot dogs and buns. Bertoletti took down 46.5 hot dogs and buns to finish as the runner-up behind Chestnut. After years of dominance, Chestnut was banned from the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2024 due to a partnership with Impossible Foods. Nathan's does not allow competitors to promote other brands, which led to Chestnut missing the event. In June, Chestnut announced he reached common ground with Nathan's and would return to the event. During his year away, Chestnut instead decided to hold a hot-dog eating competition against his long-time rival Takeru Kobayashi. The competition — which aired on Netflix — saw Chestnut eat 83 hot dogs, his personal record. That easily beat Kobayashi's 66. Advertisement Chestnut entered Friday hoping to set a new record at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. He set that record, taking down 76 hot dogs, at the event in 2021. Prior to the event, Chestnut said he would need roughly 48 to 50 hot dogs at the halfway point to set a new record. With five minutes off the clock, Chestnut fell just short of that figure, and had consumed 46 hot dogs. As expected, he slowed down as the competition went along, finishing with 70.5 hot dogs and buns consumed. While he failed to set a new record, it was still a dominant victory. With the win, Chestnut has now won all but two Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contests since 2007. He fell to Matt Stonie in 2015 and did not participate in the event in 2024 due to the ban. Every other year in which he's taken part in the competition, he's won it. He plans to do that again next year. After the win, Chestnut vowed to return and compete in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2026.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest results: Joey Chestnut claims 17th win with 70.5 hot dogs after 1-year ban
There's a reason Joey Chestnut is the GOAT of guzzling hot dogs. Chestnut consumed an incredible 70.5 hot dogs and bun Friday to capture his 17th win at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. The win marked his first since Chestnut was banned from the competition in 2024 due to sponsorship issues. Advertisement Chestnut returned to the competition with a vengeance, beating second-place finisher Patrick Bertoletti by 25 hot dogs and buns. Bertoletti took down 46.5 hot dogs and buns to finish as the runner-up behind Chestnut. Chestnut entered the day hoping to break his Nathan's record. Chestnut took down 76 hot dogs at the competition in 2021, a personal best at the event. Chestnut's own record is even higher, as he ate 83 hot dogs during a competition against rival Takeru Kobayashi in 2024. Chestnut failed to set a new record, but it was still a dominant victory. With the win, Chestnut has now one all but two Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contests since 2007. He fell to Matt Stonie in 2015 and did not participate in the event in 2024 due to the ban. Every other year in which he's taken part in the competition, he's won it. This story will be updated.
USA Today
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Why Takeru Kobayashi no longer competes in the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Editor's note: This story was originally published in 2022 and has been updated. Once a staple of the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest -- from his record-setting debut in 2001 until his final competition more than a decade ago -- Takeru Kobayashi has since faded from the consciousness of fans of the event (or people who watch because what else is on TV?). It's easy to assume that someone who has held over a dozen competitive eating records and once won the Nathan's contest six consecutive times simply got tired of shoving damp buns and franks down his throat and that's why he hasn't participated for so long. But his absence from the contest since 2010 — prior to his official retirement from competitive eating in 2024 — is actually a lot deeper. Although Kobayashi announced his retirement in a documentary released in 2024, he competed against Joey Chestnut in hot dog eating contest for a Netflix special in September that year. Chestnut won. More via USA TODAY Sports from 2024 on Kobayashi's retirement: "I've decided to retire from competitive eating. It's all I've done for the last 20 years," Kobayashi, 46, announced in Netflix's "Hack Your Health - The Secrets of Your Gut," a documentary film that explores how food, the digestive system and gut health relates to overall well-being. Kobayashi said decades of overeating for sport has left him with no appetite or no sensation of fullness, which his wife Maggie James said has caused Kobayashi to go days without eating anything at all. But let's dig into some history before his retirement. According to a New York Times report, Kobayashi had a dispute with Major League Eating (MLE), the sanctioning body of the Nathan's Famous contest and others, over the exclusivity of its contracts. They reportedly restricted MLE signees from earning money outside of MLE and competing in non-MLE events, and gave MLE "exclusive representative" rights to negotiate revenue opportunities -- of which it would earn 20% -- on behalf of its performers. Kobayashi's refusal to sign the contract in 2010 resulted in his not being able to participate in MLE contests, including the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July contest. That didn't stop him from showing up as a spectator in 2010, but that's when things really got real. Apparently spurred by chants from those in attendance, Kobayashi jumped on stage, hoping officials would allow him to compete. Instead he was arrested, never to take a Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest stage again. So there you have it. That's why you haven't seen or heard from Kobayashi for so long and probably shouldn't expect to see him this Fourth of July.
CNN
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Competitive eating expert breaks down strategy ahead of Nathan's Hot Dog Contest
Ahead of the annual Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, CNN's Harry Enten visits Coney Island and speaks with Major League Eating co-founder George Shea about the technique behind competitive eating—and what makes legends like Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi so hard to beat.
CNN
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Competitive eating expert breaks down strategy ahead of Nathan's Hot Dog Contest
Ahead of the annual Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, CNN's Harry Enten visits Coney Island and speaks with Major League Eating co-founder George Shea about the technique behind competitive eating—and what makes legends like Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi so hard to beat.
