Quick Bites: Tim “Eater X” Janus Competes in KSO VI Knoxville Qualifier

Seen here at the KSO V Knoxville Qualifier last year, Tim Janus (middle) and Crazy Legs Conti (right) finished in first and second place. Can they do it again this year to earn seats at the KSO VI finals?

On Sunday, Sept. 20, The Krystal Square Off VI Qualifying Circuit will head to Knoxville for it’s very last stop on the World Hamburger Eating Championship tour. The Knoxville Qualifier will be the final chance for Wild Card hopefuls to give it their all for one last shot at a coveted spot at the live televised main eating event in Chattanooga on Sept. 27, where the Knoxville winner will compete against eleven other masters of mastication. Below are some quick bites of info for you to chew on between now and then.

Contest Bites:

• The Knoxville Qualifier will take place on Sunday, Sept. 20 at the Tennessee Valley Fair.
• For any out-of-towners traveling to the event, there are four hotels in the Knoxville area offering special discounts for Fairgoers. Click here for more information.
• 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.
• Tim “Eater X” Janus, the 4th-ranked eater in the world, is no doubt the favorite to win on Sunday. Janus placed fifth at the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship last year with 64 Krystals. His personal best is 74 Krystals.
• The race for second should be a close one between 14th-ranked eater in world, “Crazy Legs” Conti and 2nd-ranked female eater in the world, Juliet “The Lovely” Lee. 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 Knoxville Qualifier are in the Top 30 of Major League Eating’s world rankings.
• The current list of confirmed eaters includes:

Tim “Eater X” Janus, New York, NY – ranked 4

Juliet “The Lovely” Lee, Germantown, MD – ranked 8

“Crazy Legs” Conti, New York, NY – ranked 14

Russell Keeler, Kingston, PA – ranked 28

“Nasty” Nathan Biller, Briarwood, NY – unranked

Historical Bites:

• The Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship has held a Qualifying event in Knoxville since the competition started in 2004.
• “Crazy Legs” Conti competed in the Knoxville Qualifier last year, where he put up his biggest number to date – 50 Krystals.
• Tim “Eater X” Janus participated in the closest Krystal Square Off event in history with just half a Krystal separating him and Chip “The Phenom” Simpson (53 Krystals) and Eater X (52.5) at the 2006 Atlanta Qualifier.
• Fourth-ranked eater in the world, Tim “Eater X” Janus dominated the KSO V Knoxville Qualifier last year with 63 Krystals in eight minutes. Janus’ mark shattered the previous Knoxville Qualifier record of 49 hamburgers set in 2007 by Chip Simpson.