Lombard man's reign as couch potato king comes to an end

Jason Pisarik took the lazy way out.

The Lombard man, who was participating this week in the "Ultimate Couch Potato" at ESPN Zone in Chicago, bowed out of the annual sit-off shortly after midnight Wednesday.

Thirty-eight straight hours of watching nothing but sports programming on a massive projection screen could net the 34-year-old accountant only a third-place finish out of the four competitors who began the contest on New Year's Day.

Kisha Jones, a 27-year-old attorney from Chicago, was the first competitor to call it quits after 20 hours.

Pisarik, who won the competition the last two years, called his wife during a break late Wednesday night to come pick him up.

"Quite honestly, I was getting tired," he said. "I thought the other two guys deserved a shot to get it. They were probably a little stronger than I was at that point."

Jeff Miller, a 24-year-old real estate investor from Chicago, won the competition shortly after 2:30 a.m. Thursday.

Sitting at 40 hours and 30 minutes, Miller and second-place finisher Jon Cline of South suburban Markham both broke Pisarik's previous record by a slim half-hour.

Miller's victory came soon after he had a chat with Cline.

"At that point I brought up the conversation that if we're not going to be in this another 12 or 15 hours, we should cut it short," Miller said. "Conveniently, I had a huge second wind at that point and was ready to go. (Cline) decided to cut it short.

"I don't know if I'd call it mind games," Miller added. "We were trying to find the most logical thing to do at that point, even though logic wasn't our strong suit."

For his efforts, Miller won $5,000 in prizes that include -- what else -- a high definition television, a recliner and a trophy with a fresh potato on top.

Pisarik didn't walk away empty-handed. He received a new recliner, a gift pack and a few final moments in the spotlight.

"It was a lot of fun, not just for me, but for my family and the people who know me," Pisarik said. "Now I guess it's time to take my couch-sitting into private practice."