KSO VI Announced the new rules for 2009. Big move by Krystal, and I'm excited. No dunking? Seriously?! This is going to be interesting, in a good way. All I keep thinking about is the funnel cake eating contest when Ryan Nerz briefly announced that dunking would not be allowed; talk about terrified competitive eaters! Maybe it was because they were not prepared, in which case Krystal has given ample time for preparation but still, this is huge! Also, they have implemented another twist that I am almost positive was inspired by Super Mario Brothers. Each eater will have five of Krystal's new Angus Big Burgers. These burger are the equivalent of five average Krystals, and the eaters will be able to eat these at any point in the contest in order to boost up their count. All I have to say about that, is that Krystal will need some very good Bunnettes for this change, and I think Sadie and myself are perfect candidates (cough!cough!).
I'm excited. Krystal, you never disappoint and I am way excited for the trip to Chatty!
Jamie
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Day 6: 4th of July!
Yet another early start for us on our trip, but it was easy to get out of bed knowing what was to come on this 4th of July. Bagels in hand, we got on the subway again for the long journey to Coney Island. We got to Surf & Stillwell around 8:40 Saturday morning, trying to scope out a good spot to stand for today's momentous event. Gates were set up all around the stage area so no one was really allowed to get close to the stage. Around 9:30 security opened up those gates to let in the masses and we fought our way to the front like crazy women fight for a free snow globe on the day after Thanksgiving. We ended up getting spots right in the spray zone and were surround by fans from all over the country who soon became our friends for the day. A couple from California right in front of us came to cheer on Kobayashi. Some Pennsylvania boys beside of us were die hard Joey Chestnut fans who came to NYC without telling their parents, hoping they wouldn't be spotted ESPN.
Nathan's did a good job of keeping us entertained for the 4 hours we stood there in the hot sun before the contest began even though they passed out thundersticks. Ever since last year's Krystal Square Off I have decided that thundersticks have to be the most annoying thing ever invented. Anyway, some old school funk type band played for a while and there were a few circus acts performed on the stage including jump ropers, weenie dogs who can do tricks, and a contortionist/gymnast type person. George Shea also did a pretty sweet Michael Jackson tribute--moonwalking and doing the MJ lean.
One of the best parts of the pre-show was Badlands Booker's rap about saving Coney Island. It kind of got down right political; people were yelling "TAKE US NOW" right along with Badlands and everybody seemed to get into it. It was awesome to be there right in the middle of it. Badlands Booker: if you read this you should totally post a recording of that song online.
Finally, at high noon, the big show had begun. The bunnettes came out on stage and it was cool to see some of them after reading the bunnette boot camp stuff online. We had been reading Zoe's blog and were glad she made it as a bunnette this year. Next, the eaters were announced. The eaters only had one introduction this year, not really giving them a lot of time to flaunt their stuff on stage. The intros actually seemed a little rushed. Pat Bertoletti came to the contest dressed as Tony Clifton, and as a long time Andy Kaufman fan, I thought it was an excellent idea! The crowds screamed for the favorites as they were announced, and everyone was excited to get the show on the road. We did notice that one eater was missing--Rich LeFevre. We didn't find out until a few days later that he was absent because of an illness. The judges were brought out and Beautiful Brian Seiken was judging right in front of us and gave Jamie his camera to take some pictures for him.
Around 12:40 the countdown started and the eaters began eating the first few minutes were chaotic to watch, not knowing where to look. It was exciting to be right in front of the stage, but it was also hard to see around the judges. Joey and Kobayashi looked to be neck & neck throughout most of the competition and Eater X definitely held his own as well. From where were standing it was hard to see Pat Bertoletti but we knew he had to be close as well. We had a really good view of Hall Hunt, Juliet Lee, and Humble Bob so we cheered them on from our spot in the spray zone.
In the end, Joey Chestnut won the contest eating 68 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes, Takeru Kobayashi in 2nd with 64.5, Pat Bertoletti in 3rd with 55, and Eater X in 4th with 53. Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas also set a new female record eating 41 hot dogs and buns.
After the contest, Jamie managed to get a left over hot dog and we went to the boardwalk. It was nice to finally sit down after standing up for five hours. We got a little sunburned during the contest, but that wasn't something a few beers at the after party couldn't fix. It was fun getting to hang out with some eaters and friends after the contest and we even met some people we hadn't met in person (Steakbellie, Crazy Leg's mom, & others). We even got a personal invite to the after-after party by none other than Crazy Legs Conti himself.
By 3:00, our stomachs were telling us it was time to go, and we headed back to Manhattan. We made a mad rush to McDonald's because we hadn't eaten in like 8 hours and nothing seemed more delicious at the time than a double cheese burger and a large chocolate shake. Bellies full and rested up, we got ready and went out to the after-after party. The night was filled with drinking many drinks, making new friends, blowing in a breathalyzer, and doing our best drunk white-girl dance. A fun night was had by all.
Sunday morning at 7:14am, we boarded our train and rode from Penn Station to Trenton, Trenton to Philly, and drove the long haul from Philadelphia to North Carolina, arriving back home Sunday night. Round trip, we spent 986 miles driving in a car and probably 200 miles on a train. Totally worth it--I would do it again tomorrow if I could.
Being at Coney Island on July 4th was the most American way I could ever imagine spending Independence Day. This will definitely be the first of many more July 4th trips to New York City!
For more pictures, from our trip click here!
We've got a few videos from our trip that I have yet to upload, so be sure to check back for those.
Thanks for reading, ya'll. See ya at Krystal on September 27th (...or maybe before, who knows)!
--Sadie
Nathan's did a good job of keeping us entertained for the 4 hours we stood there in the hot sun before the contest began even though they passed out thundersticks. Ever since last year's Krystal Square Off I have decided that thundersticks have to be the most annoying thing ever invented. Anyway, some old school funk type band played for a while and there were a few circus acts performed on the stage including jump ropers, weenie dogs who can do tricks, and a contortionist/gymnast type person. George Shea also did a pretty sweet Michael Jackson tribute--moonwalking and doing the MJ lean.
One of the best parts of the pre-show was Badlands Booker's rap about saving Coney Island. It kind of got down right political; people were yelling "TAKE US NOW" right along with Badlands and everybody seemed to get into it. It was awesome to be there right in the middle of it. Badlands Booker: if you read this you should totally post a recording of that song online.
Finally, at high noon, the big show had begun. The bunnettes came out on stage and it was cool to see some of them after reading the bunnette boot camp stuff online. We had been reading Zoe's blog and were glad she made it as a bunnette this year. Next, the eaters were announced. The eaters only had one introduction this year, not really giving them a lot of time to flaunt their stuff on stage. The intros actually seemed a little rushed. Pat Bertoletti came to the contest dressed as Tony Clifton, and as a long time Andy Kaufman fan, I thought it was an excellent idea! The crowds screamed for the favorites as they were announced, and everyone was excited to get the show on the road. We did notice that one eater was missing--Rich LeFevre. We didn't find out until a few days later that he was absent because of an illness. The judges were brought out and Beautiful Brian Seiken was judging right in front of us and gave Jamie his camera to take some pictures for him.
Around 12:40 the countdown started and the eaters began eating the first few minutes were chaotic to watch, not knowing where to look. It was exciting to be right in front of the stage, but it was also hard to see around the judges. Joey and Kobayashi looked to be neck & neck throughout most of the competition and Eater X definitely held his own as well. From where were standing it was hard to see Pat Bertoletti but we knew he had to be close as well. We had a really good view of Hall Hunt, Juliet Lee, and Humble Bob so we cheered them on from our spot in the spray zone.
In the end, Joey Chestnut won the contest eating 68 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes, Takeru Kobayashi in 2nd with 64.5, Pat Bertoletti in 3rd with 55, and Eater X in 4th with 53. Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas also set a new female record eating 41 hot dogs and buns.
After the contest, Jamie managed to get a left over hot dog and we went to the boardwalk. It was nice to finally sit down after standing up for five hours. We got a little sunburned during the contest, but that wasn't something a few beers at the after party couldn't fix. It was fun getting to hang out with some eaters and friends after the contest and we even met some people we hadn't met in person (Steakbellie, Crazy Leg's mom, & others). We even got a personal invite to the after-after party by none other than Crazy Legs Conti himself.
By 3:00, our stomachs were telling us it was time to go, and we headed back to Manhattan. We made a mad rush to McDonald's because we hadn't eaten in like 8 hours and nothing seemed more delicious at the time than a double cheese burger and a large chocolate shake. Bellies full and rested up, we got ready and went out to the after-after party. The night was filled with drinking many drinks, making new friends, blowing in a breathalyzer, and doing our best drunk white-girl dance. A fun night was had by all.
Sunday morning at 7:14am, we boarded our train and rode from Penn Station to Trenton, Trenton to Philly, and drove the long haul from Philadelphia to North Carolina, arriving back home Sunday night. Round trip, we spent 986 miles driving in a car and probably 200 miles on a train. Totally worth it--I would do it again tomorrow if I could.
Being at Coney Island on July 4th was the most American way I could ever imagine spending Independence Day. This will definitely be the first of many more July 4th trips to New York City!
For more pictures, from our trip click here!
We've got a few videos from our trip that I have yet to upload, so be sure to check back for those.
Thanks for reading, ya'll. See ya at Krystal on September 27th (...or maybe before, who knows)!
--Sadie
Day 5: Humans vs Elephants/Touring NYC
Friday morning greeted us with a list full of fun activities. We mapped our routes for the day which started by taking the subway from Manhattan to Coney Island to witness the first ever elephant vs human bun eating contest. Once in Coney, we walked around the boardwalk for a while and finally made our way to the Boom-A-Ring circus area for the morning events. As fans of all things white trash, we were excited to find Gravedigger (the monster truck) on display at the circus.
We met up with fellow eating fan, Valerie, who managed to get in the press area and was able to take some amazing pictures. Before the contest began, we were able to talk to Juliet Lee who is as lovely in person as she is in pictures. It was pretty exciting because she knew who we were even before we introduced ourselves.
Right before the contest began, there were some PETA protesters right outside of the gate yelling stuff about Ringling Brothers and how they treat their animals. Coming from small-town North Carolina, we had never seen any PETA protesters before in real life, so that was interesting. Anyway, the humans put up a good fight against the elephants, cramming as many buns as possible in their mouths, but the gentle giants prevailed in the end. It was actually pretty cute watching the elephants eat because sometimes one bun would fall on the ground and they would reach down and grab that single bun instead of a big bunch of buns on the table. In the end, the humans ate a combined 147 buns and the elephants ate a total of 505.
After watching mass bun consumption, it was time for us to do some eating of our own. Carrie, Jamie, Valerie, and I made our way over to Nathan's Famous on the corner of Surf and Stillwell to experience the glory of a Nathan's Hot dog--well they did, I had chili cheese fries instead. I am not a hot dog eater--at all--but I did taste a bite of Carrie's chili dog just to say that I had eaten one, and it was pretty good (for a hot dog).
We made our way over to the Coney Island Cyclone which was a pretty big damn deal for us because of our past roller coaster obsession. Any coaster enthusiast knows that the Coney Island Cyclone is the ride everyone must take at least once in their lives, and riding it was amazing! We each sat in our own seat and were tossed around on every turn and were lifted out of our seats, experiencing maximum airtime. The Cyclone is officially the best wooden coaster in the world!
Leaving Coney Island, we found our way through Brooklyn to Junior's restaurant for a slice of cheesecake. The slices were huge, and still being full from Nathan's, we decided to split a piece of devil's food cheesecake. Excellent choice on our part, because the cream cheese mixed with the dark chocolate was a tasty combination.
Other things we did on our day of being tourists:
-Saw Wall Street/New York Stock Exchange
-Visited Canal Street and bought knock offs (Carrie got a purse, I got a watch. Both broke within 24 hours.)
-Found the outside shot of the Cosby Show house
-Saw the Dakota, where John Lennon was shot
-Went to Strawberry Fields
-Walked around Times Square at night
-Ate at the Magnolia Bakery (I had a brownie with cream cheese icing/toffee/pecans. DELICIOUS!)
Overall, our touristy day in New York was busy and awesome. Next post: 4th of July!
We met up with fellow eating fan, Valerie, who managed to get in the press area and was able to take some amazing pictures. Before the contest began, we were able to talk to Juliet Lee who is as lovely in person as she is in pictures. It was pretty exciting because she knew who we were even before we introduced ourselves.
Right before the contest began, there were some PETA protesters right outside of the gate yelling stuff about Ringling Brothers and how they treat their animals. Coming from small-town North Carolina, we had never seen any PETA protesters before in real life, so that was interesting. Anyway, the humans put up a good fight against the elephants, cramming as many buns as possible in their mouths, but the gentle giants prevailed in the end. It was actually pretty cute watching the elephants eat because sometimes one bun would fall on the ground and they would reach down and grab that single bun instead of a big bunch of buns on the table. In the end, the humans ate a combined 147 buns and the elephants ate a total of 505.
After watching mass bun consumption, it was time for us to do some eating of our own. Carrie, Jamie, Valerie, and I made our way over to Nathan's Famous on the corner of Surf and Stillwell to experience the glory of a Nathan's Hot dog--well they did, I had chili cheese fries instead. I am not a hot dog eater--at all--but I did taste a bite of Carrie's chili dog just to say that I had eaten one, and it was pretty good (for a hot dog).
We made our way over to the Coney Island Cyclone which was a pretty big damn deal for us because of our past roller coaster obsession. Any coaster enthusiast knows that the Coney Island Cyclone is the ride everyone must take at least once in their lives, and riding it was amazing! We each sat in our own seat and were tossed around on every turn and were lifted out of our seats, experiencing maximum airtime. The Cyclone is officially the best wooden coaster in the world!
Leaving Coney Island, we found our way through Brooklyn to Junior's restaurant for a slice of cheesecake. The slices were huge, and still being full from Nathan's, we decided to split a piece of devil's food cheesecake. Excellent choice on our part, because the cream cheese mixed with the dark chocolate was a tasty combination.
After consuming thousands of calories between Nathan's and Junior's we decided that it would be a good idea to walk back to Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge. Walking the bridge was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip because we were able to see great views of the city without being rushed.
Other things we did on our day of being tourists:
-Saw Wall Street/New York Stock Exchange
-Visited Canal Street and bought knock offs (Carrie got a purse, I got a watch. Both broke within 24 hours.)
-Found the outside shot of the Cosby Show house
-Saw the Dakota, where John Lennon was shot
-Went to Strawberry Fields
-Walked around Times Square at night
-Ate at the Magnolia Bakery (I had a brownie with cream cheese icing/toffee/pecans. DELICIOUS!)
Overall, our touristy day in New York was busy and awesome. Next post: 4th of July!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Day 4-Thursday in NYC
Our journey to New York City began around 8:45in Philadelphia. Our Philadelphia hostess, Amanda, helped get us to the subway train that took us to the commuter train which took us to Trenton, New Jersey. The ride from Philly to Trenton took about 45 minutes and then we hopped trains from Trenton to Penn Station in New York, which took about an hour or so.
Once in The Big Apple, we hailed a cab to take us to my friend Stephanie's apartment. We had originally planned on walking to her place but it started raining and I had a heavy bag full of Sun Drops to deliver to our New York hostess, so it seemed easier to catch a ride. By this point it was time to eat again, so we dropped off our bags at our new home for three nights, met up with Stephanie, and walked a block or two to Blockheads and indulged in some delicious burritos and tons of chips and salsa. We parted our ways with Stephanie after lunch and headed out to explore the city.
We didn't really have an agenda for the first day so we just walked around until we saw something to look at. We ended up finding the Plaza Hotel, which was exciting for us because we love Home Alone 2! We also checked out F.A.O. Schwartz and saw the Big piano, Trump Tower, and walked into a few expensive fancy New York clothes stores.
We were pretty tired after traveling/walking all day so we decided just to take it easy Thursday night. The evening was spent laying around Stephanie's apartment, gorging on pizza and garlic knots from Fat Sal's, and watching the Sex and the City movie. Another early night in for us!
Coming next: Humans vs Elephants, Cheesecake, & Gurtitation.
Once in The Big Apple, we hailed a cab to take us to my friend Stephanie's apartment. We had originally planned on walking to her place but it started raining and I had a heavy bag full of Sun Drops to deliver to our New York hostess, so it seemed easier to catch a ride. By this point it was time to eat again, so we dropped off our bags at our new home for three nights, met up with Stephanie, and walked a block or two to Blockheads and indulged in some delicious burritos and tons of chips and salsa. We parted our ways with Stephanie after lunch and headed out to explore the city.
We didn't really have an agenda for the first day so we just walked around until we saw something to look at. We ended up finding the Plaza Hotel, which was exciting for us because we love Home Alone 2! We also checked out F.A.O. Schwartz and saw the Big piano, Trump Tower, and walked into a few expensive fancy New York clothes stores.
We were pretty tired after traveling/walking all day so we decided just to take it easy Thursday night. The evening was spent laying around Stephanie's apartment, gorging on pizza and garlic knots from Fat Sal's, and watching the Sex and the City movie. Another early night in for us!
Coming next: Humans vs Elephants, Cheesecake, & Gurtitation.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Day 3: Philly
We left Baltimore around 9 and headed towards Philadelphia. Our first major stop once in Philly was to settle the great cheesesteak debate: Geno's vs Pat's. We plugged the address into the GPS and it took us directly to the intersection of artery-clogging heaven. We decided to try Pat's first. We sent Carrie to order our "Cheese Wit" because Jamie and I were too intimidated.
We'd seen the TV shows about how to order sandwiches at these places and were afraid we'd mess up. Anyway, the sandwich was delicious. Cheez Whiz may or may not be real cheese but it sure does make a sandwich delicious.
We'd seen the TV shows about how to order sandwiches at these places and were afraid we'd mess up. Anyway, the sandwich was delicious. Cheez Whiz may or may not be real cheese but it sure does make a sandwich delicious.
After Pat's we walked over to Geno's. By this point, I was over my fear of ordering and got our sandwich. This time we got a cheesesteak with onions and provolone. Once again, we were not disappointed with our sandwich choice.
So, which is better according to the HungrySisters--Geno's or Pat's? We couldn't come to a unanimous decision, but here is what we did decide:
So, which is better according to the HungrySisters--Geno's or Pat's? We couldn't come to a unanimous decision, but here is what we did decide:
-All three of us thought that the bread at Geno's was far superior to Pat's
-Sadie: Liked the chopped meat at Pat's and preferred Cheez Whiz to provolone
-Carrie: Liked the sliced meat at Geno's and preferred provolone cheese
-Jamie: Liked it all
With our bellies full of steak & cheese, we set off. We did all of the American touristy things: saw the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall, Independence Hall, Ben Franklin's grave, Carpenter's Hall, and went to Reading Terminal Market. We literally could have spent all day in the market sampling the different foods. We will definitely be back to visit! It was awesome! We were still full from our sandwiches earlier so we just had a snack in the market at Famous 4th Street Cookies. I had a pecan chocolate chip cookie, Carrie had an original chocolate chip cookie, and Jamie got chocolate chip dipped in chocolate icing. The cookies were amazing; they look like they will be hard and crunchy on the outside but they are deliciously dense and chewy on the inside.
After many miles of walking and sight seeing, we met our friend/Philly hostess Amanda who took us to a bar participating in Center City Sips--a Wednesday night happy hour program in Philadelphia. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but I do know that they had $2 Yuenglings and 1/2 price nacho supreme appetizers, an excellent way to end a long day of touring Philly.
We headed back to Amanda's place and fell asleep pretty early again which seemed to be an on-going yet very necessary theme of our trip.
--Sadie
American Road Trip: Night 1/Day 2
Recap of the beginning of our trip
Monday Night, Night 1:
-Made lasagna for Carrie and Jamie so we wouldn't have to stop and eat on the way
-Left Winston-Salem, North Carolina around 6:00
-Arrived in Charlottesville, Virginia around 9:15
-Stayed with high school friends Matt and Kristina. Watched the Golden Girls until Midnight.
Tuesday Morning, Day 2:
-Woke up to a delicious breakfast cooked by Matt
-Parted ways with our first hosts around 9am.
-Stopped at the Prince Michael Winery in Virginia for a free tour and wine tasting at 10:30am.
-Drove into Baltimore
Monday Night, Night 1:
-Made lasagna for Carrie and Jamie so we wouldn't have to stop and eat on the way
-Left Winston-Salem, North Carolina around 6:00
-Arrived in Charlottesville, Virginia around 9:15
-Stayed with high school friends Matt and Kristina. Watched the Golden Girls until Midnight.
Tuesday Morning, Day 2:
-Woke up to a delicious breakfast cooked by Matt
-Parted ways with our first hosts around 9am.
-Stopped at the Prince Michael Winery in Virginia for a free tour and wine tasting at 10:30am.
-Drove into Baltimore
Tuesday Afternoon:
-Stopped at Charm City Cakes in hopes to catch a peak at the Ace of Cakes but did not succeed. It was exciting to see the building, anyway.
-Stopped at Charm City Cakes in hopes to catch a peak at the Ace of Cakes but did not succeed. It was exciting to see the building, anyway.
-Checked into the Radisson Lord Baltimore Hotel around 2:00. Carrie found a sweet deal on Travelzoo for a plaza level room which included a free cocktail hors d'oeuvre reception.
-By this point we were starving so we headed down to the Inner Harbor and enjoyed a delicious crab cake sandwich.
-The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around Baltimore admiring the city. It started raining so we took advantage of relaxing in our awesome hotel room.
-By this point we were starving so we headed down to the Inner Harbor and enjoyed a delicious crab cake sandwich.
-The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around Baltimore admiring the city. It started raining so we took advantage of relaxing in our awesome hotel room.
Tuesday Night
-Around 9:00 we got hungry again so we tried to venture outside of the hotel for some food but ended up just walking around the block and back inside. It was still raining a little and some sketchy people were outside of our hotel so we just went back inside to the hotel restaurant.
-An annoying drunk tourist man at the hotel restaurant kept trying to come sit with us and would not leave us alone. Our waiter asked him to leave us alone and then the guy started to verbally abuse the waiter. The guy got kicked out. Thanks Christoper at the Lord Baltimore Radisson for defending our honor!
-Went to sleep around 10:00.
-Around 9:00 we got hungry again so we tried to venture outside of the hotel for some food but ended up just walking around the block and back inside. It was still raining a little and some sketchy people were outside of our hotel so we just went back inside to the hotel restaurant.
-An annoying drunk tourist man at the hotel restaurant kept trying to come sit with us and would not leave us alone. Our waiter asked him to leave us alone and then the guy started to verbally abuse the waiter. The guy got kicked out. Thanks Christoper at the Lord Baltimore Radisson for defending our honor!
-Went to sleep around 10:00.
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