FSN South's Heather Catlin talks with Pat Bertoletti after his runner-up finish at Krystal Square Off V.
If you missed out on watching Joey Chestnut successfully defend his title at the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship on Sunday, or you were there in person and wanted to see if your “Crazy Legs-Palin 2008″ sign made it on television, FSN South is re-airing the one-hour broadcast of Krystal Square Off V tonight at 7:00 p.m. EST. It looks like only Direct TV users will be able to watch this replay but be sure to check listings for when the Krystal Square Off is replaying on your cable provider.
Also, check out this Dutch TV news story on Krystal Square Off V and wait for when the music kicks in. Pretty funny. And watch a Slovenia TV news report on Krystal Square Off V after the jump . . .
Joey Chestnut (center) distanced himself from his rival Takeru Kobayashi (left) and Pat Bertoletti (right) in the first minute of the 8-minute hamburger eating championship.
Joey Chestnut proved once again why he is competitive eating’s biggest star on Sunday by besting a field of the finest gurgitators in the world at the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship. As the video below shows, Chestnut jumped out to a three Krystal-lead in the first minute and never looked back as a massive crowd of 10,000 plus cheered him on.
It was also in the first minute that the race for second was defined as Pat Bertolettilet it be known that this wasn’t just a two-eater race between Takeru Kobayashi and Chestnut, as most had expected. The young Chicagoan with the trademark mohawk drew even with the Japanese eating star during that first 60 seconds and the two went virtually bite-for-bite the rest of the way. In the end, it seemed Kobayashi had come out on top but a two burger deduction by officials put him one behind Bertoletti and into third place overall.
Watch the action unfold in the video below or on YouTube here.
It pays to be the Krystal Square Off V champ, with Joey Chestnut earning $20,000 for his victory on Sunday.
Hailed as the Super Bowl of competitive eating, the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship annually fields the finest eaters in the world who all have one thing on their minds: winning the title. And while it is the championship belt and trophy they’re after, the prize money always makes a victory taste sweeter, and at Krystal Square Off V yesterday, even a defeat tasted pretty darn good.
A total of $50,000 in prize money was awarded to the 12 gurgitators, making it the largest cash purse in competitive eating history. Joey Chestnut was of course the biggest winner of the bunch, pocketing his largest cash payday ever, $20,000. Pat Bertoletti also earned the biggest prize of his career, taking away $10,000 for his runner-up finish. And even the last place finisher, Kyle Brogdon, who joined the finalist on stage at the very last minute thanks to winning The 12th Eater contest, earned a cool $500.
Below are the official payouts for the 12 finalists:
Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, San Jose, Calif. (93 Krystals) - $20,000
Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti, Chicago, Ill., (85 Krystals) - $10,000
Takeru Kobayashi, Tokyo, Japan, (84 Krystals) - $5,000
“Humble” Bob Shoudt, Philadelphia, Pa. (76 Krystals) - $3,000
Tim “Eater X” Janus, New York, N.Y. (64 Krystals) - $2,500
Hall “Hoover” Hunt, Jacksonville, Fla. (63 Krystals) - $2,000
Juliet “The Lovely” Lee, Germantown, Md. (55 Krystals) - $1,850
Crazy Legs Conti, New York, N.Y. (49 Krystals) - $1,500
Rich “The Locust” LeFevre, Henderson, Nev. (47 Krystals) - $1,400
Juris “Dr. Bigtime” Shibayama, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (43 Krystals) - $1,250
Eric “Badlands” Booker, Long Island, N.Y. (41 Krystals) - $1,000
Chestnut is king of the Krystal as he defends his reign today against Takeru Kobayashi and all of the world's best gurgitators at the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship.
American eating sensation Joey Chestnut retained his hamburger eating title today at the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship in Chattanooga, Tenn. The 24-year-old from San Jose, Calif. downed 93 Krystal hamburgers in eight minutes, ten shy of his world record mark set at last year’s championship.
Billed as the highly anticipated rematch between Chestnut, the No.1-ranked eater in the world, and Japan’s speed-eating legend Takeru Kobayashi, the contest quickly became a one-man show as Chestnut jumped out to an early lead and never looked back as a crowd of 10,000 cheered him on in downtown Chattanooga.
Kobayashi, a three-time Krystal Square Off winner who missed last year’s championship due to a jaw injury, finished in a disappointing third place, eating just 84 Krystals, 13 less than he ate when he won Krystal Square Off III in 2006. Twenty-three-year-old rising star Patrick “Deep Dish” Bertoletti was the second-place spoiler, out-eating Kobayashi by just one Krystal.
While at an autograph signing at the Hixson Krystal, Competitive eater Patrick Bertoletti posed with a copy of the Chattanooga Times Free Press that has a picture of him, Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi on the cover
As part of the events over the Krystal Square Off V weekend, competitive eaters Joey Chestnut, Takeru Kobayashi, Patrick Bertolettiand Humble Bob Shoudt went out to the Krystal restaurant in Hixson, Tenn. to sign autographs during the “Sample Saturday” celebration, where customers get to try out Krystal menu items for free and enter to win a $100 gift card.
Fans came out to see their gustatory heroes and get their official Krystal Square Off V event guide signed by four of the best eaters in the world. Once again, both Chestnut and Kobayashi were asked how many Krystals they were planing to eat tomorrow, and both said that they were looking to set a new record and were aiming around the 110 mark. Looks like it’s going to be a close, tense rematch tomorrow. However, even if just for an hour, all four got to hang out with their fans and relax for a little before going back to mentally prepare for the pending showdown.
Here is a quick video of the autograph signing and you can check out some photos here.
Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut faced off for the media today at the official Krystal Square Off V press conference at Ross's Landing.
Krystal Square Off V officially kicked off the weekend of festivities this afternoon with a pre-event press conference held at Ross’s Landing in Chattanooga. On hand to talk to the media were competitive eatersPat Bertoletti, Takeru Kobayashi and defending champJoey Chestnut.
After being introduced by Major League Eating chairman and founder George Shea, Chestnut was asked how many Krystals he was looking to put down this year. His response: 110. Shea’s introduction of the eaters was then followed by an impassioned speech about the importance of the rematch between Chestnut and Kobayashi and a presentation of this year’s championship belt and trophy.
Chestnut and Kobayashi were then filmed and photographed by the media doing a one Krystal eat-off, or what looked like an eat-off. Kobayashi did not actually swallow his Krystal after putting into his mouth; he didn’t want to ruin his preparation for Sunday’s big event which includes keeping his stomach empty from here on out. “You tricked me,” said Chestnut after realizing his rival hadn’t eaten the Krystal.
Below is a quick video recap of the press conference and check out loads of photos from today’s press conference here.
Stay tuned for more Krystal Square Off posts and news throughout the course of the weekend and don’t forget that you can follow the KSO Twitter feed to get instant updates.
Competitive eating fans have chimed in and most so far think Joey Chestnut won't repeat as the Krystal Square Off champ.
The fact that Joey Chestnut is the current hamburger-eating world record holder and reigning champ doesn’t seem to carry much weight with readers of the popular competitive eating site EatFeats.com. Consisting mostly of dedicated speed-eating aficionados and pro gurgitators, the site’s readerbase has so far picked Japan’s Takeru Kobayashi over Chestnut by more than 2-to-1 in its latest poll to win Sunday’s Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship. Three-time Krystal Square Off king Kobayashi has received 23 votes to Chestnut’s 10 the last we checked.
All but three eaters–Crazy Legs Conti, Tim Janus and Rich LeFevre–have received at least one vote so far. Even the yet-to-be-picked12th Eater received a vote, proving that the scientific validity of an open web-based poll may be somewhat questionable.
Click here to cast a vote for who you think will take down the biggest Major League Eating event of the year this Sunday in Chattanooga.
The Krystal Square Off press conference has been the site of weigh-ins, stare downs and the official unveiling of the three-digit Krystal counter.
Before this Sunday’s Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship, the top three ranked eaters in the world–Joey Chestnut, Pat Bertoletti and Takeru Kobayashi–will meet face-to-face for the official pre-contest press conference. The media event will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Friday at Ross’s Landing in downtown Chattanooga.
This will be Kobayashi’s first time in Chattanooga since he won Krystal Square Off III in 2006 by eating 97 Krystals in eight minutes. This is also the first face-to-face meeting between Chestnut and Kobayashi on American soil since July 4’s hot dog eating championship in Coney Island.
During the press conference the eaters are expected to make predictions and discuss their strategies for winning the top burger title and its $20,000 cash prize. A total of $50,000 in prize money will be awarded with second place winning $10,000 and third earning $5,000.
Chestnut and Kobayashi will also discuss their rivalry, going back to when Chestnut first challenged Kobayashi at Krystal Square Off II in 2005. Chestnut, who surged to his No. 1 ranking by beating Kobayashi at hot dogs, has never beaten Kobayashi in a Krystal hamburger match-up. Chestnut does own the current world record of 103 Krystals in eight minutes, which he did at last year’s Krystal Square Off with Kobayashi absent due to a jaw injury.
Bertoletti, the No. 2 eater in the world, finished third at last year’s championship with 94 Krystals. He has beaten both Chestnut and Kobayashi in the past.
George Shea of Major League Eating will host the press conference, providing an expert’s perspective on what is being hailed the biggest event in the history of Major League Eating.
Joey Chestnut on his way to winning Krystal Square Off IV in 2007. His victory earned him an automatic seat at this year's championship.
Being the defending Krystal Square Off champ has it disadvantages.
In an interview with The University Echo, the 2007 Krystal Square Off winner Joey Chestnut said that by not having to qualify for this year’s final he doesn’t know exactly what to expect this Sunday in Chattanooga when he defends his title against three-time KSO champion Takeru Kobayashi and nine other eaters, including the No. 2-ranked gurgitator in the world Pat Bertoletti and last year’s runner-up Humble Bob Shoudt.
When asked if he will break his record of 103 Krystals in eight minutes, Chestnut said:
“It’s possible. Quite possible. I don’t know because I didn’t have to qualify, so I haven’t eaten real Krystals in a while. It’s tough when you don’t have to qualify for a contest as big as the Krystal Square Off Finals, because there’s a lingering doubt that you’re not fully prepared.”
A confident Kobayashi told the same reporter, “I definitely can break the record, and I could have done it two years ago.” In 2006, Kobayashi defeated Chestnut by downing 97 Krystals. It was the Japanese eater’s third consecutive win in Chattanooga.
While Chestnut has not had his legendary jaws chomp down on a Krystal since 2007, Kobayashi has had the advantage of being in Krystal country for a full week now and rumor is he’s been ordering 100 Krystals at a time in Atlanta-area Krystal restaurants. Last week, just 24 hours before eating 89 Krystals at the Birmingham qualifier, Kobayashi had consumed 100 Krystals in under eight minutes in his hotel room.
So tell us what you think: Will Chestnut’s year-long hiatus from the small, square hamburger hurt his chances this Sunday or will the defending champ rise to the occasion and extend his reign over Kobayashi?
A showdown of epic proportions is set to take place as the 2007 champion Joey Chestnut (ranked No. 1 in the world) will defend his title against three-time Krystal Square Off Champion Takeru Kobayashi.
The table is finally set for Major League Eating’s biggest event of the year: the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship.
This Sunday, Sept. 28 in Chattanooga eleven of the finest eaters from around the world, including American phenom Joey Chestnut and Japan’s legendary gurgitator Takeru Kobayashi, will battle live on FSN South for the top burger title and an unprecedented $50,000 cash purse. FSN South will air a live, 60-minute special on Krystal Square Off V, including the championship event, starting at 2 p.m. EST.
This year’s winner will walk with a whopping $20,000 and the coveted Krystal Square Off Champion’s Belt and Trophy made out of crystal. The runner-up and third place finisher will each take home $10,000 and $5,000, respectively, and the remaining finalists will receive payouts ranging from $3,000 to $500.
While Chestnut received an automatic seat at this year’s final table as the defending champ, the ten other finalists had to battle it out during a seven-city qualifying circuit in which the winner in each city won a spot at the finals and the rest fought for three wild card seats. Kobayashi posted the top qualifying number this year, easily winning the Birmingham qualifier last Saturday by devouring 89 Krystals in eight-minutes. His mark betters Chestnut’s all-time qualifier record of 87 Krystals set at the trials in Tuscaloosa last year.
The 11 finalists for Krystal Square Off V are:
Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, San Jose, Calif. (Automatic seat as defending champ) Takeru Kobayashi, Tokyo, Japan (89 Krystals in Birmingham, Ala.) Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti, Chicago, Ill. (66 Krystals in Atlanta) Tim “Eater X” Janus, New York, N.Y. (63 Krystals in Knoxville) Hall “Hoover” Hunt, Jacksonville, Fla. (60 Krystals in Jacksonville) “Humble” Bob Shoudt, Philadelphia, Pa. (58 Krystals in Chattanooga) Rich “The Locust” LeFevre, Henderson, Nev. (52 Krystals in Memphis) Juliet “The Lovely” Lee, Germantown, Md. (51 Krystals in Nashville) Juris “Dr. Bigtime” Shibayama, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (51 Krystals in Nashville - Wild Card) Eric “Badlands” Booker, Long Island, N.Y. (51 Krystals in Nashville - Wild Card) Crazy Legs Conti, New York, N.Y. (50 Krystals in Nashville - Wild Card)
In addition to the 11 finalists, for the first time in Krystal Square Off history, one person from the crowd will be chosen on the spot to compete in the championship event, giving them the chance to compete alongside some of the best eaters in the world live on television.
Last year at Krystal Square Off IV, Joey Chestnut shocked the world and a live audience of 10,000 by eating 103 Krystals in eight minutes, shattering Takeru Kobayashi’s previous world record mark of 97 set in 2006. Due to a debilitating jaw injury, Kobayashi did not compete in last year’s final. With Kobayashi hoping to reclaim his title from Chestnut, this year’s showdown is the most hotly anticipated event in competitive eating and thousands of spectators from across the U.S. and as far away as Japan are expected to witness Krystal Square Off V in person.
Now in its fifth year, the Krystal Square Off is one of the two majors in the sport of competitive eating and the only world hamburger eating championship sanctioned by Major League Eating, the official governing body of all stomach-centric sports. An eight-minute eating contest, Krystal Square Off V is presented by the fast food icon Krystal and features the famous, fresh, hot, small, square Krystal Hamburger.
