Netflix’s ‘Unfinished Beef’: A spectacle of excess and rivalry
A new take on competitive eating
Netflix’s “Unfinished Beef” brings a fresh twist to the world of competitive eating, reminiscent of the annual Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest held every July 4th on Coney Island. This live special, aired on Labor Day from Las Vegas, pits pro hot-dog eaters Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi against each other in a showdown that is as much about human endurance as it is about sheer gluttony. The event evokes memories of early 2000s human-interest spectacles like “Man vs. Beast” and “Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?”
The build-up to the main event
The special, which runs just over an hour, meticulously builds up to the 10-minute eating contest between Chestnut and Kobayashi. Viewers are treated to short, produced segments that introduce both competitors. Joey Chestnut, with his mechanical precision, shares his love for consuming obscene amounts of food and demonstrates the exercises he performs to keep his jaw strong. This is no trivial matter; Kobayashi’s career was notably impacted by a jaw injury in 2007.
A rivalry for the ages
Chestnut and Kobayashi are long-time rivals in the competitive-eating arena, where participants are judged on how much they can consume within a set time. Their mutual enmity is palpable, though its origins remain somewhat nebulous. Chestnut, known for his past technique of dipping hot dog buns in water to make them easier to swallow—a method banned under Netflix’s rules—appears unaffected and mission-focused. In contrast, Kobayashi, who finished 17 hot dogs behind Chestnut, brings a sense of struggle and humanity to the contest, visibly urging the food to go down as he rocks back and forth.
Netflix’s foray into live events
This special is part of Netflix’s ongoing effort to become a destination for live events. Much like the recent Joe Rogan comedy special, “Unfinished Beef” has a can’t-look-away quality. Kobayashi’s loss, by a wide margin, somewhat overshadows the surreal nature of his feat—eating 66 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Originally marked as 67, the judges deducted one based on the weight of food still in his mouth and on the floor. Chestnut, meanwhile, consumed 83 hot dogs.
The absurdity of it all
Both men excel in a field that has no practical utility and is fairly obscene when considering global hunger issues. Yet, they are milking their fame for all it’s worth. This year, Chestnut was banned from the Nathan’s contest, which he has won 16 times, after accepting a sponsorship from the meat-free brand Impossible Foods. On stage, he wore patches advertising a personal wipe marketed for men to use in the bathroom—a bleak, cause-and-effect logic to the ad placement.
Contextualizing the spectacle
An earlier segment in the special places their excellence into context. Three Olympians, competing as a team, could not eat as many chicken wings as pro eater Matt Stonie. Wings, requiring the eater to denude a bone, have a certain grotesque quality that hot dogs lack. More soothing was watching Leah Shutkever, who aimed for and succeeded in setting a new Guinness World Record by eating mass quantities of watermelon with a certain elegance.
A professional yet bizarre pursuit
Brisk, professional, and to-the-point, the Netflix special uses its fundamental professionalism to ironically emphasize the strangeness of the pursuit it depicts. There is no wink to the audience, no signal from the producers or hosts (Rob Riggle and Nikki Garcia) that this is a bizarre way to spend a national holiday. Deep into the 10-minute hot dog marathon, viewers are left to ponder—are the eaters, or the crowds in Vegas cheering them on, missing the point? Or is it us?
For those interested in diving deeper into the world of competitive eating, you can watch the trailer for “Unfinished Beef” here.
This article aims to provide a comprehensive and engaging look at Netflix’s “Unfinished Beef,” offering personal reflections and in-depth analysis for cinema, TV series, and music enthusiasts.