As one of the best streaming services, we've seen some interesting Netflix movie and TV show releases as of late, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever see America’s greatest, most decorated athlete, Joey Chestnut (I’m only being partly facetious) square off against his greatest rival, Takeru Kobayashi, on its streaming platform.
The event in question was titled, Chestnut Vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef and it took place, live, on Labor Day. Now, as somebody who is a massive fan of competitive eating (frequent watcher, never participant), I was overjoyed to see this confrontation take place. I didn’t mention it in my article on events I would one day like to see in the Olympics, but very much like my beloved esports, I hope to one day see competitive eating become an Olympic sport.
It’s likely never going to happen, but at least I have specials like Unfinished Beef on Netflix to enjoy. And, upon watching it, I have some obvious takeaways from it. Come. Sit with me, and enjoy some dogs.
It Actually Took Competitive Eating Seriously Rather Than As Just Some Joke
Everybody knows about the Vince Vaughn movie Dodgeball. It’s a classic early 2000s film. That said, unlike the sport of boxing, which has a lot of great dramas, you won’t find any tear-jerking films about dodgeball, as the sport just doesn’t lend itself to drama.
The same could be said about competitive eating, which just inherently lends itself to comedy. Here you have a sport (and yes, competitive eating is a sport), where you’ll find people dunking hot dogs in water and then slamming them down their throats. That’s why when it comes to commentary at such events, it’s usually filled with puns to go along with all the soggy buns.
However, while there was definite humor involved with Unfinished Beef, I was surprised by how serious it was when it came down to the main event.
It wasn’t just constant yammering about how ridiculous it was that two grown men were stuffing their faces while people cheered them on. Instead, it was like a “real” sporting event, with genuine play-by-play commentary and everything, which is appreciated, because I definitely do view competitive eating as a “real” sport.
I Learned So Much About Joey Chestnut And Kobayashi, Including Their Techniques
I’ve watched a lot of competitive eating in my day, and I honestly didn’t know there was so much technique involved. Sure, I understood that there must be some method to the madness of swallowing over 70 hot dogs in a single sitting, but I didn’t know that drinking copious amounts of water beforehand to extend the stomach was a strategy.
I also didn’t know that one could strengthen their jaw with exercises, but I learned about both techniques in this special, where Kobayashi described how water is a game changer in competitive eating, and how a strong jaw for Chestnut means stronger chewing.
I mean, of course there were techniques involved, as you can’t be a champion without some kind of strategy (and pain, apparently). But, I had no idea how deep it went, and I learned it all from this event.
The Program Was Kept Engaging With Other Events In The Lead-Up
Honestly, Netflix could have just streamed the main event between Chestnut and Kobayashi, and I would have been happy. But, they filled up the runtime with fun lead ups to the event, such as eating legend Matt Stonie going up against THREE Olympians in a chicken wing eating competition…and winning!
We also got Leah Shutkever downing massive amounts of watermelon in an attempt to break the world record, which she did. Add in the guest appearances from Rey Mysterio and Omos (In a rather shameless plug reminding people that WWE Raw is coming to Netflix), and you had one hell of an engaging show.
It almost makes me think that competitive eating is much bigger than I ever imagined it was. Speaking of which…
The Crowd Was Really Into It
Prior to this event, I always thought that the grandest moment for competitive eating was the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. That’s why when Chestnut was banned from competing at this year’s event, I really thought the sport was taking a huge hit.
But, lo and behold, competitive eating looks bigger than ever with this special. The crowds, which are always into it at the Nathan’s event, truly looked emotional when it came to Kobayashi, especially his wife, who was crying for her husband.
I’ve always liked watching the crowds at competitive eating events, due to their often silly duds. But, seeing people actually praying for Kobayashi’s victory added an all new layer of drama to the sport that I’ve never seen before.
I Liked The Rules Set In Place For The Main Event
One thing that has always interested me when watching competitive eating is the way people compete. For example, Stonie downed a lot more wings than his competitors because he would strip the meat off the bone first, and then eat it before moving onto the next one, while his competition ate wings the normal way, which definitely slowed them down.
Well, I’ve watched Chestnut win a number of times, and his method was similar to many. He separated the buns from the meat, and then ate several hot dogs at a time. It looked super disgusting, but I guess it’s more about the race than the taste.
Anyhow, in this competition, there were new stipulations that both men had to abide by. For one, they could not separate the hot dogs from the buns, which meant that Chestnut had to adopt a different method than he was familiar with. It also seemed like it gave Kobayashi more of a chance, which appeared necessary since he was the obvious underdog.
In the end, it didn’t prevent Chestnut from steamrolling Kobayashi, but I like seeing new stipulations put in place. I wish more eating competitions would follow suit.
The Commentary Was Actually Insightful
Comedian Rob Riggle, and former WWE star, Nikki Bella (who deserves all the love) co-hosted the event, and they moved the show along nicely, but I was really impressed by the commentary team of Chris Rose and Cari Champion, who really didn’t crack many jokes, and mostly stayed on task by giving the play-by-play.
I love this for competitive eating, and I would like to see more actual sportscasters talking up these events. But, the best part was when Tim Janus, a.k.a Eater X, came out, sans face paint, and discussed both athletes.
What was fascinating about this is that he analyzed both of them like you might hear people discuss football players, or basketball players, and it was truly refreshing to hear somebody who genuinely knew what he was talking about when discussing the sport. It really was quite something.
Records Were Broken
Lastly, not one, but two records were broken at this event, which really made it feel like vital viewing if you’re a fan of the sport. Leah Shutkever broke yet another Guiness World Record when she devoured over four pounds of watermelon in 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Then, Chestnut broke his own record and consumed 83 hot dogs in 10 minutes. So, what this makes me believe is that if Netflix is going to be pouring money into an event like this, then they likely want some records broken in the process. And, you just gotta love it.
What did you think? Did you watch Unfinished Beef? And if so, did it make you hungry…or did it make you want to swear off food forever? Either way, stay hydrated, my friends!
