Seen here at the Krystal Square Off VI, Tim "Eater X" Janus pounded back enough Krystals for a repeat win of the Knoxville Qualifier.
Not even the threat of a torrential downpour put a damper on what was a fierce competition between Tim “Eater X” Janus and Juliet “The Lovely” Lee at the last Krystal Square Off VI qualifying round held at the Tennessee Valley Fair in Knoxville on Sunday, Sept. 20. Clouds may have loomed overhead, but the only things the audience could see falling were the hopes and dreams of Juliet Lee, “Crazy Legs” Conti and the nine other competitors that champ Tim “Eater X” Janus left in the dust by chomping down a winning 30 Krystals and 5 Big Angus Burgers for a total of 55 Krystal Burger Points.
If you’re bummed you opted to stay in last weekend, don’t worry – we’ve got you covered with all the action via video. And chin up, tiger: you still have one last chance to see Janus kill some Krystal burgers this Sunday, Sept. 27 as the sixth annual Krystal Square Off World Championship goes down in Chattanooga starting at 2 p.m.
See photos below from the Knoxville Qualifier. Full photo gallery here.
Knoxville's "Fairest of the Fair" pageant winner Tori Martin congratulates Tim "Eater X" Janus on his Krystal Square Off Qualifying win.
The rain stopped and clouds began to part just as eaters took the stage yesterday afternoon at the Tennessee Valley Fair in Knoxville for the last eight-minute eating contest of the Krystal Square Off VI Qualifying Tour. The man behind the mask, Tim “Eater X” Janus, took home the trophy with 30 Krystals and 5 Big Angus Burgers for a total of 55 Krystal Burger Points.
After receiving a deduction of 2 Krystal Burgers, Juliet “The Lovely” Lee finished in second place with a controversial 49 Krystal Burger Points. Eaters were required to swallow all food in their mouths within 30 seconds after the time stopped, but Lee was not able to get the last few Krystals down. Therefore, judges decided that the 2 burger deduction was fair. However, Lee was not in agreement, especially since her original 51 Krystal Burger count would have put her in second for a Wild Card spot, which has now been secured by Jim “Buffalo” Reeves.
Janus’ win earns him a seat at the Krystal Square Off VI World Hamburger Eating Championship in Chattanooga this Sunday, Sept. 27, where he will compete against the great Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi and more for a piece of the $50,000 cash purse. Stay tuned for more updates about the KSO VI finals and the 11 finalists who will make their way down for the main event.
Knoxville Qualifier results below:
Tim “Eater X” Janus – 30 Krystals, 5 Big Angus = 55 Krystal Burger Points
Juliet “The Lovely” Lee – 26-2 Krystals, 5 Big Angus = 49 Krystal Burger Points
Tim Janus has become a familiar face at the KSO Finals. Will he do a repeat performance at the Knoxville Qualifier this year to earn a seat at the championship table in Chattanooga?
We caught up with Tim “Eater X” Janus to find out his strategy going into the Knoxville Qualifier and hear about his predictions on this year’s Krystal Square Off winner. Unlike many of the other eaters we’ve spoken with thus far, sounds like Eater X still believes Joey Chestnut will come out on top again, even though Chestnut hasn’t had the opportunity to contend with the new rules. Check out more about what Janus had to say…
How has your training been for this year’s Krystal Square Off?
Nonexistent. I’ve haven’t had any time this year. It’s really too bad.
Care to reveal your strategy for the Big Angus Burgers? Will you start off with them or wait until the end?
I don’t know what I’ll do. Truly, I don’t think it matters as long as you eat them eventually. If you eat them first, you’ll eat them faster, but your Krystals pace at the end will suffer. If you eat them last, you’ll eat them slower, but you’ll have eaten your Krystals faster.
You’re the favorite going into this weekend’s Qualifier in Knoxville. How hard are you going to push yourself? Will you do just enough to win?
I need to figure out what I’m doing, what it’s like eating them dry. So I think my mind will be more on figuring out what feels best — how to move, how to hold things, the kinds of bites to take, etc. And then hopefully in the Finals, I can put it all together.
Going into this year’s KSO what are your goals?
I’m never comfortable talking about them.
Do you think Joey Chestnut will repeat as champion this year? Who do you think has the best shot at upsetting him?
Anybody who doesn’t pick Joey to win is either trying desperately to be interesting or is just plain stupid. Joey is the champion. He is the favorite. He’s not a lock to win it. But clearly he’s the most likely winner.
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.
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.
Humble Bob will practice his signature meditating techniques before the Atlanta Qualifier to help better his performance and earn a seat at the final table in Chattanooga on Sept. 27.
The Krystal Square Off VI Qualifying Circuit makes its way to Atlanta this Sunday where Humble Bob Shoudt plans to shatter his KSO V qualifying score, all while in the comfort of Lenox Square’s air conditioned shopping mall. Atlanta’s winner will continue on to Chattanooga to compete in the Krystal Square Off VI World Hamburger Eating Championship on Sept. 27, which will be televised live on SportSouth starting at 2:00 p.m. Below we have some quick bites of info for you to chew on between now and then.
Contest Bites:
The Atlanta Qualifier will take place on Sunday, Sept. 13, inside Lenox Square Mall.
Lenox Square Mall opened in 1959 and was the first major shopping mall in the state of Georgia.
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.
Bob Shoudt, the 5th-ranked eater in the world, is no doubt the favorite to win on Sunday. Shoudt placed fourth at the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship last year with 76 Krystals. His personal best is 95 Krystals, which he did at the 2007 championship.
The race for second should be a close one between 13th-ranked eater in world, Pete Davekos and 17th-ranked eater in the world, Micah “Wing Kong” Collins. 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 Atlanta Qualifier are in the Top 50 of Major League Eating’s world rankings.
At least 8 different cities and six states will be represented at the table on Saturday.
The current list of confirmed eaters includes: “Humble” Bob Shoudt (Royersford, PA), Pete Davekos (Boston), Juris Shibayama (Murfreesboro, TN), Mike Landrich (Fredonia, NY), Micah “Wing Kong” Collins (Drexel Hill, PA), Steve Martin (Roopville, GA), Brian Subich (Johnstown, PA) and Nicholas Giffen (Raleigh, NC).
Historical Bites:
Charles Hardy won the first Atlanta qualifier held at the North Georgia State Fair in 2004 with 32 Krystals.
The Gwinnett County Fair has hosted the Atlanta qualifier twice; once in 2005 (won by Tim “Eater X” Janus with 39 Krystals) and again in 2007 (won by Bertoletti with 85 Krystals).
Bertoletti’s mark of 85 Krystals at the KSO IV in Atlanta was, at the time, the most ever eaten at a qualifier. Joey Chestnut broke the record several weeks later in Tuscaloosa when he ate 87 at the Birmingham Qualifier. Takeru Kobayashi then broke Chestnut’s Qualifier record last year in Birmingham by consuming 89 Krystals in eight minutes.
This will be the third time Lenox Square Mall has hosted the Atlanta Krystal Square Off Qualifier.
The 2006 Atlanta Qualifier was the closest in Krystal Square Off history with just half a Krystal separating Chip “The Phenom” Simpson (53 Krystals) and Eater X (52.5).
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.
The Volunteer State was home to two hotly contested Krystal Square Off V qualifiers this past weekend, with Juliet Lee taking the top prize in Nashville (and being the impetus behind the new “Mustard Yellow Card” rule) and Tim “Eater X” Janus cruising to victory in Knoxville.
We now have the official results from both events posted below.
Nashville
1. Juliet Lee 51 (winner by Eat-Off)
2. Eric “Badlands” Booker 51
2. Juris “Dr/ Bigtime” Shibyama 51
4. Erik “The Red” Denmark 43
5. Nasty Nate Biller 32
6. Pretty Boy Pete Davekos 27
7. Wild Bill Myers 26
8. Dave “US Male” Goldstein 24
9. Steve Larson 18
10. Andrew Wong 14
11. Raymond Denton 13
11. Mark Lefevbre 13
13. Noel Ellorin 12
14. Steve Ramirez 11
15. Diamond Wright 10
Knoxville
1. Tim “Eater X” Janus 63
2. Crazy Legs Conti 50
3. Pretty Boy Pete Davekos 32
4. Nasty Nate Biller 31
5. Dave “US Male” Goldstein 30
6. Wild Bill Myers 25
6. Steve Spinosa 25
8. Paul Egger 21
9. Sean Morris 18
10. Sean Russell 14
11. Steven Ramirez DQ
12. Scott Simmons DQ
Check out our reports and photos from the Nashville and Knoxville qualifiers here and here.
Only two more qualifiers left on the tour. Next up is Birmingham, Ala. on Saturday, Sept. 20, featuring the return of Takeru Kobayashi to Krystal country as he looks to set up his rematch against the No. 1 ranked Joey Chestnut.
The wild card race is heating up for Krystal Square Off V, and looks to get even hotter this weekend as both Nashville and Knoxville host qualifiers.
Among the early confirmations for this weekend include Tim “Eater X” Janus, Crazy Legs Conti, Eric “Badlands” Booker, Erik Denmark, Juliet Lee, Juris Shibayama and Loren Yarbrough.
While this list is subject to change, what won’t change is the least amount of Krystals they’ll have to put down just to be in contention for one of the three backdoor slots into the championship on Sept. 28. That number right now is 44 Krystals, which “Buffalo” Jim Reeves did this past Saturday in Atlanta. Just ahead of Reeves in the wild card race is Tim “Gravy” Brown with 45 Krystals, and Sonya Thomas leads the way with 55 Krystals.
Last year, Erik Denmark, with 43 Krystals, held the top spot from the wild card group.
With four more qualifiers left and so many top eaters still waiting for their shot, Reeves and Brown may want to call their travel agents and start planning another trip back South.
Check out EatFeats for a list of the current top 10 non-winning performances so far.
For a list of remaining Krystal Square Off V Qualifiers, go here.
Register for a chance to win a weekend getaway vacation for 4 to Chattanooga for Krystal Square Off V.
