Big Changes Announced For Krystal Square Off VI World Hamburger Eating Championship

With the introduction of Big Angus Burgers and a "No Dunking Rule," two-time defending champ Joey Chestnut will have to rethink his strategy at this year's World Hamburger Eating Championship.

The Krystal Company is shaking up the sport of competitive eating with two new rule changes that will drastically alter the face of the competition at this year’s Krystal Square Off VI World Hamburger Eating Championship and make this year’s event the most thrilling and talked about contest in Major League Eating history.

Click here to watch the video of Brad Wahl, The Krystal Company’s vice president of marketing, announcing the major changes.

Click “More” below to read about the two new rule changes.

Eaters will score big this year with Krystal's mouthwatering new Big Angus Burgers.

For the first time in the event’s six-year history, the top gustatory athletes in the world, including Joey Chestnut, Takeru Kobayashi and Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti, will see more than the fresh, hot, small, square Krystal hamburger on their plates. This year the famous Krystal is sharing the stage with the company’s new Big Angus Burger, a two-handed hamburger featuring 100% all-Angus beef served on a super soft bun. Every eater will be given five Big Angus Burgers at the start of the competition in addition to their tray of Krystals. Each Big Angus Burger consumed will add five hamburgers to an eater’s total count.

“Think of it like a three point shot in basketball, except instead of three points you get five and instead of shooting a ball through a net you get to eat Krystal’s delicious all-Angus big burgers,” shared Brad Wahl, vice president of marketing, The Krystal Company. “And much like the way the three-point shot revolutionized the game of basketball, the Big Angus Burger Points will dramatically change the way eaters approach our contest from a strategic level.”

The second major change to this year’s competition has been the subject of much speculation during the off season, and today Krystal has confirmed that it will no longer allow the dunking of hamburgers in any liquid prior to consumption. The announcement makes the Krystal Square Off the first major in the sport of eating to implement a “No Dunking” rule. Competitors will still be allowed to wash hamburgers down by drinking a liquid of their choice contained in cups supplied by Krystal.

They'll be no dunking this year for Takeru Kobayashi and the other eaters.

“We’ve thought long and hard during the off season about implementing a ‘no dunking’ rule, and it simply makes sense from an integrity and competitive standpoint and for historical reasons,” explained Brad Wahl, vice president of marketing, The Krystal Company.

“First, the rule is necessary to preserve the integrity of the hamburgers during contests thus limiting ‘detritus’ or burger debris,” said Wahl. “Most importantly though, it restores the great tradition of Krystal eating contests going back for more than 76 years, where eaters consumed their hamburgers hot and fresh and not soaking wet.”

In fact, when the first Krystal contest was held in 1932 between French Jenkins and Roy Ward, the competitors did not dunk their burgers; they actually washed them down with a hot cup of coffee.

The Krystal Square Off VI World Hamburger Eating Championship officially kicks off August 22, 2009, with the first of seven qualifying events held across the South. The championship event takes place on September 27 in downtown Chattanooga, Tenn., where the top-ranked eater in the world Joey Chestnut will seek to three-peat as champion and the once-great Takeru Kobayashi will attempt to return to his former glory with a victory.

For more details on Krystal Square Off VI, including dates and cities, visit KrystalSquareOff.com.