Krystal Square Off Champion Joey Chestnut downed 45 slices of pizza in 10 minutes yesterday.

Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Champion Joey Chestnut can now add Pizza Champion to his long list of titles.

On Sunday, Chestnut downed 45 slices of pizza in 10 minutes during the Famous Famiglia Pizza Eating contest in Times Square.

According to Eatfeats, Pat Bertoletti came in second with 43 slices and Humble Bob Shoudt was third 41.

Head over the CNN for an article about yesterday’s compeititon.

Pat Bertoletti moves up to second place in the Major League Eating Eater's Poll after coming in second at the Krystal Square Off V, defeating Takeru Kobayashi who came third.

Krystal compeititive eater Hall Hunt has posted the October edition of the Major League Eating Eater’s Poll on his blog.  This poll is the first to come out after the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship.

Joey Chestnut remains at the top of the list with Pat Bertoletti moving up one spot to claim second.  Takeru Kobayashi moves down one taking third.  “Humble” Bob keeps his fourth place ranking and Hunt himself moves up to fifth from seventh.

The complete list of the top 10 are below.

1. Joey “Jaws” Chestnut
2. Patrick “Deep Dish” Bertoletti
3. Takeru Kobayashi
4. “Humble” Bob Shoudt
5. Hall “Hoover” Hunt
6. Tim “Eater-X” Janus
7. Rich “The Locust” LeFevre
8. Sonya “The Blackwidow” Thomas
9. Eric “Badlands” Booker
10. Juris “Dr. Bigtime” Shibayama

For a complete list of the top 25 eaters, head over to Hunt’s blog.

We don’t think we ever got around to posting some of our favorite photos from the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship, so here they are.  

And no, we’re not crying, we just have something in our eye.  Ok, ok, we may be crying just a little, but looking at these makes us a little sad that we have to wait an entire year for the next Krystal Square Off. Stop laughing!

For more Krystal Square Off photos, head over to Flickr.

We could easily tell you that the Krystal Square Off is covered by media outlets across the globe, but it’s probably more effective for you to actually see proof - right?

Well, here you have it.  Slovenian coverage of Joey Chestnut winning this past Sunday’s Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship.

And for those of you geographically challenged, here’s Slovenia on a map.

Enjoy!

Joey Chestnut downed 93 Krystals in 8 minutes yesterday, reclaiming his title as World Hamburger Eating Champ.

Courtesy of the Krystal Square Off Blog:

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.

“Chestnut’s win today at Krystal Square Off V proves once again that he is competitive eating’s new superstar and the undisputed number one ranked eater in the world,” said Brad Wahl, vice president of marketing, The Krystal Company.

Chestnut pockets $20,000 for his win, along with the coveted Krystal Square Off Champion’s Belt and Trophy made out of crystal. Bertoletti earns $10,00 for his second place finish while Kobayashi takes away $5,000. The remaining top eleven finalists receive payouts ranging from $3,000 to $500. The $50,000 total cash purse is the largest in competitive eating history.

Presented by The Krystal Company and featuring the iconic fresh, hot, small, square Krystal hamburger, 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 governing body of all stomach-centric sports.

“There are precious few moments in professional sports when you can watch as a competitor affirms his place in the history books. With this win today, Joey Chestnut just said to the world: I am Krystal King hear me growl,” said Richard Shea, president of Major League Eating. “In today’s economy anybody can be negatively impacted by unforeseen circumstances. Kobayashi is feeling that impact, but if I know him he’ll be back.”

Today’s victory was Chestnut’s first win over Kobayashi in a Krystal-eating contest, and further cements his dominance over the 30-year-old Japanese eating star. Kobayashi is responsible for first bringing the sport of competitive eating into the American mainstream more than seven years ago, only to see his star fall lately after several high-profile losses.

The official results are as follows:

1. Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, San Jose, Calif. - 93 Krystals
2. Pat “”Deep Dish”” Bertoletti, Chicago, Ill. - 85 Krystals
3. Takeru Kobayashi, Tokyo, Japan - 84 Krystals
4. “Humble” Bob Shoudt, Philadelphia, Pa. - 76 Krystals
5. Tim “”Eater X”” Janus, New York, N.Y. - 64 Krystals
6. Hall “Hoover” Hunt, Jacksonville, Fla. - 63 Krystals
7. Juliet “The Lovely” Lee, Germantown, Md. - 55 Krystals
8. Crazy Legs Conti, New York, N.Y. - 49 Krystals
9. Rich “”The Locust”” LeFevre, Henderson, Nev. - 47 Krystals
10. Juris “Dr. Bigtime” Shibayama, Murfreesboro, Tenn. - 43 Krystals
11. Eric “Badlands” Booker, Long Island, N.Y. - 41 Krystals
12. Kyle “12th Eater” Brogdon, Hixson, Tenn. - 10 Krystals

Click here for hundreds of photos from today’s Krystal Square Off V in Chattanooga, including the tailgating party, The Marshall Tucker Band concert, arrival of eaters by boat, autograph alley, crowd shots, Sackful Challenge and the 8-minute championship.

Also, head over to the Chattanooga Times Free Press for their coverage of the event including audio from Chestnut and a video of yesterday’s championship belt presentation.

Last year's event drew thousands of fans, so we'd suggest getting there early to guarantee yourself a seat.

Well, the big weekend is finally upon us.  We’ve been hyping it all year and now we’re less than 72 hours away.  We’re talking about the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship, of course.

And to make sure you’ve got the 411 on this weekend’s happenings, we’ve put together the guide below that even includes when and where you’re likely to run into your favorite competitive eaters.

Saturday, September 27 -

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. : The world’s greatest eaters will be at the Krystal in Hixson, Tenn., 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 Poker Bike Run begins.  For more information, click here.

12:00 p.m.  - Krystal Fan Fest begins at Ross’s Landing at the Chattanooga Riverfront.  This year’s Fan Fest includes:  games, free Krystals, autographs 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.

One of the best bands to ever come out of the South will kick off the festivities at this year’s Krystal Square Off V World Championship.  That’s right, The Marshall Tucker Band is set to take the stage on Sunday, Sept. 28 to open up the official tailgating party for the biggest and best competitive eating event of the year.

Here’s more info. from the Krystal Square Off Blog:

The Southern rock icons famous for such songs as “Can’t You See”, “Fire on the Mountain” and “Heard It in a Love Song” will take the stage at noon along the banks of the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga. The Marshall Tucker Band will play a full set of their biggest hits as well as new songs off their latest album The Next Adventure.

The performance by The Marshall Tucker Band will get the official tailgating party going for the fifth annual Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship, one of the two majors in the sport of competitive eating. Free and open to the public, the party will include carnival games, Krystal prize giveaways, free Krystal hamburgers, a “Parade of Eaters,” and an “Autograph Alley” where top gurgitators like Takeru Kobayashi, Joey Chestnut and Pat Bertoletti will sign autographs for fans.

The tailgating party leads up to the eight-minute world hamburger eating championship event, which will be televised live on FSN South at 2:00 p.m. EST. The Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship is the only world hamburger eating championship sanctioned by Major League Eating, the official governing body of all stomach centric sports. This year’s championship features a $50,000 cash prize purse, the largest in the history of competitive eating.

Check out The Marshall Tucker Band on MySpace here.

Hip-hop recording artist and competitive eater Badlands Booker recently released a song about Krystal on his Facebook page.

We’ve got several pieces of news for you to chew on this morning.  Most of them are Krystal Square Off V related, as the qualifying tour is really getting interesting with the championship event only 16 days, 5 hours and 53 minutes away.  But there’s some other bits of info scattered throughout as well - like how you can win a $100 Krystal Gift Card this weekend.

The Nashville Qualifier for the Krystal Square Off V will take place tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. at the Tennessee State Fair, and according to the Krystal Square Off Blog, tomorrow’s contest “is shaping up to be the most fiercely contested showdown of the season.”  Click here to find out why.

It’s a busy weekend for the Krystal Square Off V tour.  Immediately after the 8-minute contest in Nashville, the hamburger-eating tour will hit the road for Knoxville where Sunday’s qualifier will be held at the Tennessee Valley Fair at 2:00 p.m.  This event has shaped up to be a Who’s Who of competitive eating with fan favorites such as Tim “Eater X” Janus and Crazy Legs Conti set to battle it out.

According to our sister blog, Takeru Kobayashi, the Japanese eating legend and three-time Krystal Square Off Champion, just confirmed that he will compete at the regional qualifier in Birmingham on Saturday, Sept. 20.  This is big news because it all but guarantees a Joey Chestnut vs. Kobayashi match up at this year’s championship finals in Chattanooga.

As we mentioned earlier this week, the Krystal in Hixson, Tenn., will host the first of three Sample Saturdays tomorrow between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.  Not only will you be able to sample Krystal’s expansive menu items for free, but you can also enter a drawing for a $100 Krystal Gift Card.

Hip-hop recording artist and competitive eating legend Eric “Badlands” Booker has released a new song about Krystal on his Facebook page.  Booker is one of the “originals” in the sport of competitive eating, and he’ll be coming off a two-year retirement tomorrow when he attempts to qualify for the Krystal Square Off V in Nashville.

If we’ve told you once, we’ve told you twice - but head over to the Krystal Square Off Blog for all the latest hamburger happenings.  You can also follow the action live from this weekend’s contest at Twitter.com/ksquareoff.

*photo courtesy of Badlands Booker Facebook page.

Pat Bertoletti of Chicago earns a seat at the Krystal Square Off V championship table on September 28 after downing 66 Krystal burgers in Atlanta.

Courtesy of the Krystal Square Off Blog -

Atlanta’s Lenox Square Mall is known for its world-class shopping but [on Saturday] it was the scene of world-class competitive eating as Chicago’s Pat Bertoletti and a host of other top ranked eaters faced off in an eight-minute Krystal eating contest with the winner earning a spot at the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship on Sept. 28 in Chattanooga.

Bertoletti, the number-two ranked eater in the world, was no doubt the odds on favorite to win and he did not disappoint as he devoured 66 Krystals to capture the Atlanta title, out-eating his nearest competitor and fellow Chicagoan Tim “Gravy” Brown by 21 Krystals. Finishing just one behind Brown with 44 Krystals was “Buffalo” Jim Reeves of Buffalo, New York.

With his victory today, the 23-year-old Bertoletti has earned a berth in the finals on Sept. 28 where he’ll compete live on FSN South against defending champ and Krystal world record holder Joey Chestnut, three-time Krystal Square Off World Champion Takeru Kobayashi, the top finisher from each regional qualifier and three wild card entries. On the line will be a $50,000 cash purse, the largest in competitive eating history.

While good enough for him to move on to the finals, Bertoletti’s mark of 66 Krystals today is far from his best of 94 Krystals, which he did at last year’s championship, and is much less than the 85 he downed at the Atlanta qualifier a year ago.

Both Brown and Reeves, the 13th and 28th ranked eaters in the world, respectively, achieved their personal bests today and remain in contention for one of three coveted wild card spots. The two eating pros join Sonya Thomas, who finished second in Jacksonville last week with 55 Krystals, as the top three so far this year who are hoping to sneak into the finals without winning a qualifier.

Head over to the Krystal Square Off Blog for the official results of Saturday’s contest.