“Humble” Bob Shoudt Conquers at Krystal Square Off VI Atlanta Qualifier

Seen here being as "Humble" as ever by sporting his own personalized hat, Shoudt had much to celebrate with his win at the KSO VI Atlanta Qualifier at Lenox Square this past Sunday.

The cool and comfortable temperatures inside Lenox Square Mall proved to be very advantageous for competitive eater “Humble” Bob Shoudt on Sunday as he put away 41 Krystals and 5 Big Angus Burgers for a total of 66 Krystal Burger Points to take first place.

Shoudt is the first headline eater in the Krystal Square Off VI qualifying tour thus far to start with the Famous Krystal Burger and end with the Big Angus Burger. A risky strategy, but one that clearly paid off as he came in at only one point less than 2nd-ranked eater in the world Patrick Bertoletti’s 67 Krystal Burger count done at the Chattanooga Qualifier. It’s no doubt that Shoudt is in it to win this year’s Krystal Square Off VI World Hamburger Eating Championship.

The win in Atlanta guarantees Shoudt a seat at the final table in downtown Chattanooga on Sept. 27 next to fellow competitive eaters Joey Chestnut, Takeru Kobayashi and the KSO VI Qualifying winners to date: Patrick Bertoletti, Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas, Hall “Hoover” Hunt and Eric “Badlands” Booker.

Finishing in second place with 42 Krystal Burger Points was Eric “Steakbellie” Livingston and not far behind was up-and-comer Jon Bello who actually beat out his previous score at the KSO VI Jacksonville Qualifier with 39 Krystal Burger Points.

Full results below:

• “Humble” Bob Shoudt – 41 Krystals, 5 Big Angus = 66 Krystal Burger Points
• Eric “Steakbellie” Livingston – 17 Krystals, 5 Big Angus = 42 Krystal Burger Points
• Jon Bello – 14 Krystals, 5 Big Angus = 39 Krystal Burger Points
• Mike Landrich – 10 Krystals, 5 Big Angus = 35 Krystal Burger Points
• Richard Foley – 9 Krystals, 5 Big Angus = 34 Krystal Burger Points
• Steve Martin – 7 Krystals, 5 Big Angus = 32 Krystal Burger Points
• Steve Ramirez - 5 Krystals, 5 Big Angus = 30 Krystal Burger Points
• Damien Boykin – 5 Krystals, 5 Big Angus = 30 Krystal Burger Points
• Chad Elkins – 3 Krystals, 5 Big Angus = 28 Krystal Burger Points
• “Super” Paul Barlow – 3 Krystals, 5 Big Angus = 28 Krystal Burger Points
• David Pirkle – 4 Krystals, 4 Big Angus = 24 Krystal Burger Points
• Kyle Thayer – 0 Krystals,  Big Angus = 20 Krystal Burger Points

The next Krystal Square Off VI Qualifier takes place in Nashville, Tenn. on September 19 at the Tennessee State Fair. For more details, follow the Krystal Square Off on Twitter @ksquareoff.

Photo and Video: Hall ‘Hoover’ Hunt Wins KSO VI Jacksonville Qualifier

Competitive eater Hall 'Hoover' Hunt addresses the crowd prior to vacuuming down 40 Krystal hamburgers and 5 Big Angus Burgers in eight minutes at the KSO VI Jacksonville qualifier.

On a beautiful Labor Day Weekend at the Jacksonville Landing in Jacksonville, Fla., thousands of spectators gathered at the Krystal Square Off VI Jacksonville qualifier event to witness the seventh-ranked eater in the world, Hall “Hoover” Hunt, suck down 40 Krystal hamburgers and 5 Big Angus Burgers in eight minutes for a total of 65 Krystal Burger points.

The feat qualifies Hunt for the Krystal Square Off VI World Hamburger Eating Championship final table, scheduled for Sept. 27 in Chattanooga, Tenn., where he will face KSO VI Chattanooga qualifier Pat Bertoletti, KSO VI San Antonio Qualifier Sonya Thomas, along with two-time defending champ and Krystal world record holder Joey Chestnut and three-time Krystal Square Off World Champion Takeru Kobayashi with a $50,000 cash purse on the line.

Check out this video of the Jacksonville qualifier shot by Jason Isaac from the site Jacksonville Confidential:

And here is a selection of photos from Monday’s event in Jacksonville. To see more head over to the KSO VI Jacksonville photo gallery:

Quick Bites: Hall Hunt At Krystal Square Off Jacksonville Qualifier

Hall "Hoover" Hunt will be listening for your cheers at the Jacksonville Qualifier this Labor Day, as he competes to win for the second year in a row.

With Patrick Bertoletti’s domination at the first Krystal Square Off VI Qualifier and an impressive performance by Sonya Thomas in San Antonio this past weekend, the season is really starting to heat up as the seven-city qualifying circuit makes its way to Jacksonville this Labor Day. The Jacksonville Qualifier will determine who is to represent Florida and compete for a piece of the $50,000 cash purse at this year’s final table in Chattanooga on Sept. 27. In the meantime, below are a few quick bites to help you gear up for the competition.

Contest Bites:

• The Jacksonville Qualifier takes place on Monday, Sept. 7, along the St. John’s River at the Jacksonville Landing. For directions to the Landing, go here.
• The St. John’s River is the longest river in Florida and one of the few rivers in the United States to flow north instead of south.
• Registration is now closed for Jacksonville, 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 eight-minute contest will start at 2:00 p.m.
• Hometown hero and defending Jacksonville Qualifier champ, Hall “Hoover” Hunt is the favorite and expected to win again this year.
• Hunt is one of two competitive eaters inducted into the Krystal Lovers Hall of Fame. Hunt was inducted this year while Sam Vise of Union City, Tenn. was inducted in 2005.
• The winner of Monday’s contest will not only hold the local Jacksonville KSO VI title, but also have bragging rights of competing in the largest city in the contiguous United States.
• You can watch Hunt and learn more about the KSO VI Jacksonville Qualifier on the following TV shows leading up to the competition:

Thursday, Sept. 3 – “Check This Out Jacksonville” on WJXT News 4 Jax

Friday, Sept. 4 – “Good Morning Jacksonville” on WTLV/ WJXX

Monday, Sept. 7 – “The Morning Show” WJXT News 4 Jax

Historical Bites:

• Hall Hunt upset the favored Sonya “Black Widow” Thomas by winning the KSO V Jacksonville Qualifier last year with 60 Krystal Burgers.
• Hunt’s 60 Krystal Burgers in 2008 also shattered number-one ranked eater in the world Joey Chestnut’s previous Jacksonville Krystal Square Off Record of 52 Krystals, which was set back in 2006.
• Hall Hunt won the 2007 Jacksonville Qualifier with 49 Krystals, where Elizabeth Canady and Tim Brown tied for second with 38 Krystals apiece. Juliet Lee finished 4th with 35. Both Brown and Lee went on to the finals by claiming wild card spots at subsequent qualifiers.
• Crazy Legs Conti won the 2005 Jacksonville Qualifier with 31 Krystals. Hall “Hoover” Hunt runner-up’d with 30 Krystals.
• Takeru Kobayashi’s first appearance at a Krystal Square Off Qualifier was in Jacksonville in 2004 when he ate 50 Krystals in eight minutes. His only other Krystal Square Off Qualifier appearance was last year in Birmingham.
• The Jacksonville Qualifier has been held on Labor Day every year except for the first year when it was held on Nov. 7.

Sonya Thomas Absence Has Competitive Eating Fans Guessing

The notable absence of Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas from the list of competitors confirmed for this weekend’s qualifier in Chattanooga has had competitive eating fans wondering whether the number-one ranked female eater in the world is done with the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship.

Thomas has dominated the lead off qualifier for the past four years, even out-chowing Joey Chestnut in 2005, and has become a fan favorite on Krystal’s home turf of Chattanooga. But the Black Widow hasn’t been able to improve upon her personal record of 62 Krystals, which she did at the Chatty qualifier in 2006, and with the best of the bunch now at or near the century mark, some are thinking she’s given up on battling the boys for the top burger title.

Well, don’t count Thomas out so fast.

We’re getting word today that she may be heading to the Jacksonville Qualifier this Labor Day. And if she did, Thomas, who feels she’s at the top of her game now, would be giving J-ville’s hometown hero Hall “Hoover” Hunt a serious run for his money. Last year Hall cruised to victory down on the Landing by eating 49 Krystals, and he went on to eat 52 at last year’s finals for his personal best. But if Thomas shows, even his best may not be enough to earn one of the coveted seats at the final table in Chattanooga on September 28.

KrystalSquareOff.com will have a confirmed list of Jacksonville competitors by early-to-mid next week so stay tuned here for the latest.