Reigning couch potato champ sitting pretty

Sports definitely was the lineup du jour for Lombard resident Jason Pisarik and three other contestants vying for the title of "Ultimate Couch Potato."

The contestants, who are competing for $5,000 in prizes, sat through numerous episodes of SportsCenter and several New Year's Day bowl games at ESPN Zone in Chicago.

Pisarik, a 34-year-old accountant who won the annual sit-off the last two years, watched as his wife's alma mater, the University of Illinois, got trounced by USC in the Rose Bowl.

"That was a real disappointment," he said.

The group fought through a sleepless night Wednesday morning while watching NBA and NFL highlights, including an old Boston Celtics playoff game.

By dawn, one of the four had finally called it quits after 20 hours. Kisha Jones, a 27-year-old attorney from Chicago, walked away with a new recliner for her efforts.

The three remaining contestants, however, still were sitting strong Wednesday afternoon in front of a massive television screen flanked by several boards lit up with NBA and NHL standings, as well as the final scores of several of Tuesday's bowl games.

Pisarik and his two opponents were upbeat but wary of what could still be a long wait.

"Right now, I feel tremendous," said Jeff Miller, a 24-year-old real estate investor from Chicago. "But it's really a minute-by-minute sort of thing."

Jon Cline, who had boasted that he could out-sit Pisarik for three days to take the title, was having second thoughts about his chances.

"I don't want to be here three days," he admitted.

With bathroom breaks limited to once every eight hours, the three men were keeping their food and water intake low.

During the first 24-hour period, Pisarik said, he ate a few chicken wings, a couple of milkshakes and a cheesesteak sandwich.

"I wish I had some more control over what we saw," Pisarik said. "I'd choose something as boring as possible and hope I could wait these other two guys out."

But Pisarik and the other two contestants weren't the only ones hoping for a quick exit in this annual event.

Kurt Brelie, a paramedic hired to ensure the three contestants had a safe competition, slouched back in a couch in a private room a few feet away from the seating area, occasionally nodding off to his third episode of SportsCenter.

Three hours into an 11-hour shift, he had some waiting to do himself.

"At least I can walk around and stretch my legs," Brelie said. "This is going to be a pretty easy day."