Harold Timber, the Glacial Lakes Regional Champion, placed his name in the record book and took home the $25,000 first-place check as the 1983 World's Champion. Fred Drexel, the 1980 champion was second; Fred Wieland, the Shriners Regional Champ, took third place, fourth went to the Sierra Nevada Champ Darrel Beller and fifth was Santos Menchaca, the Nevada State Champion.

Seventy-four contestants from around the world, including Australia, England, Canada, and Guam, fired-up their Coleman stoves for a piece of the $35,000 in total prize money and awards. It was great to be back at Tropico and the people were glad to have us back; for over 20,000 spectators crowded into the cooking area to get a glimpse of one of the celebrities and a taste of the best chili in the world.