Chestnut won!
American competitive eater Joey Chestnut proved his dominance by smoking his nemesis, Japan's Takeru Kobayashi, in a much-hyped hot dog-eating contest streamed live Monday on Netflix.
With a $100,000 grand prize and bragging rights to become "Greatest of All Time" on the line, Chestnut inhaled 83 hot dogs in 10 minutes to Kobayashi's 66 — their first dog-to-dog faceoff in 15 years.
Chestnut, 40, stuffed his face and washed down hot dogs with cups of water in a cheering arena in the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, ultimately besting his personal record of 76 hot dogs.
Kobayashi, 46, had announced his retirement this year, but he said he would return for redemption against Chestnut.
"I was trying to get 80 hot dogs for years, and without Kobayashi, I was never able to do it," Chestnut said after his victory. "He drives me. We weren't always nice to each other, but I love the way we push each other to be our best."
Netflix billed the event as "Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef," pitting the two adversaries as rivals on the same stage as heavyweight boxers Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield and NBA superstars Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.
After his loss, Kobayashi said through a translator that he "felt like I did everything I could."
