Randy Santel
Randy Santel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Randall Joseph Santel June 24, 1986 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Education | Missouri State University (BS, BS) Mount Mary University (MS) |
| Spouse |
Katina DeJarnett (m. 2024) |
| Instagram information | |
| Page | |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Followers | 381 thousand |
| TikTok information | |
| Page | |
| Years active | 2022–present |
| Followers | 1.7 million |
| X information | |
| Handle | |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Followers | 16.2 thousand |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Subscribers | 1.84 million |
| Views | 597 million |
| Last updated: June 7, 2026 | |
| Website | randysantel |
Randall Joseph Santel (born June 24, 1986) is an American YouTuber, competitive eater, influencer, and dietitian. Santel is well known for traveling to restaurants all over the world to take their food challenges.
Early life and education
[edit]Santel attended Duchesne High School. Santel played as an offensive lineman and got first-team Missouri Football Coaches Association All-State Team.[1] During high school, Santel played on their football team, and worked at Subway as a sandwich artist.[2] Santel was also an Eagle Scout.[3]
Santel attended Missouri State University, and played offensive lineman for 3 years on the Missouri State Bears football team. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Construction management in 2008[2] Santel get a job working in construction, but within a year he wanted to pursue a different career, and officially retired from working in the construction industry in 2013.[4]
In 2016, Santel went back to Missouri State to obtain a second bachelor's degree in dietetics in 2019.[5] He then attended and graduated from Mount Mary University with a master's degree in dietetics.[2] During his time as a master's student, Santel completed a 1,200-hour long internship.[3]
Career
[edit]Santel got into competitive eating in 2010 after he entered and won a 12-week long national body transformation challenge called the "Men's Health/Starz "Spartacus" Challenge" alongside a friend.[4] They both celebrated the win by taking on, what would inevitably be, his first official food challenge where he had to eat a 28-inch pizza.[5][4] After winning the challenge, Santel decided to pursue food challenges as a career.[6]
In 2011, Santel landed a role on the TV show Spartacus: Blood and Sand.[7]
At some point, Santel held the record for Sinful Burger's "Goliath" Challenge in Bellevue, Nebraska, consisting of eating 5 pounds (2.3 kg) of food including two 1.5 pounds (680 g) hamburgers topped with ten slices of cheese, lettuce, tomato and onions, between two large pieces of Indian fry bread, with a 1 pound (450 g) side of French fries;[8][9] however, in September 2012 Molly Schuyler set a new record for the Goliath challenge, of 17 minutes and three seconds.[8] Sinful Burger thus renamed Randy's Wall to Molly's Wall.[9] On November 10, 2012, Molly Schuyler defeated Santel in a Goliath challenge face-off, finishing in 6 minutes and 43 seconds.[10][11]
In 2014, Santel launched foodchallenges.com: a go-to website for aspiring competitive eaters. In June 2015, Santel's channel surpassed 100,000 subscribers. Santel won his 1,000th challenge in May 2021.[6]
Personal life
[edit]Santel previously resided in Milwaukee as late as 2023.[2] Santel married to former bodybuilder and fellow competitive eater Katina DeJarnett (aka Katina Eats Kilos on YouTube) in 2024. The couple reside in Nashville, Tennessee since 2025.[12][6]
Food challenges
[edit]| Date | Challenge Title | Restaurant | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 28-inch Pointersaurus Pizza Challenge[4] | Pointer's Pizza | St. Louis, Missouri |
| 2021 | Big Joe[13] | Frank's Pizzeria | Omaha, Nebraska |
| Brutus' Big Brother[14] | Doo-Dah Diner's | Wichita, Kansas | |
| Culver's Double Deluxe Butter Burger Challenge[15] | Culver's | Brooksville, Florida | |
| 2022 | 5lb Godfather Calzone Challenge | Milano Italian Restaurant | Shelbyville, Kentucky |
| 2023 | 6lb Double Cheeseburger Challenge[2] | Bean City Bar & Grill | New London, Wisconsin |
| 2024 | 36" Godfather Pizza Challenge[16] | Sal's Family Pizza | Franklin, Tennessee |
| 28" Pizza Challenge[16] | Benny DiCarta's | Kalamazoo, Michigan | |
| Bamboozler Challenge[3] | Vermillion Club | Tower, Minnesota | |
| 2025 | Piezilla Pizza Challenge[17] | Cici's Pizza | Lebanon, Tennessee |
| Gridiron 30" Challenge[18] | End Zone Pizza & Deli | Augusta, Maine | |
| The Big Pig Challenge[12] | Golden Rule BBQ | Irondale, Alabama | |
| Quad Scooter Burger Challenge[12] | Scooters Sports Grill | Scottsboro, Alabama | |
| Scoop Sink Ice Cream Sundae Challenge[12] | Skylar's Skoops | Muscle Shoals, Alabama |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Missouri Football Coaches Association All-State Team". The Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. E9.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Woods, Mike (February 15, 2023). "Milwaukee man having successful career as a professional eater, influencer". Spectrum News.
- 1 2 3 Summit, Jodi (March 6, 2024). "Big guy, big eats, big fun". The Timberjay. Tower, Minnesota, U.S.
- 1 2 3 4 Kirby, Hannah (August 12, 2021). "A famous professional eating couple recently moved to Milwaukee. Here's what to know about them". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- 1 2 Mackie, Michael (January 31, 2019). "By The Numbers: Professional Competitive Eater Randy Santel". In Kansas City. Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
- 1 2 3 Tait, Amelia (July 6, 2021). "They were competitive eaters. Then they fell in love". WIRED.
- ↑ Bish, Joe (January 13, 2017). "Randy Santel Is the Last True American Hero". Vice News.
- 1 2 Loza, Josie (September 29, 2012). "Bellevue mother devours food challenges". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
- 1 2 "Molly Schulyer breaks Randy Santel's sinful burger record". EatFeats. September 26, 2012. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ↑ "Molly Schuyler halves Sinful Burger record, defeats Randy Santel". EatFeats. November 10, 2012. Archived from the original on May 31, 2013. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ↑ Santel, Randy (November 10, 2012). "Wow!! Molly was a machine today!!..." Facebook. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 Flanagan, Ben (November 11, 2025). "Viral pro eater devours Alabama's toughest food challenges: 'Shut up and eat'". AL.com. Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
- ↑ Locke, Sara (April 27, 2021). "Randy Santel's Midwest USA Food Challenge". The Reader. Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
- ↑ Newton, Ryan (May 21, 2021). "Competitive eater Randy Santel takes a big bite at Wichita's Doo-Dah Diner". KSNW. Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
- ↑ Maas, Tyler (July 27, 2021). "Watch pro eater Randy Santel take down 10 Culver's Double Deluxe Butter Burgers in under 45 minutes". Milwaukee Record. Milwaukee.
- 1 2 "Professional Eater Randy Santel Faces 28-Inch Pizza With No Fear". PMQ Pizza. February 4, 2024.
- ↑ Aronin, Ivan (January 27, 2025). "Professional eaters Randy Santel and Katina Eats Kilos have 64 pieces of pizza – and then dessert – at Lebanon Cicis". The Chronicle of Mt. Juliet. Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, U.S.
- ↑ "YouTuber Katina Eats Kilos Takes on 30-Inch Maine Pizza Challenge". WJBQ. Portland, Maine, U.S. July 28, 2025.