Krystal hamburger eating champion Joey Chestnut defeated the former Krystal Square Off king Takeru Kobayashi at Nathan’s Hot Dog eating competition on July 4. The battle was extremely close, as both ended the 10-minute mark with 59 dogs. They were then forced to compete in a tiebreaker - a 5-dog chow down.

With such a close competition on Friday, we have to admit that we’re now more excited than ever for this year’s Krystal Square Off V.

Kobayashi is set to return to the “Super Bowl of Competitive Eating”, and the event will be the next, televised rematch on American soil.

It will be interesting to see if the three-time Krystal eating champ can break Joey’s current world record of 103 Krystal burgers (Kobayashi’s Krystal record is 97). Also, we can’t forget about eaters like “Humble” Bob Shoudt, Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas, Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti and Tim “Eater X” Janus who keep gaining ground on the two eating legends.

So we’re officially beginning our countdown now: only 82 more days left until the Krystal Square Off V.

Be sure to stay tuned as we’ll bring you all the latest news regarding qualifying events and who you can expect to see at the final table on September 28.

You can also check out www.krystalsquareoff.com for updates.

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.