Competitive Eating Grudge Match Looms In Nashville

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

Follow the action as it happens this Saturday by signing up for Krystal Square Off’s Twitter feed.