This summer, the most elite athletes in their field will compete head-to-head, each vying for fame and fortune as the ESPN cameras capture decorated competitors doing what they do best. If you think we’re talking about the Summer Olympics, get your head Stateside, because we’re talking about the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, held annually at Coney Island.

But this year, the sport’s biggest name and greatest champion won’t be on that stage at all. Joey Chestnut has been barred from the contest in 2024, and he’s making lemonade out of lemons by instead going head-to-head with his most storied opponent, Takeru Kobayashi, in a completely separate event.

Even casual observers of the annual Nathan’s Famous contest probably know about Joey Chestnut, the 40-year-old Indiana resident who regularly breaks his own record for most hot dogs and buns eaten in 10 minutes. Chestnut burst onto the Major League Eating (MLE) scene in 2005 at a time when Japanese champion Takeru Kobayashi was both defining and popularizing the field of competitive eating across the globe; indeed, many of today’s highest ranked eaters credit Kobayashi as their inspiration. In 2006 Chestnut came within two hot dogs of Kobayashi; in 2007 Kobayashi’s years-long winning streak ended when Chestnut consumed 66 hot dogs to Kobayashi’s 63. (Chestnut’s current record is 76.)

After his 2007 defeat, Kobayashi came just shy of Chestnut in several subsequent Nathan’s contests but defeated him in other events, including pizza and burgers. However, he eventually parted ways with the MLE, partly because the organization placed heavy restrictions on which competitions he could enter, how much money he could earn from them, and the ancillary sponsorships and endorsements he could sign on to. 

These restrictions also explain why Joey Chestnut won’t be allowed to defend his title at the Nathan’s contest in 2024: He’s being paid by a sponsor that MLE doesn’t approve, In a statement this past week, MLE wrote, “For nearly two decades we have worked under the same basic hot dog exclusivity provisions. However, it seems that Joey and his managers have prioritized a new partnership with a different hot dog brand over our long-time relationship.”

Oddly, that “different hot dog brand” is Impossible Foods — a company known for its exclusive commitment to animal-free meat alternatives. One could argue that this brand shouldn’t be considered a Nathan’s rival at all, since Impossible’s flagship product is not hot dogs (those were only introduced to the lineup in 2024). In fact, the Nathan’s Fourth of July contest is regularly picketed by protesters who argue that Nathan’s should provide a vegetarian dog option for competitors, which it has thus far failed to do. In a post on X, Chestnut notes that the MLE is “looking to change the rules from past years as it relates to other partners I can work with.”

What’s more, Kobayashi revealed in a new documentary that he is fully retiring from the competitive eating circuit because he has lost the ability to feel either hunger or fullness. “I don’t feel that joy about eating anymore,” he said in Netflix’s Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut, released in May 2024.

With both champions facing their own type of hot dog misfortune, Netflix has brokered a deal that capitalizes on their legend: a one-on-one hot dog eating competition, airing live on Netflix on Labor Day. According to Variety, Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef will reveal its setting in a later announcement, but will definitely be making use of all-beef hot dogs. 

“Retiring for me will only happen after I take him down one last time,” said Kobayashi in a statement released by Netflix. “This rivalry has been brewing for a long time. Competing against Joey live on Netflix means fans all over the world can watch me knock him out.”

This Netflix special invites several questions. If it gets good enough ratings, will MLE backtrack and renegotiate the restrictions on its biggest star? Or will other top-ranked competitors start looking for their own solo specials? And if Kobayashi doesn’t win, will he stay un-retired until he can knock Chestnut off the pedestal?