Two competitors tell their story of their years-long rivalry at competitive eating. Starring Joey Chestnut, Takeru Kobayashi, and George Shea.
Kobayashi brought competitive eating to the U.S., and this film brings his story and that of his competitor Chestnut as they battle it out in competitive eating contests. Competitive eating is a sport; it’s a sport made famous in Japan, but it didn’t take off in the U.S. until Kobayashi came over to compete. That made it popular. People loved watching the small Japanese man, Kobayashi, down dozens of hot dogs. He inspired other young people to join the sport. This film takes us down the road of competitors fighting for the prize but also shows us how Shea marketed competitions and pitted the two men against each. It caused quite an uproar as he made the competition between the two countries – it’s a clash between cultures. It’s an interesting story, a sad story, but also a story about how Americans get sucked into media. This is a film worth a watch.