The E:60 crew was at the Nashville Qualifier to capture Juliet Lee win her seat at the Krystal Square Off finals.
ESPN’s prime-time television newsmagazine, E:60, will spotlight this year’s Krystal Square Off V on Tuesday, October 21, at 7 p.m. ET, as the show takes an in-depth look at the sport of competitive eating.
A press release from ESPN describes the coverage as follows:
There are 80-100 competitive eating events a year at venues across the country. The top two are Nathan’s in New York and Krystal’s hamburgers in Tennessee. In a sport replete with colorful personalities, E:60 correspondent Jeremy Schaap takes an in-depth look at competitive eating . . . Highlights include interviews with some of the greatest “eaters” in the world such as Takeru Kobayashi, Joey Chestnut, Juliet Lee, “Crazy Legs” Conti and Tim “Eater X” Janus.
Set your TiVo for ESPN, tomorrow night at 7 p.m. ET. We’ll send a tweet beforehand to remind you of the broadcast.
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.
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.
Joey Chestnut says he's been training over a month for Krystal Square off V in a recent interview.
When we ran into Joey Chestnut this morning at the Sheraton Read House Hotel, he told us that his world record will be broken this year by both him and Takeru Kobayashi, and now we know why he’s so confident.
In an interview with TheStreet.com, the No. 1-ranked speed eater in the world and reigning hamburger champ said he’s done up to 114 in practice, 11 more than he did officially at last year’s Krystal Square Off IV.
To be exact that’s not 114 of the famous Krystal, the official competition hamburger of the world championship, but instead a modified, shipped-frozen, cheese-covered version of a less tastier, slightly smaller, microwaved morsel of beef and bun. But still. 114? Wow.
Chestnut also reveals he’s been training for over a month and compares his technique to Kobayashi’s method of speed-eating. Read the full interview here.
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.
Autograph Alley at the Krystal Square Off gives competitive eating fans a chance to meet their favorite pro eaters.
We’re still around 50 hours from the start of the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship, but the fun and festivities officially get underway today with the eaters’ press conference at 2:30 p.m. and activities will be held throughout the weekend to get you ready for Sunday’s big event. To make sure you have all the details on this weekend’s happenings, we’ve put together the guide below. All events are free and open to the public.
Also, be sure to follow the action on the Krystal Square Off Twitter feed. Sign up and “follow” us to get messages delivered directly to your cell phone or email.
Friday, September 26 -
2:30 p.m. - Press Conference @ Ross’s Landing - The top ranked eaters in the world, including Joey Chestnutand Takeru Kobayashi, will meet face-to-face for the official pre-contest press conference. This is Kobayashi’s first time in Chattanooga since he won Krystal Square Off III in 2006 and the first face-to-face meeting between Chestnut and Kobayashi on American soil since July 4’s hot dog eating championship in Coney Island.
Saturday, September 27 -
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. - Autograph Signing @ Krystal in Hixson, Tenn. - The world’s greatest eaters will be at the Krystal in Hixson signing autographs and taking photos with fans including, Takeru Kobayashi, Joey Chestnut, Pat Bertoletti, Humble Bob Shoudt and others. Plus, in addition to meeting these eating superstars, you can fill-up for free as the restaurant will be giving away free samples of various menu items as a part of it’s “Sample Saturday” series.
Sunday, September 28 -
9:00 a.m. - Krystal Square Off V Bicycle Poker Run begins. For more information, click here.
Noon - Krystal Square Off V Tailgating Party and Fan Fest begins at Ross’s Landing at the Chattanooga Riverfront. This year’s Fan Fest includes: Carnival Games, Free Krystal Burgers, Parade of Eaters, Autograph Alley with the eaters and The Marshall Tucker Band will take the stage.
* Also, don’t forget - registration for the Sackful Challenge and the spot of the 12th Eater will take place between noon and 1:00 p.m. This is your shot to take the stage and show your stuff - oh, and you’ll do it on live television!
2:00 p.m. - FSN South televised coverage begins and kicks off with the Sackful Challenge. Immediately following, the official 2008 Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship will take place.
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.
