Katina DeJarnett is trim, petite, muscular – not the type of person you’d imagine as a restaurant food challenger who ingests tables full of grub. We’re talking six pounds of beef, chicken, fries, eggs, bacon, pancakes, pizza and essentially any other weighty food you can think of that fits onto a serving plate the size of a small dance floor. 

The professional eater films her colossal challenges and uploads them to YouTube, TikTok and Facebook as Katina Eats Kilos.

Once a competitive bodybuilder, DeJarnett has garnered millions of views since she started her channel in 2019, and revenue generated through viewership is how she and fiancé Randy Santel, also a pro eater, now make their living. 

“My channel took off in a few months, and that’s really an anomaly,” she says. “Most of the time, it takes years to develop a devoted following.” DeJarnett credits some of her quick rise to the fact that she just doesn’t look like she could put away a big piece of apple pie, much less an array of food that could make Jabba the Hutt blush.  

DeJarnett and Santel, who both moved to Milwaukee from Washington state in 2021 so that he could pursue a master’s degree, are an eating team. They travel together, and when DeJarnett attempts a challenge, Santel will sometimes take it on the same day and go first. “It can help with strategy at times when I can see how he attacks the food,” DeJarnett says. This might involve folding multiple pizza slices into one, or taking a multi-burger apart and eating it as smaller burgers – easier to handle.

Open (World) Wide

DeJarnett and Santel travel the world pursuing food challenges, with guidance from other pro eaters who share information. Last year, locations included Las Vegas, Hawaii, Australia and  Iceland. After 15 months of travel, DeJarnett took a break in late 2023. Now, she’s gearing up again, looking for challenges in Wisconsin.

Twenty hours before a challenge, DeJarnett and Santel have a max-out meal during which they eat as much as they can. Then they drink a ton of liquids to stretch the stomach, and then fast. 

At the challenge table, DeJarnett is often taking three or four bites of something at a time. There is a perpetual washing down of food with water, soda or milkshakes. 

Discomfort following an event is common, often accompanied by nausea, heartburn, abdominal cramping and diarrhea.

It’s not always pretty, but DeJarnett does what she has to do. There are some challenges without time limits, but most have them: sometimes an hour to eat the food, sometimes less. For each challenge she completes, DeJarnett usually will get the meal free and a T-shirt or hat. If she fails, she pays the full price for the meal. It can be a difficult career, she says, but it’s fun and rewarding. 

“I’m comfortable the way it is right now,” DeJarnett says. “No matter how miserable I might be feeling, the fans showing up really gives me a boost. A woman celebrated her 70th birthday and asked to come to my challenge as a gift. That kind of stuff blows
my mind.”