Kobayashi Out!

Turns out the biggest build up of the Krystal Competition is a bust: Kobayashi announced this week that he would be forced to bow out of the finals on Sunday due to persistent jaw pain. This leaves the competition wide open for two remaining favorites: Joey Chestnut, who wants to set a new world record by eating over 100 burgers, and Pat Bertoletti who had a taste of beating the giant and is hungry for more. Both eaters expressed disappointment at Koby's withdrawal, wanting the chance to go bite to bite with the champ. No doubt, Kobayashi's injury--to his jaw and ego--will be haunting him as he watches from the sidelines.

Rumor has it that Kobayashi had to leave the Thanksgiving Invitational (another segment that was taped for Spike TV earlier this month) midway through the competition because of his jaw. Knowing how mentally hard that would be for an eater, especially one of Koby's caliber, it's clear that the injury must be serious.

As for me, I'll be behind the table for the first time--counting burgers for one lucky eater. Be sure to tune into ESPN on Sunday to catch what I'm sure will prove to be a record-setting event.

Here's a snapshot of your competitors (info supplied by Krystal)

Joey “Jaws” Chestnut
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Personal Record: 92 Krystals (87 to Qualify)
MLE Ranking: 1

Pat “Deep Dish” Bertoletti
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Personal Record: 85 Krystals
MLE Ranking: 2
(2006 Picture)

Tim “Eater X” Janus
Hometown: New York, NY
Personal Record: 73 Krystals
MLE Ranking: 4

“Humble Bob” Shoudt
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Personal Record: 69 Krystals
MLE Ranking: 7

Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas
Hometown: Alexandria, Virginia
Personal Record: 62 Krystals (51 to Qualify)
MLE Ranking: 5

Chip “The Phenom” Simpson
Hometown: Birmingham, AL
Personal Record: 55 Krystals (49 to Qualify)
MLE Ranking: 6

Rich “The Locust” LeFevre
Hometown: Henderson, NV
Personal Record: 52 Krystals (51 to Qualify)
MLE Ranking: 8

Hall “Hoover” Hunt
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Personal Record: 49 Krystals
MLE Ranking: 9

“Crazy Legs” Conti
Hometown: New York, NY
Personal Record: 44 Krystals
MLE Ranking: 11

Tim “Gravy” Brown
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Personal Record: 43 Krystals
MLE Ranking: 15

Erik “The Red” Denmark
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Personal Record: 43 Krystals
MLE Ranking: 12

Allen “Shredder” Goldstein
Hometown: Plainview, NY
Personal Record: 42 Krystals
MLE Ranking: 14

Juliet Lee
Hometown: Germantown, MD
Personal Record: 41 Krystals
MLE Ranking: 10