Many of the biggest names in competitive eating were in Tennessee this past weekend to battle for a seat at the Fox Sports South-televised World Championship on Sept. 28.
The Volunteer State was home to two hotly contested Krystal Square Off V qualifiers this past weekend, with Juliet Lee taking the top prize in Nashville (and being the impetus behind the new “Mustard Yellow Card” rule) and Tim “Eater X” Janus cruising to victory in Knoxville.
We now have the official results from both events posted below.
Nashville
1. Juliet Lee 51 (winner by Eat-Off)
2. Eric “Badlands” Booker 51
2. Juris “Dr/ Bigtime” Shibyama 51
4. Erik “The Red” Denmark 43
5. Nasty Nate Biller 32
6. Pretty Boy Pete Davekos 27
7. Wild Bill Myers 26
8. Dave “US Male” Goldstein 24
9. Steve Larson 18
10. Andrew Wong 14
11. Raymond Denton 13
11. Mark Lefevbre 13
13. Noel Ellorin 12
14. Steve Ramirez 11
15. Diamond Wright 10
Knoxville
1. Tim “Eater X” Janus 63
2. Crazy Legs Conti 50
3. Pretty Boy Pete Davekos 32
4. Nasty Nate Biller 31
5. Dave “US Male” Goldstein 30
6. Wild Bill Myers 25
6. Steve Spinosa 25
8. Paul Egger 21
9. Sean Morris 18
10. Sean Russell 14
11. Steven Ramirez DQ
12. Scott Simmons DQ
Check out our reports and photos from the Nashville and Knoxville qualifiers here and here.
Only two more qualifiers left on the tour. Next up is Birmingham, Ala. on Saturday, Sept. 20, featuring the return of Takeru Kobayashi to Krystal country as he looks to set up his rematch against the No. 1 ranked Joey Chestnut.
Don't let Juliet Lee's pretty smile fool you. She'll be looking to chew up the competition at the Nashville Krystal Square Off V Qualifier this Saturday.
The Krystal Square Off V qualifier in Nashville this Saturday is shaping up to be the most fiercely contested showdown of the season.
Three of competitive eating’s top gurgitators–Erik “The Red” Denmark, Juliet Lee and Eric “Badlands” Booker–are all confirmed to compete, and while they’re no equals in looks (the glamorous Lee wins by a landslide there), the trio are virtually a dead heat when it comes to Krystals.
Both Badlands and Lee have put down 44 Krystal hamburgers as their career best, and Denmark has done just one better, chowing 45 at last year’s finals in Chattanooga.
And not to be dismissed is long shot local Juris “Dr. Bigtime” Shibayama, who brings a personal best of 39 Krystals to the table Saturday.
So who has the edge? It’s tough to say, but with the wild card race getting tougher every week, the three will be gunning for nothing short of victory. Anything less and they’ll be sweating it out until the final qualifier is over on Sept. 21. Or even worse, they’ll be staying home on Sept. 28 when the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship takes place in Chattanooga.
The Nashville qualifier will be held at the Tennessee State Fair on Saturday, Sept. 13. Registration for the five amateur on-the-spot slots begins at 1:00 p.m. and contest starts at 2:00 p.m.
Eaters confirmed as of today include:
Juliet Lee
Eric Booker
Erik Denmark
Juris Shibayama
Nathan Biller
Pete Davekos
Bill Myers
Dave Goldstein
Andrew Wong
Steve Larson
The Atlanta Krystal Square Off V Qualifier drew top competitive eaters from all across the U.S. this past Saturday.
It was a thrilling contest in Atlanta this past Saturday as a huge crowd came out to Lenox Square Mall to witness the latest Krystal Square Off V Qualifier. In action were some of the biggest names from the sport of competitive eating including Pat Bertoletti, Tim “Gravy” Brown, “Buffalo” Jim Reeves, Eric “Steakbellie” Livingston, Allen “Shredder” Goldstein, Micah “Wing Kong” Collins, Beautiful Brian and Super Paul Barlow.
If you missed the contest, we now have the full video of the eight minute contest, which you can view below or on YouTube here. Watch as Bertoletti cruises to victory and Brown and Reeves struggle to put down big enough numbers to earn them a wild card birth in the finals on Sept. 28.
Also we have just posted more than 100 photos from the contest. Check those out here.
Competitive eating pros Hall Hunt and Sonya Thomas squared off in Jacksonville on Labor Day.
The full video of the entire 8-minute Jacksonville Krystal Square Off V Qualifier is now posted on YouTube and here on KrystalSquareOff.com. Watch as top eating pros Hall Hunt and Sonya Thomas and a host of others battle for burger supremacy along the mighty St. John’s River for a seat at the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship on Sept. 28.
Tim "Gravy" Brown will be in Atlanta this Saturday hoping to earn another berth in the finals of the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship.
The seven-city qualifying circuit for the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship makes its way this Saturday to Atlanta where eaters will compete for a spot at this year’s World Championship in Chattanooga on September 28, which will be televised live on FSN South. Below we have some quick bites of info for you to chew on between now and then.
Contest Bites:
The Atlanta Qualifier will take place on Saturday, Sept. 6, at the Lenox Square Mall (entrance near food court). For directions, go here.
Registration is now closed for Atlanta, however five amateur hopefuls will be selected on the spot to compete. Those wishing to be selected can register on site starting at 1:00 p.m.
The 8-minute contest will start at 2:00 p.m.
Pat Bertoletti, the number two eater in the world, is no doubt the favorite to win on Saturday. His personal best is 94 Krystals, which he did at the 2007 championship.
The race for second will be a close one between Tim Brown and Allen Goldstein. Brown’s personal best is 43 Krystals while Goldstein’s top number is 42.
Pennsylvanian pair Eric “Steakbellie” Livingston and Micah “Wing Kong” Collins will look to round out the top five, with Steakbellie hoping to improve upon his best of 31 Krystals and Wing Kong trying to better his PR of 29.
Nine of the eaters confirmed for the Atlanta Qualifier are in the Top 40 of Major League Eating’s world rankings.
At least 10 different cities and four states will be represented at the table on Saturday.
The current list of confirmed eaters include: Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti (Chicago), Tim “Gravy” Brown (Chicago), Allen “Shredder” Goldstein (Plainview, NY), Eric “Steakbellie” Livingston (Drexel Hill, PA), Micah “Wing Kong” Collins (Drexel Hill, PA), “Buffalo” Jim Reeves (Buffalo, NY), Larry McNeil (Newnan, GA), “Beautiful Brian” Seiken (Brooklyn, NY), Super Paul Barlow (Kennessaw, GA), Steve Martin (Roopville, GA), Damien Boykin (Atlanta, GA) and Ben Griffith (Covington, GA).
Historical Bites:
Charles Hardy won the first Atlanta qualifier held at the North Georgia State Fair in 2004 with 32 Krystals.
The Gwinnett County Fair has hosted the Atlanta qualifier twice; once in 2005 (won by Tim “Eater X” Janus with 39 Krystals) and again in 2007 (won by Bertoletti with 85 Krystals).
Bertoletti’s mark of 85 Krystals last year in Atlanta was, at the time, the most ever eaten at a qualifier. Joey Chestnut broke the record several weeks later in Tuscaloosa when he ate 87.
This will be the second time Lenox Square Mall has hosted the Atlanta Krystal Square Off Qualifier. The previous time was in 2006.
The 2006 Atlanta Qualifier was the closest in Krystal Square Off history with just half a Krystal separating Chip “The Phenom” Simpson (53 Krystals) and Eater X (52.5).
Sign up for live updates from the Atlanta Qualifier via Twitter here.
Super Paul Bonebreaker Big Mouth Barlow was one of three competitive eaters appearing on Fox 5 Good Day Atlanta this morning.
The Krystal restaurant in Buckhead Atlanta was the scene of a televised three-man Krystal eating contest this morning between Super Paul Barlow, Ben “The Turtle” Griffith and Steve “Pi Guy” Martin.
The two-minute contest was a part of Fox 5 Good Day Atlanta’s preview of this Saturday’s Krystal Square Off V Qualifier at Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta, which will feature the number-two ranked eater in the world Pat Bertoletti. The winner on Saturday will go on to compete at the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship in Chattanooga on Sept. 28.
With Fox 5’s Mark Hyman and Krystal’s Kenny Hammontree on hand to officiate this morning, the contest ended up as a draw between Super Paul and Griffith, with both Atlanta-based eaters downing nine Krystals. Martin, a math teacher, ate just seven.
Watch the televised action on the Fox 5 website here (there are 4 videos total on the page).
Sonya Thomas, doing her best Dale Boone impression above, will seek to earn her fifth consecutive berth in the Krystal Square Off finals today in Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville Krystal Square Off V Qualifier is less than 30 minutes from starting, and the word on the scene is that the heat, humidity and occasional downpour hasn’t stopped hundreds of competitive eating fans from coming down to the Jacksonville Landing to cheer on their favorite eaters as they battle it out for a seat at the live, televised World Championship on Sept. 28.
While Hall Hunt is hands down the hometown favorite today, we hear there are some big time Sonya Thomas supporters among the crowd with a few people donning “I Love Sonya Thomas” shirts and one sign that says “Marry Me Sonya.” The Black Widow surely doesn’t like to disappoint, and we expect today to be a bite-for-bite battle until the very end between the two competitive eating pros.
For those not following along on the Krystal Square Off Twitter feed, you’re missing out on the action as it happens. As mentioned via Twitter earlier today, the below is the official list of eaters confirmed for today’s event:
Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas–Alexandria, VA
Hall “Hoover” Hunt–Jacksonville, FL
Bruce “The Hangman” Pobanz–Jacksonville, FL
Glen Owens–Hilliard, FL
Michael Parish–Tamarac, FL
Jeremy Kirch–Jacksonville, FL
Mark Barnes–Orlando, FL
Mike Greenspan–North Hollywood, CA
More than 50 “average Joes” have also signed up today for the chance to be one of the five amateur hopefuls picked on the spot to compete.
Don’t miss out on the action as it happens. Sign up to follow the Krystal Square Off V Qualifiers via Twitter. To read what you’ve missed so far, click on the “up” and “down” arrows on the Twitter box located on the right of this page.
Takeru Kobayashi made his Krystal debut at the Jacksonville Qualifier in November of 2004. It remains his only qualifier appearance to this day.
The seven-city qualifying circuit for the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship makes its way to Jacksonville this Labor Day to decide who will represent the state and compete for an unprecedented $50,000 cash purse at this year’s World Championship in Chattanooga on September 28, which will be televised live on FSN South. Below we have some quick bites of info for you to chew on between now and then. Enjoy.
Contest Bites:
The Jacksonville Qualifier will take place on Monday, Sept. 1, at the Jacksonville Landing. For directions to the Landing, go here.
Registration is now closed for Jacksonville, however five amateur hopefuls will be selected on the spot to compete. Those wishing to be selected can register on site starting at 1:00 p.m.
The 8-minute contest will start at 2:00 p.m.
Sonya Thomas brings with her to Jacksonville this Labor Day a 4-0 Krystal and 12-0 lifetime qualifier record. Her Krystal best is 62.
Hall Hunt, whose best is 51 Krystals, is the defending Jacksonville Qualifier champ.
Hunt will appear on the WJXT TV Morning Show tomorrow, Friday, in the 8:00 a.m. hour. The segment will include a 30-second Krystal eating contest.
Historical Bites:
Takeru Kobayashi’s only appearance at a Krystal Square Off Qualifier was in Jacksonville in 2004 when he ate 50 Krystals in eight minutes.
Crazy Legs Conti won the 2005 Jacksonville Qualifier with 31 Krystals. Hall “Hoover” Hunt runner-up’d with 30 Krystals.
In 2006, Joey Chestnut won the Jacksonville Qualifier by eating 52 Krystals. Crazy Legs finished second with 36.
Hall Hunt won the 2007 Jacksonville Qualifier with 49 Krystals.
Last year’s Jacksonville Qualifier saw Elizabeth Canady and Tim Brown tie for second with 38 Krystals apiece. Juliet Lee finished 4th with 35. Both Brown and Lee went on to the finals by claiming wild card spots at subsequent qualifiers.
The Jacksonville Qualifier has been held on Labor Day every year except for the first year when it was held on Nov. 7
The "humble" one was on hand to light the ceremonial Krystal Square Off Grill to kick off competitive eating's biggest event of the year.
Photos from the Opening Ceremony for the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship are now posted on this site and our Flickr page. You can view them here (or slideshow here), or you can always click on the Flickr logo located in the far right column of this page.
The Opening Ceremony got underway yesterday on the footsteps of the Krystal Building in downtown Chattanooga, with Krystal’s Brad Wahl and George Shea of Major League Eating making introductory marks to kick things off. Shea then introduced competitive eating pro “Humble” Bob Shoudt, who tried on the World Championship belt for the audience (a jinx?) and then lit the ceremonial Krystal Square Off Grill.
With media outlets from across the Chattanooga area on hand to capture the Olympic-like spectacle, the Grill was paraded down Chestnut Street to the Riverfront, site of the World Championship on Sept. 28. The ceremony finally drew to a close with the Celebrity/Media Square Off, which was won by WDEF’s noon anchor Joe Legge. Read about that contest here.
Today’s action gets underway at 3:00 pm EST. Anyone interested in being one of the 5 random contestants selected right before the contest begins should register on site by 2:00 pm. Stay tuned to our Twitter feed and to this blog for all the latest from the Chattanooga Qualifier today.
Don't let his charming smile and dapper appearance fool you, Kenny "The Regulator" Hammontree is one mean eating machine, as viewers witnessed this morning on WDEF.
This morning ahead of the Opening Ceremony for Krystal Square Off V, The Krystal Company’s senior marketing coordinator Kenny Hammontree, better known as “The Regulator” on the competitive eating circuit, faced off live on television against WDEF News 12 meteorologist Brian Smith in a 30 second Krystal eating contest.
Major League Eating’s venerable George Shea and professional competitive eater“Humble” Bob Shoudt were on hand to officiate.
