[0]Well, Brian and I got into the Sackful Challenge Sunday... a warm-up event for the Krystal Square Off. We went up against 3 other teams of two. Looking back at our haul, it pales in comparison to the 103 Joey Chestnut downed in 8 minutes!
Once we were selected, we were given VIP passes to wear and taken behind the stage for processing. I was kind of surprised when one of the handlers gave us a waiver form to sign... you know, if you choke on a hamburger during this competition, you wont sue us, kind of stuff. No biggy, since I didn't plan to choke, litteraly and figuratively. Since we were the first team back stage, we got to select the color we wanted... black, red, yellow, or gray. Brian said black and I said red. I didn't understand at that moment we were selected our team color. We went with black.
A few minutes later, all the other teams arrived and we were given the rules. The main rule: you have to show your empty mouth at the end to win. We waited backstage while more pre-event activities took place. Joey Chestnut, the Black Widow, and others were just hanging out waiting for the event to start.
[0]After some more crowd warm-up, we took the stage. My last name was semi-mispronounced. Naturally, I'm used to that. No big deal, it keeps me from talking to telemarketers. "Is Mr. Leggy there? Nope, no one here by that name."
I have to admit, I was nervous when we got on stage. Was I really going to be able to "compete" in a competitive eating event? I had never tried it, not even a practice run at home. And now I was on stage where people were going to see. I worked out my nerves talking with one of the guys on the red team. If you watch the video, take note of where he raises his shirt and points to his belly. He had surgery and had a few scars. He tried to fake me out, saying last time he did this he ended up needing surgery.
[0]When the competition started, I threw my original gameplan to the wind. I was going to munch down the first one like someone on "Survivor" getting to eat for the first time in 21 days. But that didn't happen. I instantly dunked the first Krystal into a cup of water and tried to smash it into my mouth. That only caused the bun to collapse and drop onto the table. I had to backtrack and eat that bun to get credit for that burger. I was completely oblivious to everthing else going on. I was in a zone of sorts.
[0]I found the second burger hard to get down. I chewed and chewed and felt like I wasn't going to ever swallow. Finally, I did and I was off. Down went number 3, then number 4, then... it was over. In 55 seconds, it was over. The red team ate all 12 from their sackful, and we still had 2 left, plus the one I was about to put in my mouth as the red team won. Finally tally, Brian ate 5 and I ate 4. Those 9 Krystals in 55 seconds placed us second.
So, if you do the math, and assuming we kept up the same pace over the 8 minutes Krystal Square Off... I would have eaten 34 and Brian would have gobbled down 42. The last place finisher in the Square Off ate 34, so I would have tied for 13th, while Brian's speed lunch would have placed him in 12th. Ha!
[0]One quick side note. I don't think Brian was the only weatherman involved in the Krystal Square Off. Does this guy look familiar or what?
[0]
[1]