Jump to content

L.A. Beast

L.A. Beast
Personal information
Born
Kevin Thomas Strahle

(1984-01-06) January 6, 1984 (age 40)
Ridgewood, New Jersey, U.S.
YouTube information
Also known as
  • L.A. Beast
  • KevLAbeast
  • labeast62
  • skippy62able
Channel
Years active2010–present
Genres
Subscribers3 million[2]
Total views536 million[2]
NetworkFullscreen[1]
100,000 subscribers2013[1]
1,000,000 subscribers2015[1]
Last updated: 24 May 2024

Kevin Thomas Strahle (born January 6, 1984), better known as the L.A. Beast, is an American professional competitive eater[3][4] who hosts a challenge-based channel on YouTube. Strahle started making videos in his hometown of Ridgewood, New Jersey, before moving to Los Angeles, California.[5] After several years at his home in California, he moved back to his hometown of Ridgewood. As of 2024, his channel has over 3 million subscribers & over 500 million total views.[1] In addition to his online presence, he has made appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,[6][7] The Today Show Australia[8] and Tosh.0.[9][10]

In 2015, Strahle led a successful campaign to bring back the soft drink Crystal Pepsi.[11] His accomplishments also include earning 12 Guinness World Records, 8 of which he currently holds.

Early life

Kevin Thomas Strahle was born on January 6, 1984, and grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey.[12][13]

As a child, Strahle developed a love for eating[13] and later used his natural bulk to join the football team at Ridgewood High School.[14][15][16] In his free time he would often accept money from his classmates to complete outrageous food challenges.[13] Strahle is of Italian and Irish ancestry on his maternal side and German and Irish on his paternal side.

After high school, Strahle was recruited to play football for the Fordham Rams of Fordham University in New York. In his four years on the team, he started on the offensive line in almost every game for the 2004–2006 seasons.[17]

In 2008, Strahle moved to Los Angeles[18] and obtained a job working for Pepsi. After two years, he quit after a manager told him he was not "persistent enough" to be a salesman within PepsiCo.[19][11] That criticism would later drive him to spearhead the 'Bring Back Crystal Pepsi' campaign.

Internet videos

While Strahle was in Los Angeles, he uploaded his first YouTube video where he performed a milk chugging challenge. Noticing the positive response the video received, he started his own channel under the user name "skippy62able" on August 7, 2010. Having completed Fatburger's XXXL burger challenge[4], Strahle's roommate commented that he was 'a beast' for finishing it so fast.[18] Starting in 2011,[20] Strahle would often refer to himself as either "Beast" or "L.A. Beast", eventually choosing the latter as his official nickname.

In September 2015, Strahle and fellow eaters Takeru Kobayashi, Bob Shoudt, Patrick Bertoletti and Tim Brown assembled in Chicago, Illinois to consume an entire cooked goat.[21] This eating challenge was performed with the intention of lifting the infamous Chicago Cubs curse.[22] The Cubs would go on to win the World Series the following year.

L.A. Beast's YouTube channel features dozens of videos in which he films himself performing a variety of over-the-top eating and drinking challenges. In some cases when he is unsuccessful at these challenges, the featured entertainment value is the schadenfreude and gross-out humor of him experiencing pain and vomiting copious amounts of food and drink. His comedic approach also includes outlandish but extremely specific descriptions of what the experience of eating or drinking these substances is like. In addition, Strahle has a number of humorous catchphrases and frequently used terms, and he usually edits his videos to include picture-in-picture visual puns and other images to accompany the sayings, such as a map of the Bering Strait (or a photo of machine bearings) when he says "I need to get my bearings straight," or amusing photos of animals such as seals that appear as if they are making the vocalizations that L.A. Beast makes as he dry-heaves and retches.[23][not specific enough to verify][additional citation(s) needed]

Competitive eating

In November 2011, Strahle competed in his first professional eating contest at the Wild Turkey 81 Eating World Championship in New York City.[18][24][25]

In 2012, Strahle was ranked the 16th best competitive eater in the world, and ranked 17th in 2013.[4]

In June 2012, Strahle consumed 25 hot dogs in 10 minutes at the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest qualifier in Cleveland, Ohio.[26][27] Though Strahle lost to eating veteran Crazy Legs Conti, he was beaten by only a quarter of a hot dog.

In February 2016, Strahle competed at Wing Bowl 24 where he ate a cactus live on stage. To qualify for the competition, Strahle ate 24 raw eggs in under four minutes.[28]

On May 3, 2017, Strahle broke the Guinness World Record for the most chicken nuggets eaten in 3 minutes by consuming 642.12 grams (22.650 oz) of chicken nuggets beating the previous record of 531 g (18.7 oz).[29]

Later that morning, Strahle also broke the Guinness World Record for the most bhut jolokia peppers eaten in 2 minutes by consuming 121.9 grams (4.30 oz) of peppers, beating the previous record of 66 grams (2.3 oz).[30][31]

On May 12, 2017, Strahle broke two additional Guinness World Records for both the most powdered doughnuts eaten in 3 minutes,[32] and the record for fastest time to drink a 32-ounce bottle (0.95 L) of pure maple syrup.[33] The previous record for most powdered doughnuts eaten in 3 minutes was 6 doughnuts, set by Shamus Petherick of Australia. It was beaten when Strahle managed to consume 9 whole doughnuts in the same amount of time. For the second record, Strahle drank 32 US fluid ounces (0.95 L) of pure maple syrup in 10.84 seconds, beating the former record of 26 seconds.

In September 2018, Strahle entered a competition at Jimmy Geez in Haledon, New Jersey, in which he ate 40 nuclear wings. Strahle completed the challenge in a span of 57 minutes and 22 seconds.

"Bring Back Crystal Pepsi" movement

In April 2015, Strahle rallied his fans to comment on Pepsi's official social media accounts with the hashtag "#BringBackCrystalPEPSI" in an effort to revive the once-popular soft drink.[34][35][36] This led to the creation of a Change.org petition and as of August 2016, it has over 34,000 signatures.[19][11][37][38] The popularity of the movement also produced 15 billboards placed all around the Los Angeles area.[37]

On June 8, 2015, Strahle received a message from Pepsi via Twitter, acknowledging his efforts to get Crystal Pepsi brought back to store shelves and hinting at the soft drink's potential return.[39][40] The next day, a Pepsi spokeswoman confirmed the message's authenticity.[41][42]

On July 26, 2015, Strahle released a song on iTunes called "The Crystal Pepsi Song" featuring production company That's Classic Media (now named Mac N’ Cheese Media).[43] A music video was later released August 5, 2015.[44][45]

On December 8, 2015, Pepsi announced the re-release of Crystal Pepsi in a limited quantity sweepstakes.[38] In June 2016, Pepsi announced that Crystal Pepsi would be released in the U.S. on August 8, 2016, for an eight-week run.[35][36][40][45][38]

Notable challenges

Eating

Drinking

Other stunts

World records

Strahle currently holds eight Guinness World Records:

  • Most powdered doughnuts eaten in three minutes.[74]
  • Fastest time to drink a 32 oz. bottle of maple syrup.[75]
  • Fastest time to eat all chocolates from an advent calendar. [76]
  • Most peanut butter cups eaten in one minute.[77]
  • Most gummy bears eaten with a stick in one minute.[77]
  • Fastest time to drink two liters of soda through a straw.[77]
  • Farthest distance walked on Lego bricks barefoot with a relay team. [78]
  • Most ice lollies (popsicles) eaten in one minute. [79]
  • Fastest time to drink 6 beers through your nose [80]

In the past, he has held the records for:

  • Most chicken nuggets eaten in 3 minutes (642.12 grams). Beating the record previously held by Todd Fernley (531 grams) on February 26, 2016.[81][29]
  • Most Bhut jolokia chili peppers (Ghost Peppers) eaten in two minutes.[30][82]
  • Most marshmallows eaten in one minute (no hands).[77]
  • Fastest time to drink a cup of coffee.[77]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Skippy62able's Youtube Stats, Channel Statistics". Social Blade. Archived from the original on March 1, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "About skippy62able". YouTube.
  3. ^ a b "Kevin "LA Beast" Strahle Major League Eating Eater Profile". Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d Olivas, Armando (November 29, 2013). "Racket Magazine's Thanksgiving Day Extravaganza Day 3: L.A. Beast – Racket Magazine". Racket Magazine. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Abcarian, Robin (November 6, 2013). "Sriracha, Despite Its Legal Woes, Is a Cultural Icon That Bites". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 26, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  6. ^ Howard, Pat (March 22, 2013). "Tonight Show Meal or No Meal: Drinking 18 Raw Eggs & Golf Ball Trick". Recapo.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  7. ^ "NBC TV Tonight Show Video: Jay Leno Skit – "Man Chugs 18 Raw Eggs" (March 21, 2013)". WritingShares.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  8. ^ "Today: America's Vegemite Man Joins Today". MSN Video Australia. Archived from the original on April 27, 2013. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  9. ^ "Butter Challenge – Video Clip – Tosh.0 – Comedy Central". Comedy Central. Archived from the original on March 1, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  10. ^ "Video Breakdown – Buttered Floor – Tosh.0 – Comedy Central". Comedy Central. Archived from the original on March 7, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  11. ^ a b c Ledbetter, Carly (June 11, 2015). "Crystal Pepsi Might Be Making a Comeback Thanks to One Man's Excitement". HuffPost. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  12. ^ "Kevin Strahle Stats, News, Videos, Pictures, Bio". ESPN. Archived from the original on May 21, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  13. ^ a b c Draw My Life – L.A. Beast. Retrieved October 24, 2014 – via YouTube.
  14. ^ "#62 Kevin Strahle: Fordham Roster". Scout.com. Archived from the original on May 21, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  15. ^ "Playoff Victory Little Consolation for Ridgewood". North Jersey Sports. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  16. ^ "Ridgewood – Bergen Passaic Football". Bergen Passaic Football. Archived from the original on July 17, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  17. ^ "Fordham Rams Close Out 2004 Season by Hosting Colgate on Saturday" (PDF). CBS Sports Network. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 20, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  18. ^ a b c d Danna, Nicole (February 14, 2013). "Smoking Boxed Wine? Competitive Eater Kevin Strahle (A.K.A. L.A. Beast) Does It". New Times Broward-Palm Beach. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  19. ^ a b Landau, Joel (June 9, 2015). "'Crystal Pepsi' Could Return in Response to Online #BringBackCrystalPEPSI Campaign". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on June 12, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  20. ^ "Beast Inhales 3 Dinner Entrees in 20 Min". February 3, 2011. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2015 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ "Kobayashi – Tries to Reverse Curse ... Cubs Bars Run for Cover". TMZ. September 23, 2015. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  22. ^ Bieler, Des (September 23, 2015). "Competitive Eaters Devour a Goat in Order to Lift Cubs' Curse". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  23. ^ "skippy62able". YouTube. Archived from the original on August 6, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  24. ^ "Wild Turkey 81 Eating World Championship". Major League Eating. Archived from the original on June 14, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  25. ^ "On the Scene: The Thanksgiving Turkey Eating Contest in New York". Mediaite. November 23, 2011. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  26. ^ "Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest Qualifier – Men – 2012 Jun 7 – Cleveland, OH – Tower City Center – EatFeats". EatFeats. Archived from the original on September 11, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  27. ^ 2012 Cleveland Nathan's Hot Dog Qualifier- Conti vs L.A. Beast. Retrieved September 14, 2015 – via YouTube.
  28. ^ a b c Vadala, Nick (February 5, 2016). "YouTube Star L.A. Beast Eats Cactus at Wing Bowl". Philly.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  29. ^ a b Most Chicken Nuggets Eaten in 3 min. skippy62able. Retrieved May 4, 2017 – via YouTube.
  30. ^ a b "L.A. Beast Devours Two Speed-Eating World Records". Guinness World Records. May 4, 2017. Archived from the original on May 8, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  31. ^ skippy62able (May 5, 2017), Most Bhut Jolokia Chillis (Ghost Peppers) Eaten in 2 min | NEW Guinness World Records Title, archived from the original on May 13, 2017, retrieved May 5, 2017{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ Strahle, Kevin (May 13, 2017). "Most Powdered Doughnuts Eaten in 3 min (Guinness World Records Title) | L.A. BEAST". Youtube.com. skippy62able. Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  33. ^ Strahle, Kevin (May 17, 2017). "Fastest Time to Drink a 32oz Bottle of Maple Syrup (Guinness World Records Title) | L.A. BEAST". Youtube.com. skippy62able. Archived from the original on May 17, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  34. ^ Pepsi Needs to Bring Back Crystal Pepsi – ft. L.A. Beast (Warning: Extreme Rainbow Vomit). Retrieved May 4, 2015 – via YouTube.
  35. ^ a b "Crystal Pepsi Is Coming Back For a Limited Time". Time. December 8, 2015. Archived from the original on February 22, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  36. ^ a b Strutner, Suzy (December 9, 2015). "Crystal Pepsi Is Back, But You Have to Win It to Sip It". HuffPost. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  37. ^ a b Tuder, Stefanie (June 9, 2015). "You Can Thank This Guy If Popular '90s Drink Crystal Pepsi Returns". ABC News. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  38. ^ a b c "Crystal Pepsi Is Back on Shelves Today". Fortune. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  39. ^ Peterson, Hayley (June 8, 2015). "This Popular Drink from the '90s Will Be Making a Comeback". Business Insider. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  40. ^ a b "Whoomp! There It Is – Crystal Pepsi Is Coming Back". Ad Age. December 8, 2015. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  41. ^ "Crystal Pepsi Is Poised for a Comeback". Ad Age. Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  42. ^ "Crystal Pepsi Is Ready for a Comeback". NBC News. June 11, 2015. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  43. ^ "iTunes – The Crystal Pepsi Song (Feat. That's Classic) – Single by La Beast". iTunes. July 26, 2015. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  44. ^ The Crystal Pepsi Song (Feat. That's Classic). Retrieved August 22, 2015 – via YouTube.
  45. ^ a b "Party Like It's 1992: Crystal Pepsi Is Back". Observer. December 8, 2015. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  46. ^ "Here's an 8-Minute Video of a Man Eating Not One, but Two Whole Cacti". Phoenix New Times. January 14, 2014. Archived from the original on April 15, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  47. ^ a b c Stampler, Laura (March 24, 2014). "This Video of a Guy Chugging Hot Sauce Shows Exactly Why You Should Never Chug Hot Sauce". Time. Archived from the original on January 29, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  48. ^ a b c Dicker, Ron (March 21, 2014). "A Special Hell Awaits the Guy Who Attempts to Drink a Gallon of Tabasco Sauce". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  49. ^ Harris, Jenn (March 25, 2014). "Watch This Guy Eat Every Burger King Burger in One Sitting, and Survive". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  50. ^ Waxman, Olivia B. (March 26, 2014). "In Whopper of a Challenge, Watch a Guy Eat Every Burger on the Burger King Menu in 24 Minutes". Time. Archived from the original on January 30, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  51. ^ a b c d "[Internet Roundup] Meet Eating Machine Kevin Strahle, the LA Beast". CBS Local. Archived from the original on February 29, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  52. ^ a b c d Ristuccia, Michelle (March 28, 2014). "Watch 'L. A. Beast' Eat All 11 Burger King Burgers". Inquisitr. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  53. ^ Sanchez, Lisa (January 29, 2014). "Man Gets Sick After Eating 5 lb Bag of Sugarless Gummy Bears". KLAQ 95.5FM El Paso. Archived from the original on July 10, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  54. ^ "Kev's Review of "Haribo Gummi Candy Gold-Bears, 5-Pound Bag"". Amazon.com. January 24, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  55. ^ "Vegemite Eating YouTube Challenge Goes Viral After Man Eats Two Vegemite Jars in Three Minutes". News.com.au. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  56. ^ Waldera, Jennifer (July 21, 2014). "Watch a Guy Called the L.A. Beast Eat an Entire Watermelon, Skin and All". Food Republic. Archived from the original on January 11, 2015. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  57. ^ Page, Justin (November 22, 2013). "Man Has an Extreme Reaction After Eating Two Insanely Hot Chocolate Bhutlah Peppers". Laughing Squid. Archived from the original on November 10, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  58. ^ RightThisMinute (August 21, 2015). "L.A. Beast Rushed to the ER After Eating 21 Dimes". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  59. ^ "The Big Texan Steak Ranch Hall of Fame" (PDF). Big Texan Steak Ranch. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  60. ^ a b "Competitive Eater L.A. Beast Takes on the Banana and Sprite Challenge". Mediaite. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  61. ^ How Many Light Bulbs Can a Human Eat?. skippy62able. February 12, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017 – via YouTube.
  62. ^ Kurp, Josh (February 18, 2013). "Do Not Drink a 20-Year-Old Crystal Pepsi. Here's Why". Uproxx. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  63. ^ Rawden, Mack (February 18, 2013). "Watch What Happens When This Dude Pounds a 20-Year-Old Crystal Pepsi". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  64. ^ a b c Moran, Lee (July 15, 2014). "See It: Competitive Eater L.A. Beast Drinks Gallon of Honey While Covered in Bees". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on November 10, 2014. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  65. ^ James, Richard (July 14, 2014). "Man Covers His Face in Bees and Tries to Down a Gallon of Honey". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  66. ^ The Ipecac Car Wash – via YouTube.
  67. ^ "Redbull and Milk Challenge Becomes the Latest Vomit-Inducing YouTube Trend". NewMediaRockStars.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  68. ^ O'Connor, Maureen (October 17, 2011). "Dumb Jock Chugs Bottle of Cristal to Protest Occupy Wall Street". Gawker. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  69. ^ "The Top Young, Up-and-Coming Eaters". CBS Local. December 17, 2012. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  70. ^ "4 Eating Challenges That Could Legally Be Defined As Torture". CBS Local. September 17, 2013. Archived from the original on December 5, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  71. ^ Bartlett, Evan (October 5, 2014). "This May Well Be One of the Most Idiotic Things We've Ever Seen". Independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  72. ^ L.A. Beast vs the Worst Pain Known to Man (ft. LA Fenix). Retrieved September 13, 2015 – via YouTube.
  73. ^ Blindfolded Dude Solves Rubik's Cube in 3 Min (While Walking Barefoot Over Legos). Retrieved November 7, 2015 – via YouTube.
  74. ^ "Most Powdered Doughnuts Eaten in Three Minutes". Guinness World Records. May 3, 2017. Archived from the original on May 7, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  75. ^ "Video: Competitive Eater and YouTube Star L.A. Beast Gobbles Doughnut and Maple Syrup World Records". Guinness World Records. May 18, 2017. Archived from the original on May 20, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  76. ^ Guinness World Records Title Fastest Time to Eat All Chocolates from an Advent Calendar. Retrieved December 6, 2017 – via YouTube.
  77. ^ a b c d e "Video: Competitive Eater L.A. Beast Conquers His Fear of Bugs and Goes After Six Eating Challenges". Guinness World Records. November 30, 2017. Archived from the original on May 27, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  78. ^ Guinness World Records Title: Farthest Distance Walked Barefoot on Lego Bricks by a Relay Team. Retrieved June 22, 2021 – via YouTube.
  79. ^ "Guinness World Records Title: Most Ice Lollies (Popsicles) Eaten in One Minute". Guinness World Records. December 7, 2017. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  80. ^ Fastest Time to Drink 6 Beers Through Your Nose. Retrieved March 1, 2023 – via YouTube.
  81. ^ "Most Chicken Nuggets Eaten in Three Minutes". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  82. ^ "Most Bhut Jolokia Chilli Peppers Eaten in Two Minutes". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on May 7, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
Retrieved from "https://en.Wik.ipedia.Pro.org/w/index.php?title=L.A._Beast&oldid=1257921138"

See what we do next...

OR

By submitting your email or phone number, you're giving mschf permission to send you email and/or recurring marketing texts. Data rates may apply. Text stop to cancel, help for help.

Success: You're subscribed now !