Bob Pacifico loves a good cooking competition - especially when the goal is to help animals.

That's why he and Mark Bates, co-owners of Fat Daddy's BBQ Shaq in Altoona, are once again participating in the Satan's Revenge Chilifest, a chili cooking competition that benefits the Central Pennsylva-nia Humane Society's homeless animals.

"First of all, it's for a good cause - that's the main reason we do it," Pacifico said. "Secondly, just having fun with the other participants makes it worthwhile."

But make no mistake - Pacifico and Bates aren't in it solely to be sociable - they're out to win. Having tied for second place last year with CoBRH's Lounge & Sports Bar in Altoona, they've been hard at work perfecting and revising their "Fire In the Hole" chili.

"My partner, Mark, has been in the kitchen trying new things, coming up with a new chili, and adding new things to last year's chili - to put us over the top."

This year, the guys are coming out with two chilis, he said: one he described as "semi-hot" ("Fire In the Hole") and one mild ("Texas Barbeque Chili"). Both are big sellers at Fat Daddy's.

"We found out last year that a lot of people don't like the real hot chili," Pacifico said. "That's why we're doing one spicy and one not so spicy."

This year's chilifest, which will be held at the Ramada Altoona Conference Center from 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 30, will include 13 contestants battling to win bragging rights to ''Best Bowl'' award for first-, second- and third-place prizes, said Debbie Pierce, director of marketing at the society. A panel of judges, including Altoona Mayor Wayne Hippo, Q-94 Radio's Craig Andrews and WTAJ-TV News anchor John Clay, will decide on the "Best Bowl" award. There also will be a cash bar.

"This is going to be a chilifest and a tailgate party combined," Pierce said. "The Steelers are playing the Patriots that day, so we'll be running the big screen TV in the ballroom while the chilifest is going on. It's been a trend to have it on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so we thought we'd just combine the two (events)."

The event also will include a Celebrity Chili Chef's competition featuring Joe Murgo (WTAJ-TV chief meteorologist) challenging Chris Forshey of WRTA.

Pierce said the annual event usually raises about $5,000 - a goal the society is shooting for this year as well.

"People surrender their animals more when the economy is bad," she said. "And boy, I'll tell ya, we need help now."

Michael Rickard remembers the very first Satan's Revenge in 2002, when his restaurant, Michael's Cafe in Altoona, took top prize for his chili, ''Michael's Madness.''

Rickard said his chili is ''hot and sweet at the same time. It's the same recipe we used then, with a few new wrinkles.''

This year's chilifest marks a first for Crindy and Pat Morningstar, co-owners of Morning Star Restaurant in Bellwood. Crindy looks forward to besting her friends at Bellwood Hometown Market.

''Oh yeah. We have this little rivalry at the Bellwood and Tyrone soup samplings,'' she said. ''They're nice girls down there. We just like to have a little fun.''

Crindy described her concoction as ''comfort chili.''

''A lot of my customers are older, so I can't make it real hot,'' she said. ''It's nothing too explosive. But a lot of people do like it.''

It's also the first year for Tom and Joe's in Altoona.

"It's always fun to do something like this," said owner George Batrus, whose mother, Angie, will be doing the cooking. Batrus said his restaurant, celebrating its 75th year in business, will stick to the basics.

"It's just a standard hamburger-and-bean chili," he said. "It's not very spicy, and it's not real thick - there's really not much more to it than that. But we make it from scratch, and people really like to eat it when it starts getting cold."