NEW YORK (KGO) -- San Jose's defending champion of the Nathan's hot dog eating contest may find himself without his top rival this year.
Joey Chestnut beat out Takeru Kobayashi the last three years and Kobayashi won six years straight before that.
This Fourth of July, Kobayashi may be sitting out of the contest on Coney Island.
That's because the Japanese eating sensation has not agreed to a contract with the organizers. He doesn't want to sign an exclusivity clause.