L.A. Beast

L.A. Beast
Born Kevin Thomas Strahle
(1984-01-06) January 6, 1984[1]
Ridgewood, New Jersey
Residence Ridgewood, New Jersey
Nationality American
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 250 lb (113 kg)
YouTube information
Also known as
  • L.A. Beast
  • KevLAbeast
  • labeast62
  • skippy62able
Years active 2010 – present
Genre
Subscribers 2.2 million subscribers
(September 2018)
Total views 338 million views
(September 2018)
Network Fullscreen[2]
Catchphrase(s) Have a good day!
Okay.
I'm just going to get my Bering Strait.
100,000 subscribers 2013[2]
1,000,000 subscribers 2015[2]
Website www.labeast.com

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 then moved to Los Angeles, California [5]. After several years at his home in California, he moved back to his hometown of Ridgewood, in New Jersey. As of September 2018, his channel has over 2.2 million subscribers and over 338 million total views.[2] 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.

Early life

Strahle was born on January 6, 1984 and grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey.[1][11]

As a child, Strahle developed a love for eating[11] and later used his natural bulk to join the football team at Ridgewood High School.[12][13][14] In his free time he would often accept money from his classmates to complete outrageous food challenges.[11]

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.[15]

In 2008, Strahle moved to Los Angeles[16] and obtained a job working for Pepsi. After two years of service, he quit after a manager told him he wasn't "persistent enough" to be a salesman within PepsiCo.[17][18] That criticism would later drive him to spearhead the 'Bring Back Crystal Pepsi' campaign.

Kevin is shown to feel quite nostalgic when mentioning about his childhood as seen in some of his videos, including his Crystal Pepsi videos.

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.[16] Starting in 2011,[19] 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.[20] This eating challenge was performed with the intention of lifting the infamous Chicago Cubs curse.[21] The Cubs would go on to win the World Series the following year.

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.[16][22][23]

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.[24][25] 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.[26]

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).[27]

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).[28][29]

On May 12, 2017, Strahle broke two additional Guinness World Records for both the most powdered doughnuts eaten in 3 minutes,[30] and the record for fastest time to drink a 32-ounce bottle (0.95 l) of pure maple syrup.[31] 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.

On September 2018, Strahle entered a competition at Jimmy Geez in Haledon, New Jersey in which he has eaten 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.[32][33][34] This led to the creation of a Change.org petition and as of August 2016, it has over 34,000 signatures.[17][18][35][36] The popularity of the movement also produced 15 billboards placed all around the Los Angeles area.[35]

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.[37][38] The next day, a Pepsi spokeswoman confirmed the message's authenticity.[39][40]

On July 26, 2015, Strahle released a song on iTunes called "The Crystal Pepsi Song" featuring production company That's Classic Media.[41] A music video was later released August 5, 2015.[42][43]

On December 8, 2015, Pepsi announced the re-release of Crystal Pepsi in a limited quantity sweepstakes.[36] On June 2016, Pepsi announced that Crystal Pepsi will be released in the US on August 8, 2016 for an eight-week run.[33][34][38][43][36]

Notable challenges

Eating

Drinking

Other Stunts

  • Inserting his hand into a jar full of hot ice and burning his hand[71]
  • Placing his hands inside gloves filled with bullet ants for 10 minutes[72]
  • Solving a Rubik's Cube blindfolded while walking barefoot over a large pile of Lego bricks[73]
  • Inhaling various vaporized alcoholic beverages[16]
  • Ripping 30 phone books in half in 3 minutes[50]
  • Delivering presents across a buttered floor- where he breaks his toe.

World Records

Strahle currently holds ten Guinness World Records, which include the following feats:

  • Most chicken nuggets eaten in 3 minutes (642.12 grams). Beating the record previously held by Todd Fernley (531 grams) on 26th February 2016.[74][75]
  • Most Bhut Jolokia chilli peppers (Ghost Peppers) eaten in two minutes.[76]
  • Most powdered doughnuts eaten in three minutes.[77]
  • Fastest Time to Drink a 32 oz. Bottle of Maple Syrup.[78]
  • Fastest time to eat all chocolates from an advent calendar. [79]
  • Most marshmallows eaten in one minute (no hands).[80]
  • Most peanut butter cups eaten in one minute.[81]
  • Most gummy bears eaten with a stick in one minute.[82]
  • Fastest time to drink a cup of coffee.[83]
  • Fastest time to drink two litres of soda through a straw.[84]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Kevin Strahle Stats, News, Videos, Pictures, Bio". ESPN. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Skippy62able's Youtube Stats, Channel Statistics". Social Blade. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Kevin "LA Beast" Strahle Major League Eating Eater Profile". Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Racket Magazine's Thanksgiving Day Extravaganza Day 3: L.A. Beast - Racket Magazine". Racket Magazine. 2013-11-29. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Sriracha, despite its legal woes, is a cultural icon that bites". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Tonight Show Meal Or No Meal: Drinking 18 Raw Eggs & Golf Ball Trick". Recapo. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  7. ↑ "NBC TV Tonight Show Video: Jay Leno Skit – "Man Chugs 18 Raw Eggs" (March 21, 2013)". WritingShares.com. 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. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Video Breakdown - Buttered Floor - Tosh.0 - Comedy Central". Comedy Central. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 "Draw My Life - L.A. Beast". YouTube. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  12. ↑ #62 Kevin Strahle: Fordham Roster, Scout.com. Accessed May 19, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Playoff victory little consolation for Ridgewood". North Jersey Sports. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Ridgewood - Bergen Passaic Football". Bergen Passaic Football. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  15. ↑ "FORDHAM RAMS CLOSE OUT 2004 SEASON BY HOSTING COLGATE ON SATURDAY" (PDF). CBS Sports Network. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "SMOKING BOXED WINE? COMPETITIVE EATER KEVIN STRAHLE (A.K.A. L.A. BEAST) DOES IT". Broward Palm Beach New Times. 2013-02-14. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  17. 1 2 "'Crystal Pepsi' could return in response to online #BringBackCrystalPEPSI campaign". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  18. 1 2 Ledbetter, Carly (2015-06-11). "Crystal Pepsi Might Be Making A Comeback Thanks To One Man's Excitement". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  19. ↑ "BEAST INHALES 3 DINNER ENTREES IN 20 MIN". YouTube. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Kobayashi -- Tries to Reverse Curse ... Cubs Bars Run for Cover". TMZ. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Competitive eaters devour a goat in order to lift Cubs' curse". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Wild Turkey 81 Eating World Championship". Major League Eating. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  23. ↑ "On The Scene: The Thanksgiving Turkey Eating Contest In New York". Mediaite. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest Qualifier - men - 2012 Jun 7 - Cleveland, OH - Tower City Center - EatFeats". EatFeats. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  25. ↑ "2012 Cleveland Nathan's Hot Dog Qualifier- Conti vs L.A. Beast". YouTube. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  26. 1 2 3 "YouTube star L.A. Beast eats cactus at Wing Bowl - Philly.com". Philly.com. 2016-02-05. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Most Chicken Nuggets Eaten in 3 min". YouTube. skippy62able. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  28. ↑ "L.A. Beast devours two speed-eating world records". Guinness World Records. 2017-05-04. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  29. ↑ skippy62able (2017-05-05), Most Bhut Jolokia Chillis (Ghost Peppers) Eaten in 2 min | NEW Guinness World Records Title, retrieved 2017-05-05
  30. ↑ Strahle, Kevin. "Most Powdered Doughnuts Eaten in 3 min (Guinness World Records Title) | L.A. BEAST". Youtube.com. skippy62able. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  31. ↑ Strahle, Kevin. "Fastest Time to Drink a 32oz Bottle of Maple Syrup (Guinness World Records Title) | L.A. BEAST". Youtube.com. skippy62able. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  32. ↑ "Pepsi Needs To Bring Back Crystal Pepsi - ft. L.A. BEAST (Warning: Extreme Rainbow Vomit)". YouTube. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  33. 1 2 "Crystal Pepsi Is Coming Back For a Limited Time". Time. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  34. 1 2 Strutner, Suzy (2015-12-09). "Crystal Pepsi Is Back, But You Have To Win It To Sip It". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  35. 1 2 "You Can Thank This Guy If Popular '90s Drink Crystal Pepsi Returns". ABC News. 2015-06-09. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  36. 1 2 3 "Crystal Pepsi Is Back on Shelves Today". Fortune. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  37. ↑ "This popular drink from the '90s will be making a comeback". Business Insider. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  38. 1 2 "Whoomp! There It Is -- Crystal Pepsi Is Coming Back". Advertising Age. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Crystal Pepsi Is Poised for a Comeback". Ad Age. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  40. ↑ "Crystal Pepsi is Ready for a Comeback". NBC News. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  41. ↑ "iTunes - The Crystal Pepsi Song (feat. That's Classic) - Single by La Beast". Apple. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  42. ↑ "The Crystal Pepsi Song (Feat. That's Classic)". YouTube. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  43. 1 2 "Party Like It's 1992: Crystal Pepsi Is Back". Observer. 2015-12-08. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Here's an 8-Minute Video of a Man Eating Not One, but Two Whole Cacti". Phoenix New Times. 2014-01-14. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  45. 1 2 3 "This Video of a Guy Chugging Hot Sauce Shows Exactly Why You Should Never Chug Hot Sauce". TIME. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  46. 1 2 3 Dicker, Ron (2014-03-21). "A Special Hell Awaits The Guy Who Attempts To Drink A Gallon Of Tabasco Sauce". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  47. ↑ "Watch this guy eat every Burger King burger in one sitting, and survive". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  48. ↑ "In Whopper of a Challenge, Watch a Guy Eat Every Burger on the Burger King Menu in 24 Minutes". TIME. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  49. 1 2 3 4 "[Internet Roundup] Meet Eating Machine Kevin Strahle, The LA Beast". CBS Local. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  50. 1 2 3 4 "Watch 'L. A. Beast' Eat All 11 Burger King Burgers". Inquisitr. 2014-03-28. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  51. ↑ "Man Gets Sick After Eating 5 lb Bag of Sugarless Gummy Bears". KLAQ 95.5FM El Paso. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  52. ↑ "Kev's review of "Haribo Gummi Candy Gold-Bears, 5-Pound Bag"". Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  53. ↑ "Vegemite eating YouTube challenge goes viral after man eats two Vegemite jars in three minutes". News.com.au. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  54. ↑ "Watch A Guy Called The L.A. Beast Eat An Entire Watermelon, Skin And All". Food Republic. 2014-07-21. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  55. ↑ "Man Has an Extreme Reaction After Eating Two Insanely Hot Chocolate Bhutlah Peppers". Laughing Squid. 2013-11-22. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  56. ↑ "L.A. Beast Rushed to the ER After Eating 21 Dimes". Yahoo!. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  57. ↑ "THE BIG TEXAN STEAK RANCH HALL OF FAME" (PDF). Big Texan Steak Ranch. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  58. 1 2 "Competitive Eater L.A. Beast Takes on The Banana and Sprite Challenge". Mediaite. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  59. ↑ "Man tries to beat world record for eating garlic in Youtube video". Daily Star. 2016-04-19. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  60. ↑ "How Many Light Bulbs Can A Human Eat?". YouTube. skippy62able. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  61. ↑ "Do Not Drink A 20-Year-Old Crystal Pepsi. Here's Why". Uproxx. 2013-02-18. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  62. ↑ "Watch What Happens When This Dude Pounds A 20-Year-Old Crystal Pepsi". CinemaBlend. 2013-02-18. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  63. 1 2 3 "SEE IT: Competitive eater L.A. Beast drinks gallon of honey while covered in bees". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  64. ↑ "Man Covers His Face In Bees And Tries To Down A Gallon Of Honey". BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
  65. ↑ "The Ipecac Car Wash". YouTube.
  66. ↑ "Redbull and Milk Challenge Becomes The Latest Vomit-Inducing YouTube Trend". NewMediaRockStars.com. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  67. ↑ "Dumb Jock Chugs Bottle of Cristal to Protest Occupy Wall Street". Gawker. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  68. ↑ "The Top Young, Up-And-Coming Eaters". CBS Local Media. 2012-12-17. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  69. ↑ "4 Eating Challenges that Could Legally Be Defined as Torture". CBS Local. 2013-09-17. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  70. ↑ "Here's what happens when you try to chug a gallon of curdled milk". Daily Star. 2016-03-09. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
  71. ↑ "This may well be one of the most idiotic things we've ever seen". Independent.co.uk. 2014-10-05. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  72. ↑ "L.A. BEAST vs The Worst Pain Known To Man (Ft. LA FENIX)". YouTube. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  73. ↑ "Blindfolded Dude Solves Rubik's Cube in 3 Min (While Walking Barefoot Over LEGOS)". YouTube. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  74. ↑ "Most chicken nuggets eaten in three minutes". Guinness World Records. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  75. ↑ "Most Chicken Nuggets Eaten in 3 min (NEW Guinness World Records Title) | L.A.BEAST". YouTube.com. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  76. ↑ "Most Bhut Jolokia chilli peppers eaten in two minutes". Guinness World Records. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  77. ↑ "Most powdered doughnuts eaten in three minutes". Guinness World Records. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  78. ↑ "Video: Competitive eater and YouTube star L.A. Beast gobbles doughnut and maple syrup world records". Guinness World Records. 2017-05-18. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  79. ↑ "NEW Guinness World Records Title Fastest Time to Eat All Chocolates From an Advent Calendar". Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  80. ↑ "Video: Competitive eater L.A. Beast conquers his fear of bugs and goes after six eating challenges". 2017-11-30.
  81. ↑ "Video: Competitive eater L.A. Beast conquers his fear of bugs and goes after six eating challenges". 2017-11-30.
  82. ↑ "Video: Competitive eater L.A. Beast conquers his fear of bugs and goes after six eating challenges". 2017-11-30.
  83. ↑ "Video: Competitive eater L.A. Beast conquers his fear of bugs and goes after six eating challenges". 2017-11-30.
  84. ↑ "Video: Competitive eater L.A. Beast conquers his fear of bugs and goes after six eating challenges". 2017-11-30.
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