Quick Bites: The Atlanta Krystal Square Off V Qualifier

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.