“Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can actually go.” – T.S. Eliot

Randy was born on June 24, 1986, to his father, Joe Santel, and mother, Karen Santel. He was born in the great city of St. Louis, Missouri!! He has a younger sister named Shelley Santel. He moved with his family in 4th grade out to St. Peters, MO, where his family still resides. He went to high school at Duchesne High School in St. Charles, MO where he played 4 years of both football and men’s volleyball. While in high school, as a Boy Scout, he earned the highest rank of Eagle Scout. Randy then moved to Springfield, MO where he went to college at Missouri State University. He played 3 years of football for the Missouri State Bears as an offensive lineman, and he earned a degree in Construction Management. Randy lived in the Kansas City area (on both the Missouri AND Kansas sides) and worked in the construction industry from 2008 until retiring on October 26, 2013. He’s been working full time as a professional eater, YouTuber, and social media video creator ever since, as the proud owner and operator of FoodChallenges.com, LLC. He chose to go back to college again in August 2016 to get a second Bachelor’s Degree in Dietetics from Missouri State University which was the first step towards becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). He graduated in May 2019 with a major in Dietetics and minor in Biomedical Sciences. In May 2021, Randy and his girlfriend, Katina DeJarnett (Katina Eats Kilos), purchased a house in Milwaukee, Wisconsin so that in August 2021, Randy could start a required 1,200-hour Dietetic Internship through Mount Mary University while simultaneously working on a Master of Science in Dietetics degree. He finished the internship in May 2022. In November 2023, Randy passed the national RDN credentialing exam to officially become a Registered Dietitian!! In December 2023, Randy and Katina purchased a home in Forest Hills (South Nashville), Tennessee, and moved there in January 2024. The Milwaukee, WI home sold in May 2024 and Randy finally graduated, earning his Master’s Degree, in December 2024. Randy and Katina love Middle Tennessee area and plan to live there for the foreseeable future. They got engaged in December 2024 and will be getting married on this upcoming October 10, 2026 (10/10/2026) in the Saint Louis, MO area!!

“There are two great days in a person’s life – the day we are born and the day we discover why.”

Randy wakes up each morning with the same purpose, focused on the same overarching goal – to help people throw more “strikes,” so they can achieve more impactful results for themselves and their teammates. Everyone has a unique definition of what a strike is for them, dependent on their goals and a variety of other factors. That why might only make sense to those people who followed Randy’s Sexification 2020 video series. It will become more apparent soon, as Randy continues to progress with everything he is working towards. It’s why he has focused so intensely on growing his social media presence and community on video platforms (YouTube and Facebook), in preparation for everything he will do after he has concluded his professional eating career. That why is the reason he endured the very long, expensive process of both becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and earning a Master of Science in Dietetics. As he always says, Win Before You Begin!! He doesn’t just say it, and Randy tries his best to live it and consistently throw strikes himself. If you have read all this, thank you for supporting Randy and his mission, no matter when you started. Your time and attention is much appreciated!! This is still just the beginning, so get very very excited for everything upcoming!!

Randy loves meeting all his supporters at his food challenge events, and he would enjoy meeting you the next time he gets near your area!! All events are open to the public, unless specified otherwise. To find out where Randy is going next, click here to check out his SCHEDULE page. 

To learn more about Randy’s “origin story” and find out how he got started with food challenges and YouTube, please click here.