What is Takeru Kobayashi's net worth?
Takeru Kobayashi is a world record holding competitive eater who has a net worth of $3 million. Takeru Kobayashi has been called "the godfather of competitive eating." A six-time consecutive champion of the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest from 2001 to 2006, he is widely credited with popularizing the sport. Kobayashi holds numerous other competitive eating world records for various foods, including pizza, hamburgers, buffalo wings, and tacos.
He was dethroned at Nathan's by Joey Chestnut in 2007, and the two would go on to have an epic rivalry. In 2010 he found himself entangled in a contract dispute with Major League Eating. He attempted to crash that year's Nathan's contest and was even arrested on stage.
He announced his retirement from competitive eating due to health concerns in 2024. However, on June 12, 2024, it was announced that on September 2, 2024, Kobayashi will come out of retirement to face off against Joey Chestnut in a live event on Netflix.
Early Life and Education
Takeru Kobayashi was born on March 15, 1978 in Nagano, Japan. For his higher education, he attended Yokkaichi University.
Career Beginnings
Kobayashi came to national prominence in 2000 when he won the Gluttony Championship on the Japanese television variety show "TV Champion." He won by eating 16 bowls of ramen in one hour. Kobayashi gained further fame for winning the Japanese competitive eating show "Food Battle Club."
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Kobayashi made his first appearance at the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York in 2001. He immediately set a world record by downing 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes, almost doubling the previous record of 25⅛ dogs set the previous year by Kazutoyo Arai. With his record, Kobayashi won the contest. He would go on to win the next five consecutive contests, with his best record being 53¾ hot dogs in 2006. Although he topped that number with 63 dogs in 2007, he ultimately lost to Joey Chestnut's 66. In 2009, he consumed 64½ dogs to Chestnut's 68. Kobayashi's success is largely due to the "Solomon Method," a technique he created of separating the hot dog from the bun, eating the dog, and dunking the bun in water to wash things down quickly.
Prior to the 2010 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, Kobayashi announced that he would not compete in the event due to a contract dispute with the company. Instead, he attended the 2010 contest as a spectator, wearing a T-shirt reading "Free Kobi." When the crowd began chanting "let him eat!," Kobayashi climbed onto the stage. A struggle ensued as he was arrested and thrown against the barricades by police. Kobayashi was ultimately charged with resisting arrest, trespassing, and obstructing government administration. However, all charges were eventually dropped. After Kobayashi left Nathan's, the contest lost major sponsors and saw a steady decline in television viewership.
(Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Other Competitive Eating Records
Kobayashi has competed in a myriad of other competitive eating contests over the years. In 2005, he won the Alka-Seltzer US Open of Competitive Eating, a three-hour elimination tournament broadcast on ESPN. The next year, he set multiple world records, including his consumption of 97 hamburgers in the Krystal Square Off; 58 bratwurst sausages in 10 minutes at the Johnsonville World Bratwurst Eating Championship; and 41 lobster rolls in 10 minutes at the Phantom Food Festival in Boston.
Following his exit from Nathan's, Kobayashi began competing in the newly created Gringo Bandito Taco Challenge. He went on to become the undefeated champion of the contest, with his best record being 159 tacos consumed in 10 minutes in 2017. The competition came to an end the next year. Kobayashi set a number of other world records in the 2010s, including 337 buffalo wings eaten in 30 minutes at the 2012 Wing Bowl; 110 bunless hot dogs downed in 10 minutes at the New York State Fair; and 62 slices of pizza consumed in 12 minutes at the LET 'EM EAT contest in Canada.
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Other Media Appearances
Due to his popularity from competitive eating contests, Kobayashi has appeared in several television commercials, endorsing such brands as MasterCard, Coors Light, Eight O'Clock Coffee, and Just Eat. He has also made appearances on various talk shows, including "The Wendy Williams Show," on which he set a world record in 2012 by eating 14 Twinkies in one minute. Among his other media appearances, Kobayashi played himself in a 2006 episode of "Saturday Night Live," and later appeared as himself in the 2017 horror film "The Houses October Built 2."
Personal Life
Kobayashi is married to Maggie James, who also serves as his interpreter and publicist.
