The Krystal Square Off blog announces that the opening ceremony for the Krystal Square Off will take place on Friday starting at 1pm eastern. Events will include a “Running of the Grill”, a press conference and a 2 minute burger eating contest between Chattanooga news personalities.

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A blog has been started on the Krystal Square Off website at http://krystalsquareoff.com/blog/. The two most recent posts are about Sonya Thomas’ absence from the Chattanooga qualifier and Humble Bob’s hope to break the triple digit mark. The blog mentions a rumor that Sonya might compete in the Jacksonville qualifier Labor Day weekend.

A Krystal Square Off twitter page has also been set up at http://twitter.com/ksquareoff

update A podcast interview with Bob Shoudt is now available on the blog.

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• Non-amateur Chattanooga Krystal qualifier field announced. Humble Bob is listed, but Sonya Thomas is not, so her four year winning streak at that event is apparently at an end
• Non-contract competitive eaters wanted for filming of final battle scene of Nacho Mountain on Saturday in Lehigh Valley, PA
• Blog report on the Jake’s Hamburger finals at a Delaware Blue Rocks game
• Cameron McKirdy uploads some new videos, including an interview with Jason Erb
• F__, Chuck, Marry involving Joey Chestnut (adult content)

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KrystalSquareOff.com announces that the date for this year’s Krystal Square Off finals will be September 28, a month earlier than previous years. The site will remain the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga. The qualifier schedule will be announced later.

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Valerie Bromann drove to the Krystal Square Off from Chicago and wrote a contest writeup and a trip report for her blog. She also has galleries of the contest and her road trip

Valerie also attended the Chicago jalapeno contest in September and has a contest report and gallery from that event.

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HungrySisters is a new blog describing its focus as: “food, especially (but not necessarily limited to): Dairy Queen, Tacos, and the fine art known as competitive eating.” The sisters traveled west from their home in North Carolina to go to the Krystal Square Off finals and wrote a trip report about it.

The next morning we were ready for the festivities to begin. We ate breakfast at this awesome cafe connected to our hotel. Sadie and I both ordered Chocolate Chip Pancakes. After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and walked to the riverside where the contest was to take place. We arrived about 2 hours early, but we didn’t have anything better to do, so we watched the Krystal People set up the area for the contest. While we were waiting, we met Crazy Legs Conti!!!! It was the coolest thing ever. It was our first encounter meeting a real-live competitive eater; one who we have seen on TV many, many times. Very exciting!!!

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Hall Hunt and Erik Denmark have both posted trip reports with several pictures on their experiences at the Krystal finals.

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Liz has posted her trip report from the Krystal Square Off IV finals where she served as Pat Bertoletti’s bunnette. A gallery is available.

I really enjoyed cheerleading.
Like, maybe I should have been a cheerleader. I mean, if I hadn’t gone to the hippie high school with no cheerleading. Or sports. And if I hadn’t quit gymnastics in middle school after hitting my head trying to do a back handspring. And that I would never have been caught dead cheerleading when I was 16. I mean all that aside, I would have made a killer cheerleader.

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Liz has a report on her experience as Pat Bertoletti’s counter at the Square Off finals on the Krystal Lover blog

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Kobayashi has a post about Krystal Square Off IV, which contains some pictures with Pat Bertoletti and Rich LeFevre from a training session at a Krystal franchise last year.

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Some captures from the Krystal Square Off IV broadcast:

Contest Introduction Eaters Introduction Contest

Paul Barlow also has some contest pictures on his website

update ChuckyPurdue has a flickr gallery of over 100 pictures from the Krystal Square Off finals.

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A transcipt of the introduction of the competitors from the Krystal broadcast follows after the jump:
Read the rest of this entry »

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Krystal Square Off IV finals updated with official results

1. Joey Chestnut 103
2. Bob Shoudt 95
3. Pat Bertoletti 94
4. Tim Janus 74
5. Sonya Thomas 58
6. Rich LeFevre 53
7. Hall Hunt 52
8. Chip Simpson 49
9. Erik Denmark 45
10. Crazy Legs Conti 45
11. Juliet Lee 44
12. Tim Brown 38
13. Allen Goldstein 34

update

beautifulbrian.com has a video of the contest

The Times Free Press has an article.

A video posted by skinnyboy is available on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS1-2Kxkeco

The Gaston Gazette has a plea for picnic style rules

update
Blog entry by a competitor in the amateur 2 person contest.

the liveblog of the program follows after the jump
Read the rest of this entry »

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No reruns are scheduled on ESPN or ESPN2 for the Krystal Square Off finals in the next two weeks, so watch it or record it tomorrow at 2:30 pm eastern on ESPN if you are interested in seeing it.

A live bowling match precedes the Krystal finals, hopefully it will not run over.

With a 30 minute contest length, it does not appear there will be enough time for much more than introductions, the contest and a post-contest interview. From the schedule

2 p.m. – 2:40p.m. – Introduction of eaters by George Shea, Chairman of the IFOCE.
* 2:40 – 2:48 p.m. – 8 minute Krystal Square Off World Championship Final.
* 2:55 pm – Award Presentations

Liz will be counting for Pat Bertoletti, so she should appear on television.

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Krystal Lover has a picture from today’s press conference at the Krystal Square Off finals site which Joey Chestnut & Pat Bertoletti both attended.

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Super Paul Bonebreaker Barlow has his posted his predictions for the Krystal finals on his myspace blog. His top 5:

1. Joey Chestnut
2. Pat Bertoletti
3T. Bob Shoudt & Tim Janus
5. Sonya Thomas

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SBTW.com reports that Sonya will be able able to attend the Krystal finals Sunday:

I didn’t want to mention this again until I was absolutely certain, but I have been able to come up with a work around regarding my full time job, so that I will be able to compete at the Krystal Finals in Chattanooga, TN this Sunday, 28 Oct 07, which will be televised live on ESPN at 2:30 PM EST. As such, I am thoroughly excited, except for the fact that the World Champ, Takeru Kobayashi, will be unable to defend his title, due to the equivalent of arthritis in his jaw. (I hope he recovers in the next few months, because that’s no fun.)

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TimesFreePress.com reports on a change in the field of Sunday’s Krystal finals:

Three-time champion Takeru Kobayashi will not compete in this year’s Krystal Square Off IV World Hamburger Eating Championship due to persistent jaw pain.

“Takeru Kobayashi has informed us that he needs additional time for his jaw to repair and that his hiatus is indefinite but not permanent,” George Shea, chairman of Major League Eating, said in a prepared statement. “The well being of our competitors is paramount and we wish him speedy recovery.”

If Kobayashi’s slot is filled with the 5th highest wild card, Jim Reeves will receive it.

updated More links

IFOCE.com roster, Kobayashi is not present but Sonya Thomas is.
WMCTV.com article
TimesFreePress.com article from Sunday, does not mention Kobayashi’s absence
Schedule of Events on KrystalSquareOff.com
Letter about Krystal finals and hunger relief organizations
blog entry about Bo Hicks, top Alabaman in Tuscaloosa qualifier
Another Times Free Press article from Sunday gives finals location – Ross’s Landing and the Chattanooga Green at the intersection of Chestnut Street and Riverfront Parkway

update #2
Times Free Press has an article containing short interview podcasts with Joey Chestnut and Pat Bertoletti

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From zap2it.com

ESPN 2007 World Hamburger Eating Championship

Sun, Oct 28, 2:30 PM | Run Time: 30 min.

Genre: Sports
Live From Chattanooga, Tenn.

There will probably be some reruns.

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From Liz K’s latest blog entry:

I took advantage of some killer airline sales and bought a ticket to go to the Krystal Square Off finals in Chattanooga at the end of next month. I have never been to the south before and I’m a little afraid of what they do to vegetarians down there. I’m mostly excited about a little two hour road trip I get from Nashville to Chattanooga and the fact that Willow and Mike might meet me down there. I know, can you believe the seriousness of the party that will ensue? I sure wish I knew a southern blogger who loved Krystals who could come visit me while I was there…

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KrystalSquareOff.com reports that Sonya Thomas won today’s qualifier in Chattanooga for the fourth year in a row with 51 burgers. Rick Petralia was second with 24 burgers.

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The roster for today’s Krystal qualifier in Chattanooga has been listed at http://www.krystalsquareoff.com/headlines.php?s=64 Sonya Thomas will attempt to win the qualifier for the fourth year in a row. Super Paul Barlow is the only other ranked IFOCE member on the list.

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KrystalSquareOff.com reports that prequalifiers for Krystal Square Off IV started on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in a record heat wave of 104 degrees.

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“Humble” Bob Shoudt has a report from his trip to Chattanooga to compete in Krystal Square Off III in his blog.

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The Chattanooga Pulse has an excellent writeup of Krystal Square Off III with a lot of interesting information.

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