Takeru Kobayashi

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After Sad Hot Dog Contest News, a Match-Up for the Ages

Joey Chestnut, Takeru Kobayashi to compete in Netflix competition

(Newser) - After organizers for Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog-eating contest said Joey Chestnut wouldn't compete this year because of a deal with a rival brand, Netflix swiftly announced a new hot dog-eating competition that will feature Chestnut and his "fiercest rival." Chestnut, a 16-time hot...

Competitive Eating Champ Is Calling It Quits

'I no longer feel hunger,' says Takeru Kobayashi

(Newser) - Six-time Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest champ Takeru Kobayashi isn't giving up hot dogs, but he's going to stop gobbling them by the dozen. In the Netflix documentary Hack Your Health—The Secrets of Your Gut, Kobayashi announced he is retiring because he's worried about what...

Dudes Devour 40-Pound Goat to Break Cubs' Curse

Competitive eater and pals hope 'disgusting' meal gets Cubs to playoffs

(Newser) - The Cubs beat the Brewers 4-0 last night , gaining ground toward a wild-card spot in the National League playoffs, and if Chicago wins tonight, they may have a goat to thank. For 69 years, 11 months, and 17 days, the MLB team has labored under "The Billy Goat Curse,...

Joey Chestnut Sets New Record
 Joey Chestnut Sets New Record 

Joey Chestnut Sets New Record

He and Sonja 'the Black Widow' Thomas both repeat as champs

(Newser) - Can no one stop the sausage-consuming juggernauts that are Joey Chestnut and Sonja Thomas? Chestnut not only won his seventh-consecutive title today at the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, he set a new world record by scarfing down 69 hot dogs and buns during the ten minutes allotted, SB...

Pro Eaters' Stomachs Work Differently

Researcher scans digestive tracts in action

(Newser) - Competitive eaters aren't just good at stuffing their faces: Their digestive systems actually function differently from everyone else's. A researcher at the University of Pennsylvania compared the eating habits of a leading competitive eater and a man who weighed 45 pounds more than the champion did. He scanned...

New Record: Kobayashi Scarfs 337 Chicken Wings

In just half an hour

(Newser) - Competitive eating legend Takeru Kobayashi wolfed down 337 chicken wings in half an hour today in Philadelphia, shattering the previous record of 255, set just last year. Some 20,000 spectators turned up for Wing Bowl XX, and Kobayashi took home a $20,000 cash prize, the AP reports. It...

Kobayashi Didn't Really Set Hot Dog Record

Video shows his scorekeeper lost count

(Newser) - By now, you’ve probably heard that outcast eating champ Takeru Kobayashi gobbled down 69 hot dogs on a Manhattan rooftop in a renegade contest while the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest was happening nearby—which would have been good for a world record if he had been...

Joey Chestnut Wins 2011 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Competition, Kobayashi MIA Again

 Joey Chestnut 
 Eats 62 
 Hot Dogs, 
 Wins Again 
nathan's famous Contest

Joey Chestnut Eats 62 Hot Dogs, Wins Again

Sonya Thomas, meanwhile, wins first women's competition

(Newser) - Joey Chestnut is still the top dog in the world of competitive hot dog devouring. This year’s Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest was close for only the first few minutes, before “Jaws” ran away with it, scarfing down 62 hot dogs, ESPN reports. Takeru Kobayashi was...

Kobayashi Freed After Night in Brooklyn Jail
Kobayashi Freed After Night in Brooklyn Jail
UPDATED

Kobayashi Freed After Night in Brooklyn Jail

Hot dog-eating champ says he jumped onstage 'in heat of it'

(Newser) - Japanese eating champion Takeru Kobayashi has been freed after a night in a New York jail over a hot dog scuffle. Kobayashi wore a black T-shirt bearing the message "Free Kobi" as he pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn today to charges of obstruction of governmental administration, resisting arrest, trespassing,...

Kobayashi Arrested After Chestnut Wins Hot Dog Contest

Joey Chestnut repeats as Nathan's champion

(Newser) - Joey Chestnut won the Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest today at Coney Island but had to share the spotlight with archrival Takeru Kobayashi, who did not compete and was arrested for trespassing at the end of the event, reports the New York Post . Chestnut gobbled "only" 54 dogs...

Hot Dog Champ May Skip Nathan's Chow Down

'Tiger Woods of eating' can't swallow contract

(Newser) - Six-time champion Takeru Kobayashi is unlikely to be chowing down with the world's best at this year's Nathan's hot dog-eating contest. Major League Eating president says contract negotiations with the 128-pound Japanese eating machine are "at an impasse," although he hinted that Kobayashi may be ducking out after...

Nathan's Champ Scarfs 68 Dogs to Defend Title

Joey Chestnut retains his belt in Nathan's annual contest

(Newser) - Champion eater Joey Chestnut pulled off a three-peat by downing 68 hot dogs in Nathan's Coney Island contest yesterday, the New York Daily News reports. Chestnut's rival Takeru Kobayashi consumed a mere 64 franks in the annual faceoff. There was little suspense during the 10-minute bout, as Chestnut developed a...

Chestnut Top Dog Once Again
 Chestnut Top Dog Once Again 
UPDATED

Chestnut Top Dog Once Again

Former champion reclaims top spot from Kobayashi

(Newser) - American Joey Chestnut today reclaimed the top spot as winner of the annual hot dog eating contest in Coney Island. After tying archrival Takeru Kobayashi of Japan in a 10-minute chow-down, the Californian triumphed in a five-dog eat-off. The men defeated 19 others in tying at 59 frankfurters in regulation...

Hot Dog! Duo Shoots for Title Tomorrow

With Kobayashi's power waning, East Village pair eyes Nathan's prize

(Newser) - With Takeru Kobayashi’s hot-dog hegemony in doubt at tomorrow's Coney Island throwdown, the Village Voice accompanies a pair of contenders as they train for the event. Roommates Crazy Legs Conti and Tim Janus hit an all-you-can-eat sushi bar in preparation for Nathan's July 4th institution, the 10-minute contest described...

How Do They Do It? It's Not Pretty

Want a permanently elastic, balloon-like stomach? Try competitive eating

(Newser) - For every time you watched a scrawny guy chow dozens of hot dogs in 12 minutes and wondered where, exactly, he puts it, scientists may have your answer. As compared with us mere mortals, the Wall Street Journal reports, a professional’s stomach appears as a “giant balloon that...

American Pigs Out on Dogs, Sets Record

Coney Island contest goes against Kobayashi for first time in 6 years

(Newser) - In a glorious tribute to the Founding Fathers, an American shattered the world hot-dog-eating record today, polishing off 66 franks and buns in 12 minutes in the annual Nathan's Famous contest in Coney Island, NY. Joey Chestnut, 23, held off Japanese competitive-eating legend Takeru Kobayashi to upset the six-time defending...

Hot-Dog-Eating Champ Out With Strained Jaw

5-year wiener reign could end July 4

(Newser) - Will the 4th of July ever be the same? For 5 years, the day has belonged to Takeru Kobayashi, the unstoppable winner of Nathan's annual hot dog eating contest. But the chow champ—a Japanese professional eater nicknamed "tsnuami" for his technique—is in a pickle. He can barely...

17 Stories