Takeru Kobayashi is mostly done hot doggin’ it.
The Japanese competitive eater dominated the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in the early 2000s. His reign launched the event’s popularity into an entirely new stratosphere, but soon after his six straight title wins, Kobayashi was nowhere to be found.
He’s returning to the spotlight for one final hot dog eating contest — a one-on-one against Joey Chestnut. The event will air live on Netflix
Kobayashi dazzled — and grossed out — the masses with his ability to shove dog after dog straight down the gullet, with his signature shimmy and his diminutive stature. Once Chestnut arrived on the scene to challenge Kobayashi, Chestnut dethroned the champ and started a dynasty of his own.
Since then, Kobayashi has strayed further and further from the frankfurter.
So, what happened to “Kobi?”
MORE: When is Joey Chestnut vs. Takeru Kobayashi?
What happened to Kobayashi?
The answer is … not much.
If you’re expecting the tragic downfall of a once-dominant champion, there’s not really much there. There is lots of red tape, though.
While Joey “Jaws” Chestnut’s arrival subsequently ended Kobayashi’s reign of six consecutive hot dog eating titles, it wasn’t until 2010 when Kobayashi’s eating career started to spiral. Kobayashi entered a contract dispute with Major League Eating, which sanctions the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, leading to the end of his appearances on Coney Island during the Fourth of July spectacle.
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His disputes with MLE prevented Kobayashi from competing at events outside of the MLE banner, resulting in Kobayashi’s ban from the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in subsequent years, effectively ending his chance at redemption vs. Chestnut.
“They want complete control over me,” he told the New York Daily News in 2010. “I just want to compete and do what I love. They are trying to take away my freedom.”
In 2010, Kobayashi infamously rushed the stage at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, resulting in his arrest. While there are conflicting reports as to what exactly happened, Kobayashi maintains that he took the stage to appease fans at the event who were chanting his name and congratulate Chestnut for his victory. The 2009 competition would be the last that Kobayashi would be involved in.
In 2011, from a rooftop bar and set during the same time as the traditional hot dog eating contest, Kobayashi downed 69 hot dogs setting a world record, thus “challenging” Chestnut for hot dog supremacy. Even with the officials, though, it wasn’t quite as sweet as raising the Mustard Belt at the corner of Surf and Stillwell.
In recent years, Kobayashi has still been chomping away, just in relative obscurity, away from the spotlight of the Fourth of July. In 2019, he was one of the subjects of the ESPN 30-for-30 documentary “The Good, The Bad, The Hungry” alongside Chestnut, which detailed the chompers’ rivalry.
They’ll revisit that rivalry in a one-on-one hot dog eating contest Netflix special in 2024.
MORE: Full list of Joey Chestnut’s 55 competitive eating world records
Kobayashi hot dog eating contest results
Kobayashi was doing things with his mouth and stomach that were previously unseen in the hot dog eating contest.
He burst onto the scene in 2001, devouring 50 dogs; second-place winner Arai Saitama ate 31. Both competitors broke the previous record (25), but Kobayashi took home the glory.
In 2011, Kobayashi once again set a world record with 69 nice hot dogs consumed, “beating out” Chestnut by one dog. The catch: Kobayashi set the mark at a rooftop bar, not at the Nathan’s event, which he was banned from. Kobayashi’s record was officiated by two ordained judges, so it was legitimate. The record would eventually be broken by Chestnut.
| Year | Hot dogs eaten | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 50 | First |
| 2002 | 50 | First |
| 2003 | 44 1/2 | First |
| 2004 | 53 1/2 | First |
| 2005 | 49 | First |
| 2006 | 53 3/4 | First |
| 2007 | 63 | Second |
| 2008 | 59 | Second |
| 2009 | 64 1/2 | Second |
