Joey Chestnut vs. Kobayashi Hot Dog Eating Contest 2024 Netflix Live Stream, Preview

Joey Chestnut and Kobayashi once defined Independence Day in the United States, the faces of the annual July 4th Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. No longer associated with that contest, the competitive eating giants will renew their rivalry on September 2 as part of a massive live-streaming event on Netflix.

The contest will kick off at 3:00 p.m. EST from the HyperX in Las Vegas. The event is exclusive to the streaming giant.

Chestnut missed this year's July 4 contest after being banned from the competition amid a sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods, a competitor of Nathan's.

The legendary eater expressed his disappointment with the decision in a post on social media.

The ruling inspired the Netflix event with Kobayashi but real-life hostilities between the two are drumming up interest ahead of the Labor Day showdown.

Kobayashi expressed his dislike for Chestnut in an interview with USA Today's Josh Peter, taking his rival to task for the manner in which he was previously treated.

"I had time to look back at how he treated me during the days that we competed together, the discriminatory, derogatory comments that he made about me."

He continued, "So to just act like buddy buddy with him after having not seen him for a long time was not really something that I could do..."

Chestnut denied making discriminatory comments but did admit that their friendship fell apart in 2010 and that he "could have handled things differently. Probably should have."

Add to that the fact that the competitors are split over Kobayashi's proposed rule that dunking hot dogs in water be outlawed, a rule Netflix accepted, and you have increased bad blood between the two ahead of the first event of its kind.

Chestnut currently holds the head-to-head win-loss record over Kobayashi, taking three of the five competitions in which they both competed. A win for Kobayashi on the second, from Sin City, will tie him with his rival and almost certainly necessitate a rubber match.

A win for Chestnut and he earns bragging rights as the greatest to ever do it.