Quick Bites: Humble Bob Shoudt Takes On KSO VI Atlanta Qualifier

Humble Bob will practice his signature meditating techniques before the Atlanta Qualifier to help better his performance and earn a seat at the final table in Chattanooga on Sept. 27.

The Krystal Square Off VI Qualifying Circuit makes its way to Atlanta this Sunday where Humble Bob Shoudt plans to shatter his KSO V qualifying score, all while in the comfort of Lenox Square’s air conditioned shopping mall. Atlanta’s winner will continue on to Chattanooga to compete in the Krystal Square Off VI World Hamburger Eating Championship on Sept. 27, which will be televised live on SportSouth starting at 2:00 p.m. 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 Sunday, Sept. 13, inside Lenox Square Mall.
• Lenox Square Mall opened in 1959 and was the first major shopping mall in the state of Georgia.
• 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.
• Bob Shoudt, the 5th-ranked eater in the world, is no doubt the favorite to win on Sunday. Shoudt placed fourth at the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship last year with 76 Krystals. His personal best is 95 Krystals, which he did at the 2007 championship.
• The race for second should be a close one between 13th-ranked eater in world, Pete Davekos and 17th-ranked eater in the world, Micah “Wing Kong” Collins. The two will be battling it out for a shot at one of the two Wild Card Spots.
• Four of the eaters confirmed for the Atlanta Qualifier are in the Top 50 of Major League Eating’s world rankings.
• At least 8 different cities and six states will be represented at the table on Saturday.
• The current list of confirmed eaters includes: “Humble” Bob Shoudt (Royersford, PA), Pete Davekos (Boston), Juris Shibayama (Murfreesboro, TN), Mike Landrich (Fredonia, NY), Micah “Wing Kong” Collins (Drexel Hill, PA), Steve Martin (Roopville, GA), Brian Subich (Johnstown, PA) and Nicholas Giffen (Raleigh, NC).

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 at the KSO IV 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 at the Birmingham Qualifier. Takeru Kobayashi then broke Chestnut’s Qualifier record last year in Birmingham by consuming 89 Krystals in eight minutes.
• This will be the third time Lenox Square Mall has hosted the Atlanta Krystal Square Off Qualifier.
• 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).