KSO VI Nashville Qualifying champ Tim "Gravy" Brown shows a little love to the second place winner Erik "The Red" Denmark.
This past Saturday, the most colorful of characters came down to Nashville for the second-to-last Krystal Square Off VI Qualifying round. A gold-clad Tim “Gravy” Brown and fan favorite Erik “The Red” Denmark were neck and neck throughout the entire competition, but Brown stepped up his game at the very end to pull out the win with 54 Krystal Burger Points. Denmark finished in second with a count of 51, which didn’t match his first qualifying tally but ensured that he’d be a definite for the Wild Card picks.
Be sure to catch both of these guys in action once again this Sunday, Sept. 27 at the Krystal Square Off VI World Hamburger Eating Championship at Ross’ Landing in Chattanooga. And in the mean time, check out the video footage below of one of the most nail-biting qualifying rounds to take place on this year’s circuit.
A selection of photos from the Nashville Qualifier is below. Full photo gallery here.
Tim "Gravy" Brown took first place at the KSO VI Nashville Qualifier with 54 Krystal Burger Points. Maybe it was the gold jacket that gave him the extra edge over the competition.
Folks watching the Krystal Square Off VI Nashville Qualifier this past Saturday experienced the closest qualifying competition for the World Hamburger Eating Championship yet. While Erik “The Red” Denmark, “Crazy Legs” Conti and plenty of other top-rate competitors showed up to chow down, in the end Tim “Gravy” Brown ate his way to the top with 54 Krystal Burger Points to advance on as a finalist in the Krystal Square Off Championship taking place in downtown Chattanooga on Sept. 27.
Having also competed at San Antonio in late August, Nashville was the second Qualifier for Erik “The Red” Denmark. Unsure if his first Krystal Burger Point total of 55 would keep him in the lead for a Wild Card spot, Denmark felt the trip down South was necessary. And although finishing at the Nashville Qualifier with a lower tally of 52 Krystal Burger Points was disappointing, it stands as the second highest total for the Wild Card race (although he can only hold one spot); thus confirming that Denmark will be a major contender at the finals.
Coming in at third place was 15th-ranked eater in the world, Jim Reeves, who was very satisfied with his 50 Krystal Burger Points, as the score put him in second for the Wild Card race behind Denmark. Finishing in the 5th and 6th place spots, “Nasty” Nate Biller, “Crazy Legs” Conti (who both tied) and Russell Keeler all plan to compete in the Knoxville Qualifier as well with hopes to knock Reeves out and put themselves in the running for a Wild Card seat.
Amateur hopeful Erik Unger took second in Birmingham and is now tied for second in the KSO VI Wild Card Race.
The race is on, and it’s about to get interesting.
With five Krystal Square Off VI Qualifiers already completed and only two more to go, it is Erik “The Red” Denmark who currently holds the number one Wild Card spot with 55 Krystal Burger Points from his performance at the San Antonio Qualifier.
And with the release of the new tallies from this past weekend, there has already been a shift in second place.
While unranked amateur Jon Bello, who finished second at the Jacksonville Qualifier with 36 Krystal Burger Points, has been surpassed and is no longer a possible contender, another unknown eater has stepped up in his place. The unranked amateur, Erik Unger, surprised eating fans in Birmingham this past Saturday by amassing 42 Krystal Burger Points after putting away 17 Krystals and 5 Big Angus Burgers in eight minutes. The impressive feat by the amateur hopeful puts him in a dead-even tie for the second Wild Card spot with the 22nd-ranked eater in the world, Eric “Steakbellie” Livingston, who scored 42 at the Atlanta Qualifier on Saturday.
The tiebreaker typically goes to the second best Krystal Burger count held by the eaters in question. However, with some of the big names scheduled to compete at the Nashville and Knoxville Qualifiers this weekend, we predict that a tiebreaker for the second Wild Card spot won’t be needed; unless of course, it’s between a few of the eaters listed below who have not yet had the chance to compete.
NASHVILLE QUALIFIER – Sept. 19
Crazy Legs Conti, New York, NY
Bryan Beard, Aurora, CO
Wild Bill Myers, Breinigsville, PA
Buffalo Jim Reeves, Boston, NY
Tim “Gravy Brown”, Chicago, IL
KNOXVILLE QUALIFIER – Sept. 20
Tim “Eater X” Janus, New York, NY
Crazy Legs Conti, New York, NY
Russell Keeler, Kingston, PA
Juliet “The Lovely” Lee, Germantown, MD
“Nasty” Nathan Biller, Briarwood, NY
A pretty impressive line up, don’t you agree? Looks like Denmark will be watching our @ksquareoff tweets closely on Saturday as we give real time updates from the Nashville Qualifier. Depending on the final numbers put up from the eight-minute contest, Denmark might be jumping on a plane to compete in the Knoxville Qualifier on Sunday to ensure he keeps his number one Wild Card spot.
Like we said folks, the race is on. And with just one more weekend of qualifiers, it’s almost over.
Erik "The Red" Denmark downed a total of 5 Big Angus Burgers and 30 Krystals at the San Antonio Qualifier to grab the current first place spot in the KSO VI Wild Card Race.
With the Chattanooga, San Antonio and Jacksonville Qualifiers already completed, the Krystal Square Off VI wild card race is in full force and getting even more intense with the two upcoming competitions this Saturday and Sunday in Birmingham and Atlanta.
Currently, Erik “The Red” Denmark, who won second place at the San Antonio Qualifier with a total of 55 Krystal Burger Points, leads the Wild Card contenders. The unranked amateur Jon Bello, who finished second at the Jacksonville Qualifier with 36 Krystal Burger Points, is second.
The professional eaters that are tentatively scheduled for this weekend include 5th-ranked Humble Bob Shoudt, 11th-ranked Eric “Badlands” Booker, 17th-ranked Micah Collins, 22nd-ranked Eric Livingston, 31st-ranked Kevin Ross and 38th-ranked Super Paul Barlow. These competitors will all be throwing back as many Krystal Burgers and Big Angus Burgers as possible in hopes of guaranteeing themselves a seat with a win or at least putting up a big enough score to grab one of the two Wild Card spots.
The Krystal Square Off VI World Hamburger Eating Championship will feature 12 finalists on Sept. 27 in Chattanooga. Seven of the 12 spots will consist of winners from the Qualifying tour. Joey Chestnut, as defending champ, earns an automatic seat to the final in Chattanooga. As three-time world champ of the Krystal Square Off, Takeru Kobayashi has earned a Krystal Blitz sponsor’s exemption giving him an automatic seat at the final table. Two “Wild Card” spots will go to the two best scores posted by eaters who did not win a Qualifier. Finally, the 12th spot will go to a competitive eating fan picked from the crowd on Sept. 27.
For a list of remaining Krystal Square Off VI Qualifiers, go here. Don’t forget to follow @ksquareoff on Twitter for the most up-to-date KSO news.
Erik Denmark stands next to a very happy Sonya Thomas, who basks in the glory of winning first place at the Krystal Square Off VI San Antonio Qualifier.
At the Krystal Square Off VI San Antonio Qualifier this past Saturday, the number-one ranked female eater in the world Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas lived up to her nickname, easily disposing of her male competition by devouring five Big Angus Burgers and 39 Krystal Burgers in eight minutes for a total of 64 Krystal Burger Points. Watch the video below to see Thomas dominate over the field of contestants, including a host of local San Antonio amateurs and eating pro Erik “The Red” Denmark, who took second place with 55 Krystal Burger Points.
Thomas is one of the few eaters to compete in all six years of the Krystal Square Off, and her win in San Antonio secured her a seat at the finals in Chattanooga on Sept. 27, where she’ll battle it out for a piece of the $50,000 cash prize.
Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas beat out Erik "The Red" Denmark for first place at the KSO VI San Antonio Qualifier
It was a stifling 98 degrees at Six Flags Fiesta Texas during the first San Antonio Krystal Square Off Qualifier in history, but by the size and excitement of the crowd, you would think locals have been coming to this summertime Krystal Square Off event for each of its six years.
Weighing in at a mere 105 pounds, Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas proved that she’s all stomach (and smiles) after downing 5 Big Angus Burgers and 39 Krystal Burgers for a total of 64 Krystal Burger Points. Thomas’ win secures her place at the championship table, where she will battle it out on live television against two of this year’s already confirmed eaters, second-ranked in the world Patrick Bertoletti, who took first place at the Chattanooga Qualifier this past weekend, and number-one ranked in the world Joey Chestnut, the KSO V winner.
Thomas, the number-one ranked female in the world, was no doubt the favorite to win. And, it looks like the new Big Angus Burger Points and “No-Dunking” rule only worked to her advantage. Not only did Thomas’ 64 Krystal Burger count win her the San Antonio Qualifier trophy, but it also broke her long standing record of 62 Krystals, which she ate at the 2007 Krystal Square Off Chattanooga Qualifier.
Finishing in a close second was 15th-ranked eater in the world, Erik “The Red” Denmark, who also shattered his personal best of 50 Krystals with a new Krystal Burger Point total of 55 – a great finish, but not quite good enough to pull out the much talked about upset over Thomas.
Check out who took the remaining 10 slots at today’s Qualifier:
Sonya Thomas – 64 Krystal Burger Points (39 Krystals, 5 Big Angus)
Erik Denmark – 55 Krystal Burger Points (30 Krystals, 5 Big Angus)
Homer Flores – 32 Krystal Burger Points (7 Krystals, 5 Big Angus)
Tie: T.J. Henderson/ Nick Bauer – 31 Krystal Burger Points (6 Krystals, 5 Big Angus)
John Baird – 22 Krystal Burger Points (2 Krystals, 4 Big Angus)
Nicholas Konecny – 21 Krystal Burger Points (1 Krystals, 4 Big Angus)
The next qualifier for Krystal Square Off VI takes place in Jacksonville on Labor Day – Monday, Sept. 7, where hometown hero and professional eater Hall “Hoover” Hunt will compete for a seat at the final table in Chattanooga on Sept. 27.
Stay tuned for more coverage from today’s event. As always, follow the Krystal Square Off VI on Twitter @KSquareOff for the most up-to-date news and announcements.
Erik "The Red" Denmark will attempt to beat last year's Krystal count and steal the favored spot from Sonya Thomas for a seat at the KSO VI finals.
The Krystal Square Off VI Qualifying Circuit continues this weekend with the Texas state qualifier in San Antonio, where Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas, Erik “The Red” Denmark and others compete for a seat at the live-televised championship event on Sept. 27 along the banks of the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga. Below are some quick bites of info for you to chew on between now and then.
Contest Bites:
This is the first time in the Krystal Square Off six-year history that a Qualifier will be held in San Antonio, Texas.
There will be a series of two-minute Pre-Qualifying Events for San Antonio locals on Friday, Aug. 28. For details, click here.
The San Antonio Qualifier will take place on Saturday, Aug. 29 at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. The 8-minute contest will start at 2:00 p.m.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas is located in a former rock quarry in the development “La Cantera,” which means “rock quarry” in Spanish.
Open Registration for five amateur hopefuls will be held on-the-spot starting at 1:00 p.m.
All eaters competing at the San Antonio Qualifier will have to contend with Krystal’s new Big Angus Burger Points and “No-Dunking” Rule.
Sonya Thomas, the number-one ranked female eater in the world, will headline the San Antonio Qualifier on Saturday. Her personal best is 62 Krystals, which she did at the 2007 Chattanooga Qualifier.
Sonya Thomas has competed all six years of the Krystal Square Off.
Erik “The Red” Denmark, who recently placed 8th at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Championship and is currently the 15th-ranked eater in the world, will battle it out with Sonya at the San Antonio Qualifier.
Four of the eaters confirmed for the San Antonio Qualifier are in the Top 50 of Major League Eating’s world rankings.
At least eight different cities and five states will be represented at the table on Saturday.
The current list of confirmed eaters includes: Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas (Alexandria, VA), Erik “The Red” Denmark (Seattle, WA), Nic Fry (Hays, KS), Yasir Salem (New York, NY), Ronnie Simicek (Richmond, TX), Nick Bauer (Houston, TX), T.J. Henderson (Nederland, TX).
Krystal Lovers can receive live updates from the San Antonio Qualifier via Twitter @ksquareoff.
Sonya Thomas hopes to make a come back at the Krystal Square Off VI San Antonio Qualifier with a better performance than seen here in Jacksonville last year.
Well known to Krystal Lovers all across the South, The Krystal Square Off VI World Hamburger Eating Championship is spreading the excitement to its fans in Texas by hosting one of its seven Qualifying events in the great city of San Antonio this Saturday. And to introduce KSO VI to San Antonians, Krystal will kick things off on Friday prior to the main event with a series of Pre-Qualifiers that are exclusive to the San Antonio market.
Check out the details below…
The Krystal Square Off VI Pre-Qualifying Event on Friday, August 28 will include a series of 2-minute eating contests that give amateur hopefuls the chance to compete in the main San Antonio Qualifier at Six Flags Fiesta Texas on Saturday, Aug. 29. Local Krystal Lovers will eat one Big Angus Burger and as many Famous Krystal Burgers as possible in order to win, while adhering to the new Big Angus Burger Points and “No-Dunking” rule (click here to read more about new rule changes). The top two eaters of the night will be guaranteed a spot at the San Antonio Qualifying event and the chance to go up against competitive eaters Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas and Erik “The Red” Denmark.
Krystal Lovers must be 18 years and older to participate in the KSO VI Pre-Qualifiers, which are set to take place Friday, August 28 from 5 – 8 p.m. at the Krystal Restaurant located at 7953 Pat Booker Rd., San Antonio, TX 78233.
Stay tuned for more information about the main Krystal Square Off San Antonio Qualifier, where there will be even more opportunities for amateur contenders to show off their gustatory might and battle for a spot at the main table in downtown Chattanooga on Sept. 27.
Follow @ksquareoff on Twitter for the most up-to-date Krystal Square Off news.
How quickly her smile and cheerful disposition disappears when it's time to eat.
We have our first major head-to-head battle of this year’s Krystal Square Off VI qualifying tour. Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas, the number-one ranked female eater in the world, and Erik “The Red” Denmark, the 15th-ranked eater in the world, are both confirmed to compete in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday, Aug. 29. The event marks the first-ever tour stop for the Krystal Square Off in San Antonio, the only city in Texas that can lay claim to a Krystal 3-D (Drive-In, Dine-In, Drive-Thru) restaurant.
The two professional eaters will be gunning for a guaranteed spot at the Krystal Square Off VI World Hamburger Eating Championship in Chattanooga, Tenn. on Sept. 27. Or at the very least, put up a big enough number to earn one of the hotly contested Wild Card spots.
One of the sport’s all-time greats, Thomas is no doubt the favorite heading into the San Antonio Qualifier, which takes place at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, at 2 p.m. CST. While Denmark trumps Thomas in youth and the wearing of sweatband attire, Thomas dominates Denmark in both experience–she’s competed in all five years of the Krystal Square Off–and performance–her personal record is 62 Krystals, a dozen more than Denmark’s best.
Denmark, who is coming off a solid 8th place finish at the July 4th Hot Dog Eating Championship, will be looking to pull off what Hall “Hoover” Hunt did last year in Jacksonville when he upset Thomas. That surprising lost was her first-ever in a Krystal Square Off qualifier, and she went on to shock competitive eating fans with her eventual withdrawal from the final table after earning a Wild Card entry. The unexpected move allowed Juliet Lee a chance to scoop up the female spotlight in Chattanooga.
Needless to say, Thomas will have a lot to prove during the Krystal Square Off VI San Antonio Qualifier, where she plans to make her big come back and contend with Krystal’s new Big Angus Burger Points and “No-Dunking” Rule. Again, you can see her and Denmark battle it out at the 8-minute event on Saturday, Aug. 29 at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, which is set to begin at 2 p.m. CST.
Stay tuned here for more details on the San Antonio Qualifier.
The video of Rich LeFevre’s history-making win on Sunday at the Memphis Krystal Square Off V Qualifier is now up on our video page. Watch LeFevre take on young guns Juris Shibayama, Erik Denmark and Crazy Legs Conti as he becomes one of only two competitive eaters to make it to the finals of the Krystal Square Off five years in a row.
View the entire eight-minute hamburger eating contest below.
