Joey Chestnut admits he gets ‘goosebumps’ facing rival Takeru Kobayashi ahead of ‘Unfinished Beef’ Netflix showdown

COMPETITIVE eating legend Joey Chestnut opened up on going against his longtime rival Takeru Kobayashi for the first time in 15 years.

The 16-time Nathan’s Hot Dog eating champion will compete against the six-time champ Japanese eater in a Netflix hot-dog eating battle called Unfinished Beef on Labor Day.

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Chestnut arrived to compete at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in 2005, and just two years later he would defeat the competition’s pioneer in Kobayashi, downing 66 hot dogs .

Kobayashi lost to Chestnut in 2008 and 2009 and couldn’t compete at the Coney Island event in the following year due to a contractual dispute – a conflict that remains to this day.

Chestnut won the iconic competition 16 times until a purported contractual dispute disallowed him from participating in 2024.

The 40-year-old spoke about his match with Kobayashi in an interview with CNN .

“I get goosebumps every time we go against each other,” Chestnut said.

“I don’t know what he’s capable of, so I’m training with everything I have.

“I can guarantee we’re gonna get a new record, if not one of us, then maybe both of us!”

Chestnut admitted he wasn’t nice to Kobayashi after the contractual issues in 2010, and the two still don’t have a relationship.

“I tried to say, ‘Hello,’ this morning and he kind of looked past me, which is alright, we’re competitors,” he explained.

“When we do this contest, we’re gonna be pushing each other to uncomfortable limits, and if I really liked him, I wouldn’t want to push him, but I’m hoping afterwards I’ll give him a big sweaty hug.”

The Labor Day clash will feature weiners only, as Chestnut and Kobayashi have just 10 minutes to eat as many hot dogs and buns as possible.

The two can’t dunk or pour water on hot dogs and buns and can’t separate either one.

There will also be penalties for rule breaks and regurgitation.

At the end of the 10 minutes, Chestnut and Kobayashi will have 30 seconds to finish what’s left in their mouths.

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If the pair ties, there will be three minutes of overtime.

If a second overtime is necessary, the winner must finish five hot dogs and buns first.

The Unfinished Beef event is exclusively on Netflix and begins at 3:30 pm Eastern.

Chestnut will try to beat his 2021 world record of 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.

Both Chestnut and Kobayashi have won 22 of the last 24 hot dog contests.

They will meet for the first time since 2009.