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.

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.

Pat Bertolleti, the no. 2 eater in the world, is expected to put up high numbers in Atlanta.

The Georgia Qualifier for the Krystal Square Off V World Hamburger Eating Championship will take place at Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta tomorrow at 2:00 p.m., determining who will join Humble Bob Shoudt, Hall Hunt, plus the remaining TBD qualifiers and Wild Card picks at the World Championship table in Chattanooga on September 28.

Pat Bertolleti, the number two eater in the world, is the favorite in tomorrow’s competition with a personal best record of 94 Krystals in eight minutes.  Tim Brown (no. 13) and Allen Goldstein (no. 15) will also compete and are expected to battle it out for second.

Head over to the Krystal Square Off Blog for more interesting facts and “quick bites” on tomorrow’s eating competition, including a completle list of confirmed eaters.

Hall "Hoover" Hunt (at left) competing against fellow Krystal competitive eater Pat Bertoletti (at right) in the Czech Republic.

Our good friend and Krystal hamburger competitive eater Hall “Hoover” Hunt just posted a recap of his trip to the Czech Republic for the plum dumpling eating contest.

Sounds like he had a rough trip over there, and he had to do some serious soul searching to make it through the first event, which included pizza, pickles and ice cream - gross.

According to his recap, the second day wasn’t any easier with the plum dumpling contest, as he struggled to remove the pits from each dumpling.

Head over to Hunt’s blog to read more about his trip and to see the full results, including how fellow Krystal competitive eater Pat Bertolleti fared in each contest.

And don’t worry Hall, you won’t have any pesky pits to worry about in the Jacksonville Qualifier for the Krystal Square Off, where we’re guessing you’ll compete. Although, we hear you may have a certain number-one ranked female competitive eater to contend with.

*photo courtesy hallhooverhunt.blogspot.com