Burgers, Burgers And More Burgers at the 2012 Smokey Bones Burger Battle!

When you step into the bar area at Smokey Bones on Route 2 in Warwick, you see two things right away: the dozen High Definition TV screens that line the entire Bar area and a packed bar almost every night.  

On Wednesday evening, you saw something a little different.  All eyes were on the Last Supper-style table for the 2012 Smokey Bones Burger Battle.  

Cranston native Lindsay Wood, and 2011 Burger Battle Champion, Michael Jon Coletta, were among the 20 plus contestants eating their way through pounds of Burgers in an attempt to claim the 2012 title as well as a chance to move onto the National Burger Battle, which offers a $2,500 Grand Prize.

The entry fees each person pays all go to the "Homes For Our Troops" charity, which helps build specially adapted homes for severely injured veterans, a wonderful charity that is desperately needed today now more than ever before. ABC 6's own Mark Curtis was there to cover the Battle as well as participate.  

"It's for a great charity, so I'm happy to be here for it." Curtis said when asked what brought him to the event.  

The Burger Battle began shortly after 7 p.m. with two heats of 10 for the first round.  

From those two heats, the first five that finish their mammoth burgers first move on to the second round of ten.

The battle began after Smokey Bones Managers broke down the rules and the gigantic burgers were delivered by the beautiful burger battle refs.  

The air horn sounded and the chow down began. The first two heats went by fairly quickly, with Connecticut native Jaime McDonlad practically inhaling his burger, finishing first.  

Josh from West Warwick, Ed, Peter, Josh, and Casey, all from Warwick rounded out the remaining 5 from the first heat.  

Cranston native Lindsay Wood laughed when she saw how quickly the round ended and she was eliminated. She definitely held her own but was eliminated nonetheless.

The second heat of the first round saw 2011 Champ Michael Jon Coletta, who was an obvious fan favorite at the event, attempt to defend his title.  He certainly started out on a mission devouring his burger first and raising his hands in victory.

Greg and Paul from West Warwick, Mike and Corey from Gloucester rounded out the final five of the second heat. Now it was time for a break.  Which did not bode well for some of the participants.  

"Ugh, it's starting to really settle in." said Corey from Gloucester. If you've ever participated in a food eating contest, there is always the dreaded "Meat Sweats" and "Food Coma" when the food starts to make its way through the body.

Smiles and laughter in the waiting area quickly turned to silence and stares from several of the contestants.  Not from Jaime McDonald, who sat with steely eyed focus.  Last years champ Michael Jon Coletta seemed unaffected by the first round of beef, quietly relaxing with a glass of Bourbon on ice, as he prepared for the next round.  

The second round went by quicker than expected, with Jaime McDonald leaving the other contestants in his wake, finishing first yet again. Michael Jon Coletta, or "Mikey Fresh" as he's known by, finished right behind Jaime. Casey and Peter, both from Warwick, and Josh from West Warwick rounded out the Final Five.

The break in between the second round and the final was tough for some to stomach.  There was now over two pounds of Burgers with toppings in their stomachs as the table was prepped and the burgers were made for the Final Round.  And while the first two rounds consisted of eating a half pound burger, the final round, the Final Five would have to eat a full pound double burger that included several toppings and looked like it was a foot tall when it came out of the kitchen.  

Some of the contestants who had been eliminated showed eyes of terror as the skyscraper size burgers made their way out.

"Oh man I'm glad I didn't make it." said one contestant.

It was time for the winner to be determined. The Five sat down, the towering burgers began to make their way out of the kitchen, and the eyes widened a bit more, to go along with some nervous laughter.  

Mikey "Fresh" and Jaime McDonlad seemed to be the front-runners to take the title home and as the air horn sounded they backed that assertion up.  Mikey Fresh eyed Jaime as he just looked like a man posessed with taking home the title.  

It was over before it began as Jamie McDonlad polished off his last bite at a record one minute, twenty two seconds.  Mikey Fresh was right behind him to the end but Jaime was too fast and too focused for the rest of the battlers.  Speaking after the contest was over, Champ Jaime McDonald had one word to describe his victory.

"Full" he said with a smile.  

2011 Champ Mikey Fresh said "I thought I had him, I really did, he was just too fast man." 

All the contestants when asked said they enjoyed the contest with several saying that the burgers were "Awesome, very tasty" and "worth it" Even though Jamie blasted his way through his burger, he did not qualify for the National Burger Battle Championship, with an insane time of just under and just over 30 seconds being the bar that was set. A good time had by all along with full bellies. And for Jaime McDonald, a $250 Smokey Bones Gift Card, which will keep his stomach full for some time.