Tim Janus Notches Win In Knoxville To Earn Birth In Krystal Square Off V Finals

Flanked by the "Fairest of the Fair" girls, Tim "Eater X" Janus was the fiercest of the fair today at the Krystal Square Off V Qualifier in Knoxville.

Competitive eating’s man of mystery Tim Janus was the king of the Krystal today in Knoxville, Tenn. The 31-year-old from New York, N.Y. known as “Eater X” devoured 63 of the fast food icon’s famous hamburgers in eight minutes to win the Knoxville Krystal Square Off V Qualifier. Janus’ mark shattered the previous Knoxville Qualifier record of 49 hamburgers set last year by Chip Simpson.

Janus’ victory earns him a spot at the FSN South-televised final table of the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship on Sept. 28, held in Krystal’s hometown of Chattanooga. There, Janus will go up against reigning World Champion and record holder Joey Chestnut, three-time champion Takeru Kobayashi and all of the top finishers from the regional qualifiers held in cities across the South.

Never challenged the entire contest, Janus finished a baker’s dozen ahead of his closest competitor, Crazy Legs Conti, whose 50 Krystals one short of placing him in wild card contention.

Watch WBIR-TV’s coverage of today’s contest here. And for a news story and video of Crazy Legs on WBIR’s Sunday morning show just ahead of the contest click here.

Click thumbnails below for some photos from today’s event.

Tim ‘Eater X’ Janus, Crazy Legs Conti Confirmed For Knoxville Qualifier

Competitive eating pro Tim "Eater X" Janus will be a huge favorite to win in Knoxville this Sunday.

The seven-city qualifying circuit for the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship makes its way to Knoxville, Tenn. this Sunday, Sept. 14, and among the eaters who will be competing for a spot at this year’s World Championship include the world’s No. 4-ranked gurgitator Tim “Eater X” Janus and the 11th ranked Crazy Legs Conti.

It should be a relatively easy run for Eater X, who brings with him a high mark of 74 Krystals to Knoxville. Conti’s personal best is 45, which may not be good enough to challenge his fellow New Yorker, but puts him the ballpark to earn one of the three wild card spots in the finals. Right now, the bottom number in the wild card race is 44 Krystals, but that is all but guaranteed to change this weekend either in Nashville or Knoxville.

The Knoxville Krystal Square Off V Qualifier takes place at the Tennessee Valley Fair. Action starts at 2:00 p.m. Registration for the five amateur on-the-spot slots begins at 1:00 p.m.

Here’s a list of eaters confirmed as of today for the event this Sunday:

Tim Janus
Crazy Legs Conti
Pete Davekos
Nathan Biller
Bill Myers
Dave Goldstein
Steve Spinosa
Loren “Bubba” Yarbrough

Follow the action in Knoxville and every contest this season as it happens at Twitter.com/ksquareoff.