"Nasty" Nathan Biller

We presume that his mother still calls him Nathan, but who can say? For while once upon a time, perhaps even as recently as middle school, young Nathan Biller embodied the meaning of his given name—from the Hebrew, meaning "to give"—those days have long since passed. He now is by name and by reputation and by purpose and by inclination Nasty Nate, undoubtedly the nastiest eater on the planet. If you were at an MLE event and asked about "that eater from Texas named Nathan," no-one would know who you were talking about. If you asked about Nasty Nate, everyone would know who you seek. Such is the ubiquity of the monicker. He is Nasty Nate. No more. No less. There are many theories as to how the nickname came to be and how it came to stick. Some of these theories stem from off-table behavior and are not for MLE to speak to. At the table, Nasty Nate lives up to his name. He is messy, to be frank. Deductions have cost him countless thousands in MLE competition. One audience member referred to Nate's eating style at the conclusion of the 2012 Niko Niko's World Gyro Eating Championship as like "watching a bulldog lapping at a giant bowl of custard." As the food in question was gyros, which contains yoghurt and not custard, the comment was taken as metaphor. Regardless, it's vivid and apt. Nasty Nate is a Coney Island veteran of the Nathan's Famous fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest and cites tamales, burritos and tacos as his favorite competition foods.