A new ESPN documentary focuses on the drama of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest
is all about one of America’s strangest annual food rituals: the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. Footage of this Fourth of July spectacle on Coney Island, where competitors furiously cram dozens of hot dogs and soggy buns into their mouths in front of a roaring crowd, can be hard to stomach at times. But director Nicole Lucas Haiems successfully weaves a compelling narrative out of archival footage of the contest and interviews with its stars.
Most of the film focuses on the rivalry between Japanese champion Takeru Kobayashi and American all star Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, whose careers were forever changed by opportunistic promoter/master of ceremonies George Shea. More than anything, the documentary portrays Kobayashi as a visionary athlete who was an instrumental figure in the American competitive eating boom of the last two decades. “I came to America to follow my dream,” he says early in the film.
ESPN 30 for 30's next film will dig into one of the biggest rivalries in sports: Takeru Kobayashi vs. Joey Chestnut. "The Good, The Bad, The Hungry" premieres July 2.Unfortunately, Kobayashi would eventually get burned by the sport that he helped popularize, and the film ends with a few revelations that might make fans of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest see the event in an unfavorable light.
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