Eating hot dogs is one of America’s favorite holiday traditions. According to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, 150 million franks are consumed during the Fourth of July. So why not release a documentary about the most intense hot dog contest in America, during Fourth of July week? ESPN’s 30 for 30 takes on Major League Eating and the intense rivalry between Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi.
30 for 30 is a series known to dive deep into historical and controversial sports events. 30 for 30 does that once again with this episode. Who would have thought that hot dog eating could bring so much emotion? The Good, The Bad, The Hungry is an in-depth look at Major League Eating, more specifically, the rivalry between America’s Joey Chestnut and Japan’s Takeru Kobayashi that stemmed from Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. The contest takes place during the Fourth of July and pits men against each other and hot dogs. Each contestant competes with the other to see who can eat the most hot dogs in a given time.
“…an in-depth look at Major League Eating, more specifically, the rivalry between America’s Joey Chestnut and Japan’s Takeru Kobayashi…”
Six years in a row the champ was Japan’s very own Takeru Kobayashi. Then came along Joey Chestnut, an American, who would challenge Kobayashi and win in 2007. This was a controversial win, as the documentary would show. Kobayashi had announced that he had a jaw injury just before the contest. This began a rivalry for a number of years.
