“Unfinished Beef” fails to make streaming ratings chart

Entertainment Strategy Guy has a post about viewership for competitions that were streamed online with a section about Netflix’s “Unfinished Beef” hot dog eating contest between Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi on Labor Day. The audience was too small to make any streaming ratings chart.

So that’s the real sports. Now let’s talk not-so-real sports: Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef, Netflix’s latest foray into sort-of sports specials. This year, instead of competing in the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Competition (due to a sponsorship dispute), Joey Chestnut signed up for a Labor Day special on Netflix.

It didn’t make any of the ratings charts I track. It didn’t make Netflix’s global charts, either, so it either had less than 2.5 million hours or less than 1.5 million views global.

And I didn’t hear anyone talking about it either. The usual argument for these specials is all the free earned media that Netflix can get, but this rebuts that. I did a Google search a week later, and there were very few articles about Joey Chestnut setting a new record. There were a handful, mostly from the trades or Netflix itself.

I have not seen any official audience statistics from Netflix for “Unfinished Beef” and they have announced no plans for any future eating contests.

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The Emporio Meatball Eating Contest awarding $1,000 that was to have been held at the Highmark International StrEAT Festival on October 6 was rescheduled to October 20 due to weather.
Registration is now open for the Benny's Big Slice Pizza Championship in Manayunk, PA on November 16. The prizes are $1400/$700/$350/$200/$100/$50
The Blossburg, PA Fall Festival will hold a hot dog eating contest on October 13 awarding $400 to the winner.
Victory Lap in Austin will hold a pickle eating contest on October 15 awarding $500 to the winner.
Dan "Killer" Kennedy ate 10 bowls in 4:30 to win the first prize of $1,000 in Tuesday's eating contest at Ani Ramen in Maplewood, NJ.
Joey Chestnut will attend the Ocean Beach, CA Oktoberfest tomorrow. He will be the toastmaster for an event sponsored by Jagermeister that will attempt to set a Guinness record for the most people toasting simultaneously.
Fat Shack in Fort Collins, CO will hold a qualifier on October 12 for a January 25, 2025 contest they claim will award $5,000 to the winner. Competitors will eat a double cheeseburger and fries, a Fat Shack sandwich, 12 Mac & Cheese Bites and 5 deep fried Oreos.
Robert McGee ate 84 pierogies in 5 minutes to win the first prize of $500 in the eating contest at Pierozek in Brooklyn on Tuesday.
The Karl Ehmer Bratwurst Eating Competition at Oktoberfest in Bethlehem, PA on October 13 will award $250 to the winner.
Saturday's episode of "Saturday Night Live" had a sketch set in a restaurant offering an eating challenge. Heidi Gardner attempted the "Mile High Burger" while a group of siblings discussed care options for their father. The burger bun was dunked "Joey Chestnut style" to speed up eating. Heidi Gardner said she spat out food when she was off camera. The Denver Post has an article about the sketch.
The Donut Fun Run will hold a donut eating contest in Alameda, CA on October 19 awarding $1,000 to the winner.
Fox News has an article about a segment recorded in March 2023 for a new Netflix documentary, "Will & Harper", in which Will Ferrell attempts the 72 ounce steak at The Big Texan in Amarillo, TX and uses the challenge table to promote transgender rights.
Molly Schuyler ate 112 hard boiled eggs in 8 minutes to win the first prize of $2,000 in today's eating contest at Cackle Hatchery in Lebanon, MO.
Miki Sudo will be competing in a pink donut eating contest during halftime of tonight's UNLV college football game in Las Vegas to raise awareness for breast cancer. (Cofield & Co interview) update Miki Sudo missed the contest with no explanation. Brobible has a post about her absence.
The Flint River Fair will hold a hot dog eating contest on October 5 in Bainbridge, GA awarding $500 to the winner.
The Highmark International strEAT Festival will hold a meatball eating contest in Pittsburgh on October 6 awarding $1,000 to the winner.
Black Oak Casino Resort in Tuolumne, CA will hold a hot dog eating contest on October 5 awarding $250/$150/$100.
The Olive Burger Festival in Lansing, MI will hold an olive burger eating contest on October 5 awarding $250 to the winner.
AFP has a contest report on last month's Trenton Thunder World Famous Case's Pork Roll Eating Championship in which Geoff Esper edged out James Webb. Crazy Legs Conti claims he has won several thousand dollars from eating contests this year (He has not placed in a prize winning position in any of his 2024 competitions).
Joel Hansen ate 37 burgers in 10 minutes to win the first prize of £500 in Sunday's British Eating League contest at Cattleman's Steakhouse in Paignton, England. Max Stanford was runner up and John "Food and the Beast" Dawes was third.
Big Al's Kickin Chicken in Saraland, AL will hold a hot wing eating contest ont October 5 awarding $100/$50/$25.

2024 Lewisville tamale eating contest

Official results (10 minutes). James Webb was apparently disqualified.

1st 88 Geoffrey Esper
2nd 68 Nick Wehry
3rd 65 Miki Sudo
4th 55 Derek Hendrickson
5th 35 Tanner Gray
6th 25.5 Albert Bravo
7th 24 “Nasty” Nathan Biller
8th 20 Tandra Childress
9th 19 Edgar Martinez
10th 15 Jocelyn Young
11th 12 Shawn “The Vacuum” Kirby

James Webb is doing a livestream of today’s Padrino Foods World Tamale Eating Championship in Lewisville, TX.

Comments (17)

Joey Chestnut will be speaking and cooking one of his favorite dishes today at the Kroger Wellness Festival in Cincinnati. Other celebrities appearing at the Wellness Festival today include controversial model Chrissy Teigen and former MLB shortstop Alex Rodgriguez, who was suspended for the entire 2014 season for a PED scandal.
Molly Schuyler ate 46 sausages in 10 minutes to win the first prize of $1,000 in Wednesday's bratwurst eating contest at Clinton Hall in Manhattan.
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