Not to be outdone by the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship will host an Opening Ceremony today in downtown Chattanooga. The ceremony will start up at 1:00 pm EST with the official lighting of the Krystal Square Off Grill to signify the beginning of this year’s Krystal Square Off Qualifying Tour.

After the lighting, Chattanoogans are invited to join the first ever “Running of the Grill” down Chestnut Street, complete with a police escort, parade of vehicles with local dignitaries, the Krystal cycling team on bikes and a host of Krystal employees.

The procession will end down at the Riverfront, where Krystal’s VP of Marketing Brad Wahl and George Shea from Major League Eating will host a press conference to set the stage for this year’s competitive eating contest, and immediately afterwards, Chattanooga’s most popular news personalities will compete in a 2-minute Krystal burger eating contest.

Head over to our sister site, the Krystal Square Off Blog, to find out which media personalities are competing and for more details. They’ll also have updates throughout the day, including photos, video and more.

Courtesy of KrystalSquareOff.com

The top competitive eaters in the world now know the date when they will face off for the title of world hamburger-eating champion.  Announced today, the  Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship will take place on September 28, 2008, and will once again be held along the banks of the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga, Tenn. A major in the sport of competitive eating, Krystal Square Off V is the only world hamburger-eating championship sanctioned by Major League Eating.

Last year, Krystal Square Off IV attracted a live audience of more than 10,000 people to the Chattanooga Riverfront where they witnessed Joey Chestnut devour 103 Krystal burgers in eight minutes. Chestnut’s mark shattered the previous world-record of 97 Krystals set by three-time Krystal Square Off champion Takeru Kobayashi in 2006.

With Kobayashi back to reclaim his throne and eaters like “Humble” Bob Shoudt, Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas, Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti and Tim “Eater X” Janus gaining ground on the two eating legends, Krystal Square Off V is expected to draw competitive eating fans from all across North America and as far away as Japan to watch firsthand what many now refer to as the Super Bowl of competitive eating.

On top of the excitement provided by the sport’s top tier of professionals, it will now become easier for amateur hopefuls across the South to qualify for the nationally-televised Krystal Square Off and compete against the world’s best. All details of the revamped Krystal Square Off Qualifying Tour, including how to qualify, will be announced shortly along with the prize purse for Krystal Square Off V.

Courtesy of KrystalSquareOff.com:

The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, which takes place this Friday, July 4, is often referred to as “The Super Bowl of Competitive Eating,” but if you ask champion competitive eater “Humble” Bob Shoudt what he thinks, he’ll say the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship is the competition most eaters consider to be the “big one.”

“My focus is on the Super Bowl of competitive eating - the Krystal Square Off V,” Shoudt told the Philadelphia Inquirer, just moments after qualifying for the Nathan’s finals. “This is the contest that most competitive eaters agree is the big one.”

The fifth-ranked eater in the world, Shoudt finished second at last year’s Krystal Square Off World Championship, consuming 95 Krystal hamburgers in eight minutes and finishing just behind the number-one ranked eater in the world Joey Chestnut, whose mark of 103 Krystal burgers established a new world record.

With Chestnut looking to repeat as champion and three-time Krystal Square Off champion Takeru Kobayashi, whose personal record is 97 Krystal burgers, back in the mix, the top spots will be hotly contested at this year’s nationally televised championship. The Krystal Square Off V takes place at The Chattanooga Riverfront this fall, with the exact date to be announced here soon.

To read the full article about Shoudt, the Nathan’s qualifier and his statement about the Krystal Square Off, click here.