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In the world of 'Competitive eating', there can be ONLY one! ...or wait, is it two? Today n Weird History food we delve into the past of Competitive eating competitions, way back to the start of Pie eating contests... and within that framework, we have a look at two titans of the 'sport'. Come with us as we get into the rivalry and personal journey of both Joey Chestnut and Kobayashi. How they each came to dominate the world of Competitive eating, and how they keep trying to snatch the #1 title from each other!
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Of all the rivalries in competitive eating
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none is more storied than the one between Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut
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For years, they duked it out to determine who is the true champ of chomp
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But all beef has an expiration date, and it looks like Chestnut and Kobayashi's is coming up fast
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Today, we're gorging ourselves on the gluttonous history of the Joey Chestnut-Takeru-Kobayashi rivalry
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Okay, time to suck back some chili dogs like John Mellencamp. While Kobayashi and Chestnut may be two of the biggest names in the scene today
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competitive eating existed long before either of them downed their first hot dog
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Somewhat surprisingly, watching people scarf down inhuman amounts of food in a condensed time frame
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was not thought up by an American. The first ever recorded eating competition actually took place in Ontario, Canada
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The city of Toronto hosted a pie eating contest in January of 1878 as a way to raise money for charity
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Papers across North America reported on the strange event, and the public devoured the news
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Pretty soon, eating competitions were popping up in bars, gentlemen's clubs, and state fairs all over the United States
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And they just weren't limited to pies anymore. As legend has it, the movement really got going in 1916
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when the first Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating contest was allegedly hosted at Coney Island in New York City
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Nathan's, which is still held annually on the 4th of July, was said to bring four American immigrants together
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in a bid to see which one of them was the most patriotic. And for some reason, they decided to settle that argument
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by chowing down on a bunch of Nathan's famous hot dogs. While patriotic Americans stuffing themselves full of mystery meat
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on Independence Day makes for a great story, it never actually happened
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In a 2010 New York Times article, press agent Mortimer Matz admitted to making up the 1916 story
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as a way to market Nathan's famous hot dogs and their upcoming eating contest
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The first real Nathan's hot dog eating contest was held in 1972
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And while it isn't as inspiring as the fake marketing story, it did kickstart a whole new era of competitive eating
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one that aimed to turn the snackish pastime into a full-blown sport
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Enter the Major League Eating Organization, also known as the International Federation of Competitive Eating
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The MLE was founded in the early 90s by brothers George and Richard Schia
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The Schia's took over the Nathan's hot dog eating contest marketing efforts in 1991
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With George claiming the title of Master of Ceremonies he introduced each competitor with a level of dramatic flair usually reserved for pro wrestlers and referred to them as athletes across multiple interviews with a straight face The strategy worked By the early 2000s MLE events were being covered by ESPN A fan community formed and the top contestants became celebrities in their own right
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Today, Nathan's is the largest recognized competitive eating contest in the nation
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But Major League Eating has its greasy fingers in all sorts of competitive pies, from buffalo wings
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to oysters. Mm, yum. Perspective athletes are expected to take the events
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as seriously as the MLE does. contestants have to learn proper speed swallowing techniques
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and are bound to strict diets of regimented fasting to expand their stomach capacity
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And while many brave souls committed themselves to the lifestyle in those early years
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one man stood head and shoulders above the rest. Takeru Kobayashi's competitive eating career began in the year 2000
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when he appeared on two Japanese game shows and handily won both competitions
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The following year, he made his Western debut at Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
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There, Kobayashi slammed down 50 hot dogs in just 12 minutes, winning him the competition and doubling the previous world record of 25 dogs
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If that wasn't impressive enough, Kobayashi would win the competition six consecutive times between 2001 and 2006 and break his own record three of those times
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He achieved this feat by wiggling his body to better solidify the food in his stomach and by developing his own eating technique
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Dubbed the Solomon Method, Kobayashi removed the hot dogs from their buns and dunked the buns in water to help wash it all down quickly and smoothly
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This technique was so effective that it became standard practice for every subsequent hot dog eating competition
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Over the years, Kobayashi won multiple eating competitions and broke various records, taking his fill of the spotlight and helping Major League Eating become a worldwide sensation
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As the sport's first big star, he was named the godfather of competitive eating
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But as Kobayashi piled his plate higher and higher, another fresh-faced athlete was next in line at the buffet, and he was hungry for a challenge
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Joey Chestnut from San Jose, California, rose to fame in 2005 by winning the first competition he ever entered
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beating out the previous winner of the Deep Fried Asparagus Eating Championship by eating a hefty 6.3 pounds in 11 and a half minutes
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In July of that year, Chestnut entered Nathan's hot dog eating contest for the first time and placed third
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behind Takeru Kobayashi and second-place winner Sonia Thomas. Just a few months later, in October of 2005
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Chestnut broke his first world record by eating 32.5 grilled cheese sandwiches at the Arizona State Bear
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Presumably, he celebrated with a deep-fried pickle before barfing it all up on the Tilt-A-Whirl
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Like Kobayashi before him Chestnut quickly gained traction in the competitive eating scene by racking up wins and world records And though he was bested by Kobayashi in their first contest together Chestnut would eventually prove to be a fierce rival for the godfather of competitive eating
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With each win Kobayashi stuffed under his belt, Chestnut was close behind
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always placing just behind the world-leading champion. In the 2019 ESPN documentary, The Good, The Bad, The Hungry
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Chestnut even confessed to hating Kobayashi and was driven to train harder to beat the best in the business
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But for a brief moment in 2007, it looked like Chestnut would never have the chance to officially beat his rival in hot dog eating combat
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After Kobayashi lost his mother to cancer, he considered retiring from the sport altogether
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Then, in a Tempe, Arizona qualifier for Nathan's, Chestnut shattered Kobayashi's record by eating 59 and a half hot dogs
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Kobayashi knew that if he retired now, people would think he was afraid of his up-and-coming competitor
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And so he started to train for the July 4th event. And he trained hard
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So hard, in fact, that Kobayashi injured his jaw just weeks before the contest
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Chestnut cast doubt on the injury, telling the press that he thought Kobayashi was lying
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and just trying to save face in case he lost. Unsurprisingly, this attack on Kobayashi's character infuriated him and only added heat
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to their simmering competitive tension. On the day of the event, the two raced neck and neck to smash the record yet again, surpassing
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60 hot dogs each during the 12-minute competition. But for the first time in seven years, Kobayashi would not take home the gold
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He stood on the second-place podium with a total of 63 hot dogs
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three shy of Chestnut's disgustingly impressive 66. With that, Chestnut officially became the world-eating champion
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and proved that Kobayashi was not an invulnerable eating machine. But their rivalry was only beginning
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The following year, Nathan's contest ended in a tie between Kobayashi and Chestnut
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On the fly, it was decided that the tie would be settled in a five-dog death match with no hard rules
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Chestnut was the first to clear his plate, though he admitted to raising his hand before he was actually through with his final hot dog
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While he took home the title that day, it was a controversial win, to say the least
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Over the next year, the pair essentially snatched titles back and forth, setting new records and breaking them in turn as they traveled across the country on the MLE competitive circuit
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Meanwhile, the league was spinning this newfound rivalry as an Olympic-level battle between America and Japan, which unfortunately turned huge sections of the American audience against Kobayashi
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He began to feel unwelcome during live events until eventually, even MLE itself turned on the godfather of competitive eating
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To participate in American speed eating contests Kobayashi signed a contract with Major League Eating that stated he wasn allowed to take part in any competitions outside MLE jurisdiction Kobayashi had a problem with
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that. He wanted to expand the sport and realize his full potential as a competitive eater outside
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the bounds of a single American organization. A legal battle ensued, and Kobayashi was barred
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from entering the 2010 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest to compete against Joey Chestnut. But
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that didn't stop him from showing up wearing a free Kobay t-shirt. As the event began, fans started chanting and demanding MLE let Kobayashi compete
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He decided to rush the stage, which the New York Police Department did not take kindly to
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He was immediately taken into custody for trespassing and escorted off the premises in handcuffs
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Hot dogs are serious business. Kobayashi is no longer affiliated with Major League Eating and instead participates in non-MLE
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events across the globe, earning non-sanctioned titles and breaking records outside official
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recognition while Chestnut participates within the league. As such, Chestnut has become the world's
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most decorated competitive eater and a 16-time winner of Nathan's hot dog eating contest
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but only because Kobayashi doesn't compete. In 2024, 14 years after Kobayashi's scandal
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Chestnut found himself embroiled in his own dispute with NLE. Apparently, he has to compete
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with Kobayashi and Scandals, too. Major League Eating announced they were banning Chestnut
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from that year's Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. As it turned out, the world's champ had accepted a sponsorship
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from one of Nathan's biggest competitors, Impossible Foods. Not only had he betrayed the league, but he betrayed the meat
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MLE would not stand for it. But the community actually backed their American hot dog hero
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Fans were outraged by MLE's decision. And in response to the backlash, the league tried to retract their ban, but the damage had already been done
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With both Chestnut and Kobayashi feeling scorned by MLE, the stage was set for a comeback outside the restrictions of the league
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But who would be brave enough to step on the toes of the biggest competitive eating organization to make it happen
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On September 2nd, 2024, Netflix is set to host a live event featuring the two most accomplished eaters in history
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On Chestnut vs. Kobayashi Unfinished Beef, the pair will face off to finally answer the question
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who is the speediest eater of them all? After 15 years, countless world records, and two scandals
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their long-standing rivalry will be settled in a nail-biting hot dog eating contest
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just like the last time they competed against each other, except without the Coney Island venue
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Only time will tell which of these food-focused champions will take his place on the hot dog throne
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which is a lot like the Iron Throne, just more delicious