Competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi eats 67 hot dogs in Manhattan contest; not enough to match Joey Chestnut on Coney Island. Story aired July 4, 2013 on NTD Network.
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[Matt Gnaizda, NTD Reporter]:
Its American Independence Day. And it may come as no surprise that Americans have the stomach for not one, but two competitive hot dog eating contests today. This one here at the Eventi hotel in Manhattan features former six-time Coney Island hot dog eating champion Takeru Kobi Kobayashi.
[Alex, Spectator]:
We are supremely excited. Were big fans of competitive eating in general, and of Kabayashi in particular.
[Wataru, Spectator]:
Im so excited because Kobi is my friend. And Im from the same hometown from Japan.
[Shota, Spectator]:
Kobi came to our hospital when he was delivered. Kobi was the first guest he had. So he is coming to cheer him.
And the race is on. Its Kobi versus five other competitors. They have ten minutes to eat as many hot dogs as they can.
In the first minute, Kobi is way ahead of the others—stomach bulging as he crams hot dogs down two at a time.
In 2001, Kobi changed competitive eating forever when he doubled the previous record at the Coney Island hot dog eating contest. Suddenly, it became a contest for athletic eaters. Kobi trains his training seriously.
[Takeru Kobi Kobayashi, Competitive Eater]:
Three months before this contest, I started to drink a lot of water to expand my stomach. And right before the contest, I could drink 3 gallons of water in 90 seconds.
Kobis best at Coney Island was 64½ hot dogs. But he stopped competing there after that because of a contract dispute.
Two years ago at a private event, he ate 69. He considers that his record.
But the important question is: How many will he eat today?
[Matt Gnaizda, NTD Reporter]:
The crowd is cheering. You can feel the excitement. He.just.might.go.all.the.way­!
A race to the finish line.
And Kobi wins! Looks like 62, but after the official count even higher: 67. Sound like a lot?
[Takeru Kobi Kobayashi, Competitive Eater]:
Im still hungry.
The second place competitor at this contest got just 34.
But even with 67, Kobi fell short of his goal.
Over on Coney Island today, Kobis hot dog eating rival Joey Chestnut got first place—eating 69 hot dogs in ten minutes. We compared: Both contests used identical Nathans hot dogs.
But Kobi says its mainly about competing with himself.
[Takeru Kobi Kobayashi, Competitive Eater]:
I wanted to break my own record. But 67 is not bad.
[Matt Gnaizda, NTD Reporter]:
And theres also a business angle. Kobi is partly here to launch his new Kobi Dogs. Theyre  gourmet hot dogs made from mid-western grain-fed beef. Mmmm.. Oh, sorry! This is Matt Gnaizda, reporting for NTD in New York.